For gaming, also consider PCem or 86Box – they offer more accurate cycle-by-cycle emulation. But for lightweight, scriptable, and snapshot-friendly usage, Windows 98 on qcow2 + QEMU is unbeatable.

Here’s a sample review for a Windows 98 QCOW2 image (typically used with QEMU/KVM).
I’ve written it from the perspective of a retro computing enthusiast or developer testing legacy software.

Title: Nostalgic and surprisingly usable – but expect to tinker

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

I downloaded the pre-built Windows 98 SE QCOW2 image to run under QEMU on a Linux host. Here’s my honest take after a few days of testing.

Pros:

Cons:

Verdict:
If you’re a retro enthusiast, developer testing legacy software, or just want to relive the ’98 experience without hunting for installation CDs and product keys – this QCOW2 image is a huge time-saver. Just be ready to tweak QEMU parameters and accept the limitations of a 20+ year old OS.

Tip: Use qemu-img to resize the disk if 2 GB isn’t enough, but keep FAT32 limits in mind. And always back up the original image before making changes.

The Nostalgia of Windows 98: A Guide to Creating a QCOW2 Image

Windows 98, released in 1998, was a significant milestone in the evolution of Microsoft's Windows operating system. It was the last version of Windows to be based on the MS-DOS architecture and marked the beginning of the Windows NT-based operating systems. Although it has been over two decades since its release, Windows 98 still holds a special place in the hearts of many retrocomputing enthusiasts. In this article, we'll explore the process of creating a QCOW2 image of Windows 98, allowing you to run this vintage operating system on modern hardware using virtualization.

What is QCOW2?

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.

Why Create a Windows 98 QCOW2 Image?

There are several reasons why you might want to create a Windows 98 QCOW2 image:

Prerequisites for Creating a Windows 98 QCOW2 Image

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

Creating a Windows 98 QCOW2 Image

The process of creating a Windows 98 QCOW2 image involves several steps:

Here is the typical workflow to install Windows 98 onto your new QCOW2 file.

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -drive file=win98se.qcow2,format=qcow2,index=0,media=disk \
  -cdrom win98SE.iso \
  -boot d \
  -m 512 \
  -cpu pentium2 \
  -vga cirrus

The critical flags explained:

During installation, when FDISK asks if you want large disk support, say Yes. When formatting, use format c: /s. The QCOW2 driver inside QEMU handles the translation.

You will find many "ready-to-run" windows 98 qcow2 files on torrent sites and retro gaming forums. The temptation is high. Here is the risk assessment:

Pros:

Cons:

The Safe Approach: If you download a pre-made .qcow2 (e.g., "Win98SE_Gamer_QEMU.qcow2"), cheat by mounting it read-only to extract drivers, then build your own from scratch.

# Mount a foreign qcow2 without giving it network or clipboard access
qemu-nbd -c /dev/nbd0 windows98_prebuilt.qcow2
mkdir /mnt/win98
mount /dev/nbd0p1 /mnt/win98
# Copy the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.VXD files you need

Let’s address the elephant in the CRT monitor: You cannot legally download pre-activated Windows 98 ISOs from random archive sites without owning a license.

What you need: