Windows 98, released in 1998, was a significant milestone in the evolution of Microsoft's Windows operating system. It was the last 16-bit version of Windows and marked the transition to 32-bit computing. Although it's been over two decades since its release, Windows 98 still holds a special place in the hearts of many retrocomputing enthusiasts. In this article, we'll explore the process of creating a QCOW2 image of Windows 98, a popular virtualization format that allows you to run this vintage OS on modern hardware.
Use qemu-img to resize the disk if 2 GB isn’t enough, but keep FAT32 limits in mind. And always back up the original image before making changes.
To run Windows 98 using a image in QEMU , you need to create a virtual hard disk and then boot from an installation ISO. Windows 98 typically requires a legacy machine type and specific emulated hardware to work correctly. 1. Create the QCOW2 Disk Image windows 98 qcow2
This will create a 2 GB QCOW2 image, which should be sufficient for a basic Windows 98 installation.
The "Second Edition" is highly recommended for its improved USB and driver support [6]. QEMU installed: Available on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Windows 98, released in 1998, was a significant
This ensures a clean registry. You will need:
Once you have created and optimized your Windows 98 Qcow2 image, you can run it on modern hardware using various virtualization software. Here's an example: In this article, we'll explore the process of
For Windows 98, qcow2 is superior to VirtualBox’s VDI or Hyper-V’s VHDX because QEMU provides the most accurate CPU emulation (486 through Pentium II) required for Windows 98’s finicky timing loops.
You need the latest version of QEMU.
When prompted, initialize the disk with large disk support (FAT32) [4].
Use the following command to start the QEMU emulator and install Windows 98 into the QCOW2 image: