In this stage of teaching, the author will introduce the installation of Windows 98 and SoftGPU in the VirtualBox virtual machine to bring higher execution performance.
VirtualBox pre-work
In previous articles, the author has introduced the features of different solutions such as DOSBox, PCem (projects such as 86Box continued to develop after the development was stopped), virtual machines, etc. This time, the virtual machine will be paired with a SoftGPU software suite that can use display hardware acceleration, allowing The simulated Windows 98 operating system can execute more 3D games.
The author tried two sets of mainstream virtual machine software, VirtualBox and VMware, and found that the former has better compatibility with SoftGPU, and the latter cannot use a mouse when executing some games, so the series of tutorials uses VirtualBox 7 as an example.
The tutorial will be divided into three stages: VirtualBox pre-work, installation of Windows 98 (including the installation of patcher9x patch files to solve processor compatibility issues), and installation of SoftGPU and sound driver. Readers can first prepare the following required software and the Windows 98 Second Edition CD image file, and follow the graphic tutorials.
During the operation of VirtualBox, keyboard and mouse commands will be intercepted by VirtualBox (directly sent to the virtual operating system). You can press the right Ctrl key to switch back to operating the physical operating system.
Related software downloads:
VirtualBox：https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
patcher9x (please download the disk image file in ima format and change the file extension to “.img”):https://github.com/JHRobotics/patcher9x/releases/
SoftGPU (please download the ISO format CD image file):https://github.com/JHRobotics/softgpu/releases/
AC97 Audio Driver (Version 3.62):
▲ Generally speaking, just download the latest version of VirtualBox Host for Windows and install it.
▲ patcher9x needs to download the disk image file in ima format and change the file extension to “.img”.
▲ SoftGPU downloads ISO format disc image files.
▲ After installing and opening VirtualBox, click “Add” in the main menu.
▲ After entering the name of the virtual machine and the storage folder, specify the type and version as Windows and Windows 98. Next, click Expert Mode for detailed settings.
▲ On the hardware page, due to limitations of Windows 98, it is recommended to set the base memory to 512MB (any higher will require additional modifications) and set it to 1 processor.
▲ On the hard disk page, you can set the capacity within 127GB. It is recommended to choose VDI format.
▲ After completion, return to the main menu and click “Settings”.
▲ Change the type and version on the general page to “Linux, Other Linux (32bit)” to enable display hardware acceleration.
▲ In the display section, set the memory to 128MB, select the VMSVGA graphics controller and enable 3D acceleration.
▲ Select the ICH AC97 sound controller for the audio part.
▲ Select USB 1.1 controller in the USB section.
▲ Finally, click “Select Disk File” in the CD-ROM section of the storage device and select the Windows 98 Second Edition CD image file.
▲ Next, in order to specify the 3D hardware acceleration version and correct the compatibility issues of AMD Ryzen and Intel 11th generation Core series and later processors, the configuration file of the virtual machine needs to be modified. Open the VirtualBox installation folder in File Explorer and enter “cmd” in the path bar, then press Enter.
▲ First enter the following two lines of commands in the command prompt window that pops up, where “”Windows 98 SoftGPU”” is the previously set virtual machine name. If the processor used is AMD Ryzen 3000 series or later, you need to enter the following third line of instructions to give a fake processor name to correct the problem that the real name is too long. (Intel processors do not need to perform this step)
VBoxManage setextradata “Windows 98 SoftGPU” “VBoxInternal/Devices/vga/0/Config/VMSVGA10” “0”
VBoxManage setextradata “Windows 98 SoftGPU” “VBoxInternal/TM/TSCTiedToExecution” 1
VBoxManage modifyvm ” Windows 98 SoftGPU ” –cpu-profile “AMD Ryzen 7 1800X Eight-Core”
After completing the pre-work and settings of VirtualBox, we will start installing the Windows 98 operating system in the next article.
(Return to the series of articles)
