running win98 in virtual on win7/64

[raygg]

Never loaded any vm software or played around with it - but I DID replace my XP Pro 32 windows OS installation with WIn 7 64bit installation on my Lenovo T61 w/4gb. I have a game I run in win98 compatibility mode but I would like to know about doing the following.

Could I install VM software (something free like the virtual box from Oracle) on my win7/64 SP1 and then load win98 and then run my game on it? Is it necessary to reload the win98 OS every time I want to play the game? Will the sound work ok? Will the graphics work ok? BTW my win98 installation disk has a valid license.

Would you recommend a link that gives a good video tutorial on this with examples?

I have a large HD but is it necessary to permanently partition the HD for the VM software? If so how much s/b set aside for this? I currently have a 750gb HD with 500gb free.

Ray

 

[Sympology]

Yes and no. In theory it would work, however the real issue your going to have is drivers for your Win98 machine. VM's are dead easy to use you create one, and the install as if it's a new machine. Unless you specify otherwise, it will work like a normal pc, so everything is saved as normal.
VirtualBox has some decent tutorials. But as stated drivers will be the real problem.

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[Nelviticus]

Drivers shouldn't be a problem as VirtualBox includes 'Guest Additions' which has all the Windows 98 drivers you'll need for the emulated hardware.

You don't need to partition your hard drive, you can use a virtual disk instead. This is a file on your 'real' hard drive that the virtual machine sees as its own disk.

To set up a Windows 98 virtual machine using Virtual Box:
- Create a new VM with the wizard
- Choose Windows 98 as the OS version
- Choose to create a virtual hard drive
- Accept all the defaults
- Go into the settings for the newly-created VM, go to the Network tab and deselect 'Enable Network Adapter'. This is because if you let a Win98 machine connect to the internet these days it's likely to get viruses up to your eyeballs within minutes as soon as you go online with it. Enable networking only if you're sure you want to risk it.
- Stick the Win 98 CD in your drive and start the VM (cancel autorun if your real machine starts running it)
- The VM will be able to boot from your real CD, so set up Windows 98 as you would for a normal machine
- Once everything is installed, start it up and log in
- It'll be running in a VirtualBox window, so from the window's 'Devices' menu choose 'Install Guest Additions'
- This will install drivers for all the emulated hardware. When this is finished you'll probably be asked to reboot the VM, after which you have a working Win98 installation and can go ahead and install your game.

In answer to your question "Is it necessary to reload the win98 OS every time I want to play the game", yes but this is really quick. When you close the VM you have the option to save its state, which takes up a little disk space but means that next time you open it you can start from where you left off. It's a bit like hibernating a modern PC.

"Will the sound work ok? Will the graphics work ok?" They should do - VirtualBox emulates a standard VGA display adapter and (by default) a SoundBlaster 16 sound card. If your game is compatible with those it should work fine.

Regards


Nelviticus