Want to run Virtual Box in Ubuntu with Win98 as guest OS Won't install
 

I have installed Virtual box in Ubuntu 9.01. I clicked the CD drive in Virtual Box to mount it. When I put my Windows disk in the drive I get a "fatal error no bootable media found". Why isn't it seeing my installation disk?

drc

Hi, in the menu you used to set the cdrom drive, there is a boot order list,

Make sure the cdrom is at the top.

Are you sure win98 is supported in vBox?

cheers Glenn

I think it's supported but I've heard it doesn't perform very well in VB (something regarding Win98 never executing the HLT instruction or something like that, and so CPU usage is always 100% in VB).

It does not state that Win98 is covered, but my current problem is that VB does not recognize the disk. It says no bootable media.

drc

If you have space, make an iso of it on your harddrive,

then, set the cdrom to read it as an iso image. It's a faster installation time to.

cheers, Glenn

Can you boot from it on the real hardware?

If memory serves, the Windows 98 installation disk is not bootable. You have to use a bootable floppy image for Windows 98 (http://www.bootdisk.com/) and then navigate to the CD drive when you've booted off the floppy. The CD drive (if memory serves) is drive R: when you've booted off the floppy. From there, you can launch SETUP.EXE and start the installation.

At least, I think that's what you need to do. I might be getting confused between Windows 95 and 98...

Oh, I forgot....

Try put the cd in the drive, then start vBox.

Then select to boot from the cd in vbox.

Then start the Virtual Machine.

Start VirtualBox and create a new virtual machine. Put the install CD in the drive and then power up the virtual machine. Works for me!

I actually got Win98 working in VirtualBox by manipulating an image from an existing installation using a guide that I found on the VirtualBox site. http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=1966

I have Win98 installed using some suggestions from the VirtualBox website including:
a) Installation of rain20 to provide a CPU halt function (not implemented in Win98 by default) and without which my CPU usage runs continuously near 100%.
b) Installation of VXD_398 to provide sound support.
c) Installation of vbemp to provide graphics support so that I can get 1024x768 screen resolution.

I am not sure that b) and c) are necessary with later versions of VirtualBox.

It is possible to get win98 running in virtualbox, provided you don't mind it running like molasses on a cold day, and missing essential hardware drivers. Takes me about 1 hour to get XP fully loaded, including vbox tools, takes about the same for 98 and its footprint is 85% smaller and for the record, the Win98 CD is a bootable disk.

VirtualBox does not provide their vboxtools for 98, so you'll have to put up with the mouse being trapped in the 98 window and having to continually hit your right Ctrl key to free it.

Mike P

Thank you gentlemen for trying to help.
It seems that some Win98 disks are bootable and some are not. The one I have is not. It's a second edition update. This means I would have to install the original Win98 then install this disk from there. Seems a lot of trouble to run two little (but necessary) programs.
I tried Wine, but neither program would run with it even though one of them (ECTool) was listed in programs that are supposed to work.

I may just have to continue dual booting with XP unsatisfactory as that is.

Again, thanks.

drc

Hi, what programs do you need vbox and win98 for? Just Curious.

It will be worth the effort, I feel.

Because you'll be able to run those programs in vbox while

the rest of your GNU/Linux system is just a mouse click away.

It (win98, or xp for that matter) will be secure because of the GNU/Linux system.

Please let us know when you have it all working, we need the feedback.

I just found my old win98se cd last week.(?)(?)(?)It's bootable!

cheers Glenn

Glenn,
I need to run ECTool (an email chess program of which there is none better) and Cardfile an old Windows 3.1 program that I have been saving information in for years.
How I got here might be of interest. I have been through 2 older computers which I finally gave up on and built this new machine. I had put XP on each of those plus this new one and when I finally tried to install XP on my Virtual box MS would not "activate" it.
Activation has been a burr under my saddle ever since I paid MS $100 for XP. This final indignity has determined me to learn Ubuntu. I'll let you know what happens.

drc

Have you considered wine, dosbox or dosemu? Check them out in Synaptic

With wine, you can set the windows version as anything from windows 2 through to windows 2008 and while not everything works with wine, many of the older programs and games that do not require a registry hack work just fine. I don't know about gnome, but in KDE, you just right click the windows executable, choose Open With and type in wine, then the installation begins.

If this method works, you might find its about 50x lighter on your system than running a full windows OS as a virtual machine.

Mike P

Mike,
Yes I have tried Wine. Cardfile will give me the information already in it, but will not save any new info. ECTool will run and I can send email from it, but it will not archive the games.

drc

I'd try something like DOSBox or dosemu as suggested above. DOSBox is mainly designed for games, but it can also run Windows 3.1 almost flawlessly (so Cardfile shouldn't be a problem ;)). Pretty light on resources, too (I can run it in a virtual machine and the (real) CPU usage doesn't even reach 100%).

The archive function in ECTool suddenly started to work (who knows?). Also I have found a Linux substitute for Cardfile. Transferring information to it will help me get rid of old unused stuff that is years out of date.
Now if I can just find a decent stock program I can kiss MS goodbye and good riddance!
Thanks for all of your help!

drc