For a sysadmin, this specific search string is a lifeline. It bypasses the need to hunt down a physical CD-ROM, rip it, and convert it. It looks for a pre-configured, copy-on-write disk image format (qcow2) used by QEMU and KVM. Ideally, I was looking for a ready-made image that had the OS installed, saving me an hour of installation time.
To boot from the CD-ROM and start the setup, use the following configuration. Note the use of the pentium2 or pentium3 CPU type, as modern CPU instructions can sometimes crash older installers.
Running Windows 98 in a virtual machine with QCOW2 is a great way to revisit this classic operating system. With the right tools and configuration, you can enjoy the Windows 98 experience while still benefiting from modern conveniences like snapshots, drag-and-drop file transfer, and networking. windows 98 qcow2
This command resizes the QCOW2 image to 4 GB.
You will need a legitimate copy of the Windows 98 installation CD or an ISO image. Microsoft released the original Windows 98 and the significantly updated Windows 98 Second Edition (SE). It is highly recommended to use as it includes better USB support and stability fixes. For a sysadmin, this specific search string is a lifeline
Save that QEMU launch script as play_win98.sh . Keep a clean snapshot named base_snapshot.qcow2 . And never, ever, click on "Active Desktop Update."
qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows98.qcow2 2G Ideally, I was looking for a ready-made image
qemu-img create -f qcow2 -o size=4G windows98.qcow2
I had a trick up my sleeve. I shut down the VM and mounted the qcow2 image directly on my Linux host using guestmount .
of RAM; Windows 98 often crashes if it sees too much memory. Display Drivers : Standard QEMU VGA can be limited. Many users install the SoftGPU driver to enable higher resolutions and 3D acceleration. : Keep your QCOW2 disk size at or below
qemu-system-i386 -m 256 -hda windows98.qcow2 -cdrom /dev/cdrom -boot d