Page created 01/13/2019

Virtualizing Windows 98 SE with Windows 7's VirtualPC

 Last updated: 01/13/2019
Back to
Title page
Software compatibility

A tutorial by Pierre Albou

This page describes the steps I followed in order to create a virtual machine running Windows 98SE in a Windows 7 professional host in order to check the compatibility of my recent programs with this operating system (the last of my computers running Windows 98 as its main operating system died sometime in year 2011).

1.
 I created an new virtual machine in VirtualPC with 256 Mb of RAM and a single network card using NAT (all other options left to default values).
2.
 I loaded in the host's drive my Windows 98SE CD-ROM and started the virtual machine.
 Windows 98SE CD-ROM
3.
While the virtual machine was booting I hit the Del key (Suppr on my French keyboard) to get access to the BIOS parameters, where I changed the boot order so that the CD-ROM was the first device in the list. I quit the BIOS setup with the option of saving the changes and the virtual machine did boot from the CD-ROM.
4.
 When prompted, I chose to install Windows 98 from the CD-ROM.
5.
 When the installation program prompted to insert a Windows 98 floppy disk in drive A before it rebooted, I just proceeded: after the VM reboot a prompt was displayed and I chose to (re)boot from the CD-ROM.
6.
 Windows 98 installation proceeded normally to the point where it asks for the product key, which I found on a sticker on the manual provided with the computer (fortunately I did not scrap it with the machine!).

At this stage I had a running and usable Windows 98SE virtual machine. Nonetheless to comfortably use it and test my recent programs I added the following software:
Software
 Downloaded installation package
 Product version
Windows installer 2.0
 InstMsiA.exe
 2.0.2600.2
DirectX 9.0b
 DirectX-9.0b.zip
 4.09.0000.0902
Windows Media Player 9
 MPSetup.exe
 9.00.00.2980
ffdshow codec
 ffdshow_rev2322_20081114_clsid.exe
 2322
Internet Explorer 6 SP1
 msie6SP1fr.zip
 6.0.2800.1106
.NET 2.0
(requires the prior installation of IE6)
 dotnetfx.exe
 2.0.50727
Windows 98 product key

To access the Internet from IE, I had to manually activate DNS in the TCP/IP configuration of the network card in Windows 98 and to enter the DNS IP address reported by my router, setup by my access provider:
Network configuration

Windows 98 with AVStreamVideoConverter running

Win98 AVSTreamVideoConverter