Always verify the conversion by booting the qcow2 image before deleting the original. The windows98.qcow2 combination represents the most flexible, efficient, and historically accurate way to run Microsoft’s classic OS on modern hardware. Qcow2’s snapshotting, compression, and backing file features turn Windows 98 from a fragile relic into a practical tool for retro-computing, software preservation, and legacy testing.
qemu-img create -f qcow2 -o compression_type=zlib win98.qcow2 2G Launch QEMU with the empty disk, boot floppy, and Windows 98 ISO: windows 98 qcow2
qemu-img snapshot -l win98.qcow2 Revert to snapshot: Always verify the conversion by booting the qcow2
qemu-img snapshot -c before_install win98.qcow2 List snapshots: qemu-img create -f qcow2 -o compression_type=zlib win98
Introduction For retro-computing enthusiasts, developers testing legacy software, or gamers revisiting classics like Fallout , Age of Empires , or The Sims , running Windows 98 today presents a challenge. Modern hardware lacks drivers for this 1998 operating system, and virtualization is the most practical solution.
