Do you have a (like Proxmox, Virt-Manager, or UTM) you plan to use this image with?
The combination of with the qcow2 disk image format sits at the intersection of retro computing and modern virtualization. Qcow2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write version 2) is the native disk format for QEMU, offering features like snapshots, compression, and sparse allocation — none of which existed when Windows 98 was released in 1998.
This article is a deep dive into obtaining, creating, optimizing, and troubleshooting windows 98 qcow2 images. Whether you are looking to replay StarCraft , run a legacy CNC machine, or simply experience the "Active Desktop" again, this guide is for you.
Go to . Let Windows search for devices. It will automatically detect the QEMU-emulated Sound Blaster 16 card and install the standard drivers. Networking windows 98 qcow2
I launched the virtual machine.
If you're interested in learning more about Windows 98, QCOW2 images, or virtualization, here are some additional resources:
One popular way to run Windows 98 on modern systems is by converting the installation into a qcow2 image, which can be used with QEMU, a widely-used open-source emulator. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of creating a Windows 98 qcow2 image, as well as provide tips and tricks for running Windows 98 on modern hardware. Do you have a (like Proxmox, Virt-Manager, or
QCOW2 (QEMU Copy On Write) is a virtual disk image format used by the QEMU emulator. It's a popular format for storing virtual machine (VM) images, offering features like compression, encryption, and support for snapshots. QCOW2 images can be used with QEMU, as well as other virtualization software that supports the format, such as libvirt and virt-manager.
Using QCOW2 for Windows 98 gives retro users a practical, space-efficient, and snapshot-friendly way to run and preserve legacy software. Favor IDE, Cirrus video, and SB16 audio emulation for best compatibility, keep drivers and install media archived, and manage snapshots to balance convenience with performance. With appropriate configuration, Windows 98 can run reliably inside modern virtualization stacks while remaining easy to snapshot, move, and preserve.
... -net nic,model=pcnet -net user
qemu-img convert -f raw -O qcow2 windows98.img windows98.qcow2
Unlike raw disk images, QCOW2 only uses physical disk space as data is written to it. This is ideal for Windows 98, which typically requires small partitions but benefits from the flexibility of snapshots—allowing you to "undo" a driver crash or a messy software installation instantly.