This will start the virtual machine with a Cirrus VGA graphics card and a Sound Blaster 16 sound card.
The format is preferred over RAW for Windows 98 for one primary reason: Snapshots . Windows 98 is notoriously unstable. The ability to save a "clean boot" state and revert instantly is invaluable.
To ensure a stable experience, keep these configurations in mind: windows 98 qcow2
: The most compatible emulated network card is the pcnet model ( -nic model=pcnet ), as it has built-in drivers in Windows 98 SE. 4. Format Comparison: qcow2 vs. Raw Snapshots Native support; easy to revert Requires external tools or overlays Disk Space Uses only what is occupied (thin provisioning) Occupies full allocated size immediately Performance Slightly slower due to metadata overhead Maximum speed; no extra formatting layer
qemu-img create -f qcow2 win98.qcow2 2G
A Windows 98 qcow2 image is not a product from Microsoft but a modern container for a classic OS. It works well for light usage, though I/O remains a bottleneck due to the guest’s legacy driver stack. For purists, raw disk images or IDE direct passthrough may be faster, but for flexibility and version control, qcow2 is the superior archival format.
qemu-img convert -O qcow2 windows98.iso windows98.qcow2 This will start the virtual machine with a
Running Windows 98 within a virtual disk image is a popular approach for retro-computing, as it allows for modern features like snapshots , thin provisioning , and compression that the original hardware never supported. 1. Core Configuration & Commands