Running Windows 98 with QEMU and Qcow2: A Retro Computing Adventure**
Windows 98, released in 1998, was a popular operating system that marked a significant milestone in the evolution of Microsoft Windows. Although it’s been over two decades since its release, Windows 98 still holds a special place in the hearts of many retro computing enthusiasts. With the rise of virtualization technology, it’s now possible to run Windows 98 on modern hardware, and one of the most efficient ways to do so is by using QEMU and the Qcow2 file format.
QEMU (Quick Emulator) is an open-source emulator that allows you to run various operating systems on different hardware platforms. It’s a powerful tool that can emulate a wide range of architectures, including x86, ARM, and PowerPC. QEMU is widely used in the development and testing of operating systems, as well as in retro computing.
qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows98.qcow2 2G This command creates a 2GB Qcow2 image named windows98.qcow2 .
Qcow2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write) is a virtual disk image format used by QEMU. It’s a highly efficient and flexible format that allows for the creation of virtual hard drives, which can be used to store operating systems, applications, and data. Qcow2 images are compact, compressible, and support features like snapshots, encryption, and compression.
