Kurt_Aust

Moved to RyanVM You can still ask questions here

Due to forum editing and display issues, this guide has been moved to the RyanVM forums, you can still ask questions here though.

Moved to RyanVM forums You can still ask questions here

Contents 1. Introduction 2. System requirements 3. Included software 4. Virtual Machine settings 5. Required command 6. Installation sequence 7. File Associations 8. Troubleshooting 9. Usability tips 10. Useful websites 11. Other driver options 12. VMware Player 1. Introduction There are quite a few guides out there on how to install Windows 98se in VirtualBox, this one differs in the following ways: Level of detail - for instance this guide takes you step by step through installing the system, the other guides I've seen only give a general outlineInstalled software - once you finish you will have a fully updated system with a basic software loadout and some important runtimes 2. System requirements VirtualBox 6.1.38 or later plus extension pack Host CPU must be capable of and have hardware virtualization enabled (VT-x/AMD-V) A Windows 98se install CD and the Windows 98se updates CD for this guide, available from MediaFire or via torent The install has been tested in Windows and Linux but obviously not all versions thereof 3. Included software The Windows 98se updates CD image file contains the following software: The extracted config and batch files from this post's attachment [attachment=0]Win98se_Config_Files.7z[/attachment] Auto-Patcher December 2007 Full - MSFN topic Auto-Patcher December 2008 Upgrade - download Realtek AC97 - Audio driver SoftGPU - Video driver KernelEx-4.5.2.exe - compatibility layer to run XP programs Kernel Ex Updates - version 4.5.2016.25 GDIplus.dll - 5.1.3102.5581, needed by SumatraPDF and some other applications flashplayer10_3r183_90_winax.exe - Flash for IE, extracted from fp_10.3.183.90_archive.zip, last version to work Microsoft XML 4.0 SP3, extracted from msxml4-KB2758694-enu.exe vcredist_x86.exe - Visual C++ 2005 SP1 KB2538242 dotnetfx.exe 55MB - .Net Framework 1.1 RtM NDP1.1sp1-KB867460-X86.exe - SP1 for .Net 1.1 NDP1.1sp1-KB971108-X86.exe - .Net hotfix NDP1.1sp1-KB2833941-X86.exe - .Net hotfix 7z920.msi - 7-Zip file archiver Firefox Portable 38.1esr - a bit twitchy, last version to work Dictionaries.7z - spell check for Yanks, Poms, Canuks & Aussies install_flash_player_32bit.exe - 11.1.102.63, last version to work jre-6u22-windows-i586.exe Java runtime environment, last version to work Open Office 3.2.1 - Great Britain - United States - Other - needs Java, last version to work SumatraPDF-2.2.1-install.exe - last version to work Chair_Agenda.pdf to register the .pdf file association klmcodec345.exe - K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, last version to work quicktimealt156.exe QuickTime Alternative, last version to work sdd-win-7.0.0.340-beta.exe - SciTech Display Doctor VMware drivers - Mouse and Audio 4. Virtual Machine settings Create a new virtual machine named "Win 98se" with 512MB of RAM and an 8GB or larger hard drive (fixed size drives are faster on host HDDs) then adjust the VM settings to match as closely as possible the list given below. The changes from default settings are in bold, if an item is mentioned then its matching box is ticked. General Basic Name: Win 98se Type: Microsoft Windows Version: Windows 7 (32-bit) Advanced Snapshot Folder: Default Setting Shared Clipboard: Disabled Drag'n'Drop: Disabled Encryption Not EnabledSystem Motherboard Base Memory: 512MB Boot Order: Optical then Hard Disk Chipset: PIIX3 Pointing Device: USB Tablet Extended Features: Enable I/O APIC (only) Processor Processor(s): 1 CPU Execution Cap: 100% Extended Features: Enable PAE/NX Acceleration Paravirtualization Interface: Default Hardware Virtualization: Enable VT-x/AMD-V & Enable Nested PagingDisplay Screen Video Memory: 128MB Monitor Count: 1 Scale Factor: 100% Graphics Controller: VBoxSVGA Acceleration: Enable 3D Acceleration Remote Display Not Enabled Video Capture Not EnabledStorage Controller: FloppyType: I82078 - Use Host I/O Cache Floppy Drive: Floppy Device 0 Controller: IDE Type: PIIX4 - Use Host I/O Cache Win 98se.vdi - 8+ GB Fixed (must be C:)Hard Disk: IDE Primary Master Win 98se Install CD (must be D:) Optical Drive: IDE Secondary Master Win 98se Updates CD (must be E:) Optical Drive: IDE Secondary SlaveAudio Enable Audio Host Audio Driver: Windows DirectSound or Linux/OSX equivalent Audio Controller: ICH AC97[/b] Extended Features: Enable Audio OutputNetwork Adapter 1 Enable Network Adapter Attached to: Bridged Adapter Name: {system specific} Adapter Type: PCnet-PCI II (Am79C970A) Promiscuous Mode: Deny MAC Address: {randomly generated} Cable Connected Adapters 2-4 Not EnabledSerial Ports Ports 1-4 Not EnabledUSB Enable USB ControllerUSB 2.0 (OHCI + EHCI) ControllerShared Folders Machine FoldersUser Interface Mini ToolBar: Show in Full-screen/Seamless & Show at Top of Screen 5. Required commands After creating your virtual machine and applying all the settings but before starting it up exit VirtualBox and run the following terminal command in the same user account, it does not require admin privileges. Windows (replace "Win 98se" with the name of your virtual machine if you changed it) "%ProgramFiles%\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" setextradata "Win 98se" VBoxInternal/USB/HidMouse/0/Config/CoordShift 0 Linux & OSX (replace "Win 98se" with the name of your virtual machine if you changed it) VBoxManage setextradata "Win 98se" VBoxInternal/USB/HidMouse/0/Config/CoordShift 0 You are now ready to start the installation 6. Installation sequence As Windows 98se can be more than a bit unstable you may wish to save your image at various points, just chose to "restart later" and shutdown instead of restarting then take a snapshot of the virtual hard drive before proceeding. I've given the time taken for some processes on my system (with the AntiVirus turned off) if you want to take a break while they run. Optional steps are described in green, guaranteed errors are described in red, system specific errors are described in orange. Boot from CD-ROM - Start Windows 98 Setup and configure the hard drive (enable large disk support) Boot from CD-ROM - Start computer with CD-ROM support then enter the following command E:\Install, does the following Formats C: Copies installion files to C:\Win98 Patches the installation files Launches Windows 98se Setup Custom - add ALL Windows components except additional Accessibility, Multilanguage Support and Web TV for Windows Setup will hang on the last reboot, just force a restart Enable DMA on all drives (Device Manager >> Generic IDE Disk | VBox CD-ROM >> Settings) Set Virtual Memory from 1024MB to 3072MB (My Computer >> Properties >> Performance) Switch to Windows Logon (Network Neighbourhood >> Properties >> Configuration) E:\ Auto-Patcher December 2007 Full (install only) E:\ Auto-Patcher December 2008 Upgrade (install and run) Enter the following key sequence - M N U 5 1 3 7 B P S I I - 35 minutes- save point 1 You might have to do the odd restart but if the VM continually aborts then it's time to refer to the troubleshooting section E:\Audio\Setup.exe (Realtek AC97, keep 7+1 files) E:\Video\SoftGPU.exe Enable SSE/AVX hack & QXGA Network Setup Wizard (Accessories >> System Tools, cable must be connected, keep 3 files) Internet Connection Wizard (Accessories >> Communications, connect via LAN) Lock down Internet zones (Internet & Restricted to High, others to Medium) E:\KernelEx-4.5.2.exe (compatibility layer to run XP programs) Boot from CD-ROM - Start computer with CD-ROM support then enter the following command E:\KX, does the following Updates Kernel-Ex files Patches Windows 98se Memory Manager Close the VM, you can now increase main memory to 1024MB E:\Apps - installs the following, reboots on completion - 10 minutes uninstall MSXML 4.0 SP2 copy GDIplus.dll (5.1.3102.5581) to C:\Windows flashplayer10_3r183_90_winax.exe (flash player for I.E.) msxml.msi (MSXML 4.0 SP3 - extracted from msxml4-KB2758694-enu.exe) vcredist_x86.exe (Visual C++ 2005 SP1 KB2538242) dotnetfx.exe (.NET Framework 1.1 RtM) NDP1.1sp1-KB867460-X86.exe (Service Pack 1) NDP1.1sp1-KB971108-X86.exe (hotfix) NDP1.1sp1-KB2833941-X86.exe (hotfix) reboot and autostart Apps2.bat extract OOo_3.2.1_Win_x86_install_en-**.exe (Open Office) 7z920.msi (7-Zip file archiver) Firefox 31.8esr portable (KernelEx - XP SP3) extract Dictionaries.7z for Firefox install_flash_player_32bit.exe (flash player for Firefox) jre-6u22-windows-i586.exe (Java Runtime Environment) install openofficeorg32.msi (En-GB by default) SumatraPDF-2.2.1-install.exe klmcodec345.exe (K-Lite Mega Codec) quicktimealt156.exe (QuickTime Alternative) MenuReorg.bat (tidy quick launch, desktop & start menu) Windows Explorer settings (details view, don't hide file extensions, show system files) Set KernelEx compatibility mode to Windows XP SP3 on C:\Firefox\FirefoxPortable.exe, C:\Firefox\App\Firefox\Firefox.exe & C:\Firefox\App\Firefox\XUL.dll Set Firefox home page to http://kproxy.com/ (converts https to http) Set file associations for 7-Zip, K-Lite Mega Codec & SumatraPDF (see below) DeFrag & ScanDisk All done - save point 2 7. File Associations To register the file associations: 7-Zip - Open 7-Zip and it's under Tools >> Options >> System (clear the email options on the 7-Zip tab) K-Lite Mega Codec - Open Media Player Classic and it's under View >> Options >> Player >> Formats SumatraPDF - Open a .pdf file in Windows Explorer and link it to C:\SumatraPDF\SumatraPDF.exe Open Office - The easiest reset method is to uninstall Open Office, reboot and then reinstall Open Office with the command C:\Windows\System\msiexec.exe /I C:\OpenOffice3\openofficeorg32.msi REGISTER_ALL_MSO_TYPES=1 /Qb or for individual file types you can open the file in Windows Explorer (shift-right-click if already linked) and link it to C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\Program\[word=swriter|excel=scalc|powerpoint=simpress] and then edit the file type (Tools >> Folder Options) adding [ -o "%1"] to the end of the open command - Open Office file association commands (these do not work on network shares, local files only) "C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\swriter.exe" -o "%1" "C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\scalc.exe" -o "%1" "C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\simpress.exe" -o "%1" "C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\sbase.exe" -o "%1" "C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\smath.exe" -o "%1" "C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program\sdraw.exe" -o "%1" 8. Troubleshooting A. Security software has been known to interfere with VirtualBox (for instance it is impossible to install Windows 2000 in VirtualBox if Avast Free anti-virus is installed on the host) so first try disabling such programs and if that doesn't help you might even have to uninstall them B. An older version of this guide using different software can be found here, it may work better for you 9. Usability tips Some games can have trouble with the mouse, if so try turning mouse integration off Some games require that the install CD be in the drive, if so connect to a physical (or advanced virtual - Windows, Linux) drive and enable passthrough 10. Useful websites KernelEx wiki (application compatibility database) Main install guide used Auto-Patcher MSFN topic Display Driver Firefox for Win 98se 11. Other driver options (all in the Other_Drivers directory on the updates CD) SciTech Display Doctor was released for free (item 2) when the company went out of business, it's not as flexible or powerful as SoftGPU but it is an alternative option that provides limited 3D acceleration. You can use the Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop (82540EM) network adapter as drivers are available, however it won't increase your network speed as VirtualBox will push data through the virtual interface at the highest speed your physical network will support, also don't change to it until after you've run the Network Setup Wizard You can chose to stick with the default SoundBlaster 16 rather than changing to ICH AC97, in which case you should not run E:\Audio\Setup.exe VMware-98SE-Audio.exe conflicts with SoftGPU so you have the option of using (SoftGPU + SoundBlaster 16) OR (SciTech Display Doctor + SoundBlaster PCI 128) if using VMware Player 12. VMware Player If you are using Microsoft Windows 7 (15) or later (16) or a current version of Linux you can use VMware Player 15/16 (or VMware Player 12 if your host has a pre-2010 CPU - Windows, Linux) However the installaion is considerably more difficult and SoftGPU does not provide "hardware" OpenGL acceleration (DirectX is the same as in Virtualbox), there are notes on the installation in the Other_Drivers folder on the update CD.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions PCBONEZ, unfortunately however due to changes in MSFN.org's forum software it is no longer possible for me to update or maintain complex forum posts like the main guide in this topic. Attempts at updating the main post always fail, previously I was able to work on it offline as a basic text file and just copy/paste it but that is no longer an option. I intend over the Christmas break to rewrite and move this topic to another forum host, but there won't be any updates until then. ATICCC.ins is correct at 0 bytes, at least that's what the DriverPacks create with the ATI graphics settings I use.

Neighbour: What processor does your host machine have? I ask because it turns out that while a 98se guest install fails on my current machine (Haswell-E i7-5930K) it installs fine on my old machine (Core 2 Quad Q9450) and I seem to recall something about newer host processors sometimes having an impact on other guest OS installations. 135th: I've fixed the SciTech Display Driver link but this stupid new forum software won't allow me to update the QuickTime Alternative link.

VirtualBox clearly has improved Win98se compatibility since the 5.0.x series, but until I can get it to install W98 under VB 5.1.x without glitches on all my systems I'll keep the recommendation to install W98 using VB 4.3.38

Yes, my command window also goes blank and I have to force restart it to get AutoPatcher going, but the Win 98se boot-up sequence gets more and more unstable as the process continues until it can no longer start (except in safe mode) at all.

I've tried installing Win 98se in VirtualBox 5.1 and while the core OS install goes well, it fails while updating the system with AutoPatcher. Also the sound from the default SoundBlaster 16 is horribly crackly, changing to AC97 at least fixes that aspect.

I'm away from home until Tuesday which is why the tracker is down, hopefully by then then MediaFire's detection issue will have been fixed (nothing apart from Microsoft's signature files has been changed in over a year)

Despite what others have mentioned VirtualBox is still the best option for Win98se Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 is almost as good but doesn't run on Windows versions after Win7 VMware does have driver support but with no graphics acceleration, not even the software acceleration that the SciTech driver gives you in VirtualBox.

Updated to support version 3.1a of Service Pack 4. The most notable change to the process for the end user is that now there is only one hotfix, the Visual C++ runtime libraries.

It looks like it will be mainly root certificate and application updates from now on. Unless there is some other component change they will not be listed in the ChangeLog, however the relevant posts will note the month of latest update.

There are indeed quite a few decent file hash utilities out there these days, although for basic elegance and ease of use reasons, I'll stick with HashTab for now. It would be nice to get one that also checks digital signatures while it's at it.

I've asked 5eraph to have a look at your issue, it's far better that any problem is fixed within the pack or executables themselves as it's unreasonable to expect end-users to have to deal with nLite's error reporting.

One thing that's missing is support for a decent 3rd party anti-virus solution that still works on XP and can be silently installed. If anyone can think of one, by all means suggest it.

Changelog 5 Jan 16: Guide published 7 Jan 16: Updated \Hotfix\rootsupd.exe & \Hotfix\rvkroots.exe 10 Jan 16: Added notes for USB stick based installation and support for VirtualBox drivers without D3D 31 Jan 16: Updated to support version 3.1a of Service Pack 4 20 Feb 16: Updated root certificates and install PowerShell via Run1a.bat rather than .in_ file 18 Nov 16: Moved to the RyanVM forums

Moved to RyanVM You can still ask questions here

Just turn off error reporting and let it apply the default actions, it works perfectly well for me.

December updates Deletion: RunOnce\7z920.msi Replace: ▼ RunOnce\rootsupd.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493,456 . Root Certificates Update Nov 2015 ▼ RunOnce\rvkroots.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200,056 . Untrusted Certificate Store Dec 2015 Additions: . . AddOns\Grant_Access.7z . 92,509 - repacked subinacl.msi ▼ RunOnce\7z1514.msi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,122,816 . Optional, 7-Zip File Archiver Dec 2015 ▼ RunOnce\rootsupd_Sep2006.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239,000 . Root Certificates Update Applications: Dropped Avast anti-virus as the definition updates always fail.

December updates Deletions: RunOnce\7z920-x64.msi RunOnce\NDP40-KB3072309-x64.exe Replace: @ ▼ RunOnce\rvkroots.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200,056 . Untrusted Certificate Store Dec 2015 Additions: @ ▼ RunOnce\7z1514-x64.msi .. . . . . . . . . . . 1,655,808 . Archive Utility Dec 2015 # ▼. RunOnce\NDP40-KB3099866-x64.exe .. . . 16,094,416 . MS15-128 - Font Drivers Applications: Dropped Avast AV from the supported applications list as definition updates for the older v8.0.1497 always incur an error and using the latest version is like driving with the handbrake on. So if anyone cares to nominate a good free AV that can be silently installed, I'll add it to the supported applications list. Shadowdrake: Do you have the latest version of 5eraph's delta addon (the first release had a problem)? nLite is certainly fine with slipstreaming WMP11 first, I do it all the time that way. I'll take a look with CertMgr.msc for confirmation that the certificates have been applied , but I'd be very surprised if they weren't.

November updates Delete: RunOnce\NDP40-KB2979575-v2-x64.exe Replace: @ ▼ RunOnce\rootsupd.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493,456 . Root Certificates Update Nov 2015 Add: @ ▼ RunOnce\NDP40-KB3097994-x64.exe .. . . . 2,454,224 . MS15-118 - Information Disclosure # ▼. RunOnce\NDP40-KB3098778-x64.exe .. . . . 9,831,120 . MS15-118 - Elevation of Privilege

October update Replace: @ ▼ RunOnce\rootsupd.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . 489,438 . Root Certificates Update @ ▼ RunOnce\rvkroots.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . . 197,183 . Untrusted Certificate Store Add: @ ▼ RunOnce\NDP40-KB3074547-x64.exe .. . . . 2,368,208 . MS15-101 - Memory Objects 5eraph has created updated versions of the certificate lists, they are now used in place of the outdated Microsoft versions. Unfortunately the last 2 versions of Ricktendo's .Net 4.0 installer don't play well with XP x64, so one will have to use the Microsoft version for now. The problems I'd noted with using VirtualBox's experimental D3D drivers seem to have been resolved by application updates.

August .Net update Delete: XP64\RunOnce\NDP40-KB3048074-x64.exe Add: @ ▼ XP64\RunOnce\GrantAccess-TweakUI.7z .. . . . . . 180,409 . Utilities # ▼. XP64\RunOnce\NDP40-KB3072309-x64.exe .. . . 16,087,248 . MS15-080 - Font Drivers Repacked the Grant Access and TweakUI utilities and added them to the base install. Added the nLite process screenshots to the archives and torrent. It looks like there will only be .Net 4.0 updates from now on. Also got one of those cool 3D jigsaws, but my god they're expensive

End of Life, July 2015 updates Deletions: Hotfix\200-WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB974392-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\588-WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB2836198-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\620-WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB2876217-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\688-WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB2898715-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\838-WindowsServer2003-KB3032323-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\848-WindowsServer2003-KB3002657-v2-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\850-WindowsServer2003-KB3046306-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\862-WindowsServer2003-KB3057839-x64-ENU.exe Hotfix\920-IE8-WindowsServer2003-KB3058515-x64-ENU.exe XP64\RunOnce\NDP30SP2-KB958483-x64.exe XP64\RunOnce\WindowsServer2003-KB3000988-x64-ENU.exe Change, from now on due to its ever-updating nature % ▼. RunOnce\install_flash_player_ax.exe . . you must download this youself, link near bottom of page Move, from ..\XP64\AddOns to ..\XP64\RunOnce @ ▼ 7z920-x64.msi . . 1,376,768 . Archive Utility Additions: @ .. . Hotfix\516-WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB2923392-x64-ENU.exe . . 1,067,768 . MS14-016 - Security Account Manager Remote (SAMR) @ ▼ Hotfix\612-WindowsServer2003-KB3067903-x64-ENU.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775,416 . MS15-069 - Windows Media Format @ ▼ Hotfix\616-WindowsServer2003-KB3068457-x64-ENU.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . 1,110,264 . MS15-071 - Netlogon @ ▼ Hotfix\620-WindowsServer2003-KB3069392-x64-ENU.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . 1,051,896 . MS15-072 - GDI @ ▼ Hotfix\624-WindowsServer2003-KB3070102-x64-ENU.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,552,056 . MS15-073 - Kernel-Mode Driver @ ▼ Hotfix\628-WindowsServer2003-KB3072633-x64-ENU.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . 2,184,440 . MS15-075 - Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) @ ▼ Hotfix\632-WindowsServer2003-KB3067505-x64-ENU.exe .. . . . . . . . . . . 3,237,624 . MS15-076 - Remote Procedure Call @ ▼ Hotfix\636-WindowsServer2003-KB3077657-x64-ENU.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877,304 . MS15-077 - ATM Font Driver # ▼. Hotfix\916-IE8-WindowsServer2003-KB3065822-x64-ENU.exe . . . . . . . . . 25,253,112 . MS15-065 - Cumulative Security Update # ▼. Hotfix\920-IE8-WindowsServer2003-KB3074886-x64-ENU.exe . . . . . . . . . . 7,120,120 . MS15-065 - HTML viewer @ ▼ XP64\RunOnce\EUupdate.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,675,18 . European Union Font Update @ ▼ XP64\RunOnce\fontreg-2.1.3-redist.7z .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,584 . Font Install/Repair Tool @ ▼. XP64\RunOnce\WindowsServer2003-KB3072630-x64-ENU.exe . . . . . . . . 4,082,424 . MS15-074 - Windows Installer Service @ ▼. XP64\RunOnce\NDP40-KB2972106-x64.exe . . . . . . . . . . 4,013,232 . MS14-057 - 3 Vulnerabilities fixed Restructure Notes It is critically important to run UpdatePrep.batThe nLite integrated hotfixes have been renumberedSupport for Ricktendo's .Net 4.0 installer has been addedThe files for applying SP2 from within a 32-bit enviroment are now includedThe folder and files layout has been changedThe commands in nLite to launch the batch files have changedYou can now split the intall media between a DVD and a USB flash driveHence you can do a "final" updated DVD and just update the applications on the flash driveIt has now been over 8 years since I first posted a guide to creating a fully updated install media, first for Windows 2000, then for Windows XP Professional x64 edition and finally for installing Windows 98se in Oracle VirtualBox. To think that if I'd happened across the patch to allow Civilization II to be played on Win XP x64, it's quite likely that none of this would have come to pass. Still Windows XP Professional x64 edition (AKA Server 2003 Home) has servered me well for over ten years, beginning with the public beta in early 2005, so it's a fond farewell.