Tech Support Forum - View Single Post - Receiving Error When Trying To Install Win 98 ISO Image in Virtual Desktop

**OldGrayGary** · 04-09-2009, 12:42 PM

Hi darkarchangel

We don't give advice for non-licensed copies of Windows. If your Windows 98 carries a legitimate license, don't use an .iso image to install into a virtual machine, you need to use the CD itself (an .iso image would need to be burned onto a CD as a bootable image to be useful).

A Windows 98/98se CD should install fine into either Virtual PC or VMWare.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

P.S. ... follow the instructions from Virtual PC or VMWare to install 98 as a virtual machine. You mention partitioning a hard disk with the older fdisk from Win98 ... that fdisk, unless updated, works for hard drives smaller than 64gb. The WinMe version of fdisk is necessary for hard disks larger than 64gb. Note - that if installing into a virtual machine, no partitioning of the host computer is necessary (it's a VIRTUAL environment).

If you are attempting to install Windows 98/98se natively onto a machine from around 2006 or newer, you are likely to run into problems. The chipsets on many motherboards aren't supported, and there are timing issues with cpus faster than 2ghz for some Win98/98se networking components. In such cases, you'll need to use Virtual PC or VMWare.

04-09-2009, 12:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,240 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: Receiving Error When Trying To Install Win 98 ISO Image in Virtual Desktop Hi darkarchangel We don't give advice for non-licensed copies of Windows. If your Windows 98 carries a legitimate license, don't use an .iso image to install into a virtual machine, you need to use the CD itself (an .iso image would need to be burned onto a CD as a bootable image to be useful). A Windows 98/98se CD should install fine into either Virtual PC or VMWare. Best of luck . . . Gary P.S. ... follow the instructions from Virtual PC or VMWare to install 98 as a virtual machine. You mention partitioning a hard disk with the older fdisk from Win98 ... that fdisk, unless updated, works for hard drives smaller than 64gb. The WinMe version of fdisk is necessary for hard disks larger than 64gb. Note - that if installing into a virtual machine, no partitioning of the host computer is necessary (it's a VIRTUAL environment). If you are attempting to install Windows 98/98se natively onto a machine from around 2006 or newer, you are likely to run into problems. The chipsets on many motherboards aren't supported, and there are timing issues with cpus faster than 2ghz for some Win98/98se networking components. In such cases, you'll need to use Virtual PC or VMWare. __________________