This paper covers the specific technical hurdles regarding storage controllers, display adapters, and input handling that make Windows 98 virtualization uniquely difficult on modern hardware.
To create a Windows 98 QCOW2 image, you'll need: windows 98 qcow2
Windows 98 is an old OS and does not take up much space. While the OS fits in under 1GB, you need room for applications. A size of 2GB, 4GB, or even up to 8GB is usually safe. Be cautious: if you allocate more than 2GB during the Windows 98 DOS-based setup, the installer may prompt you about "Large Disk Support." You should allow it to use FAT32 (larger file system), otherwise you will be stuck with the FAT16 limit of 2GB partitions. This paper covers the specific technical hurdles regarding
Windows 98 "out of the box" will have limited resolution and may run slowly. A size of 2GB, 4GB, or even up to 8GB is usually safe
Windows 98 is not SMP (Symmetric Multi-Processing) capable. It will crash if more than one CPU core is presented.
Creating a Windows 98 QCOW2 image is a fun and educational project that allows you to relive the nostalgia of old-school computing. By following these steps, you can create a fully functional Windows 98 virtual machine that can run on modern hardware. Whether you're a retrocomputing enthusiast, a researcher, or simply someone looking for a fun project, creating a Windows 98 QCOW2 image is a great way to experience the best of old-school computing.
However, for various reasons, you might still want to run Windows 98 on your modern computer. Perhaps you're a nostalgic user who wants to revisit old games or software, or maybe you're a developer or tester who needs to verify compatibility with legacy systems. Whatever the reason, creating a virtual machine (VM) with Windows 98 can be a great way to experience this vintage OS in a sandboxed environment.