Is there a recommended site from which I could download Virtual PC to run on Windows 7?

There appear to be several sources available but I am wary of going to a site that could be unsafe.

petert

The best place to go is the source -

Virtual PC 2007

Thanks for the tip.
I have looked at the Microsoft site, but I can't see a reference to whether it is correct for Windows 7 - it refers to Vista and XP.

Should I just go ahead and download the 64bit version and go from there? Perhaps it will explain there?

I would like to put W98 and XP on Virtual PC if that is possible.

petert

It will run just fine on Windows 7 although you may have to rename the file once it's downloaded. As I recall they looked specifically for the executable and blocked it (although that could have been Windows 8). A better solution (in my opinion) is to install VMware Player and run XP under it. It supports Accelerated Graphics for XP and above.

You can find it here: VMWare Player Free

I have Virtual PC on my Windows 7 machine and it works great. I don't think we needed to rename the file.

Inland's suggestion about VMWare Player is a good one.

I downloaded VMware Player, but it will not let me load W98. It says that 'this version of the file is not compatible with the version of the Windows which you are running', and asks me to consult my computer system information as to whether I need the 32bit version or the 64bit version and then contact the software publisher. I know that my present computer is the 64 bit version but what use is that to me, given that Microsoft certainly does not support W98.
I will therefore try to load XP into the VMware player into my Windows 7 computer and see if that will work.
But I am not holding my breath.

petert

Good job I wasn't holding my breath. I would have been dead by now.

A Fatal Error has occurred. Quelle surprise.

I am not sure that I can be bothered to go through all that again to try and figure out what has gone wrong.

petert

There is only 1 installer for VMware Player, it support both 32 and 64 bit operating systems. It runs just fine on all of my Windows 7 PC's. Are you sure you downloaded the Windows installer?

Wasn't there a Virtual PC 2007 SP1 version?
I think that's what I have on my Windows 7 x64 computer.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/...034bcdd6d2=True

When you click the download button on the above webpage, you should get a choice of 32-bit or 64-bit.
Put a check in the box next to the one you want, click Next, and a setup should download.
The setup files for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions have different md5sums so can't be exactly the same.


You don't have to rename the file for Windows 7.
There is no problem with installing Virtual PC on Windows 7.
But renaming the file is one of several things you have to do in order to get Virtual PC installed and working without crashing on Windows 8.


That sounds like VMware may have created an environment that's friendly to 64-bit guests but not 32-bit guests.

I'm running a 32 bit Windows 98 under VMware - I'm not sure what it is that's generating the error message.

Do you need a key to install win 98SE on Virtual PC?

Sharon

No, it is freeware.

SharonB, were you asking if you need a 98SE key to install on VPC? I was curious too.

Oh, hadn't thought of that one - but, it looks like she is. Yes, you will need install media and it's key.

I figured you did, but wasn't sure.

When are you getting that message? Is it when you attempt to install VMware Player or when you attempt to install Windows 98?

If you are trying to install Windows 98 directly in Windows 7, you might get that message -- and you should thank Windows 7 for preventing you from making a horrible mistake.

If you are installing Windows 98 inside VMware, I can think of two possibilities --

One is that the current, most recent version of VMware Player automatically creates a 64-bit guest VM, which is not what you want to do if your guest OS is Windows 98. (OS = Operating System)

Alternatively, when creating a virtual machine (VM) to install Windows 98 on, you may at some point have been prompted to create a 64-bit guest -- which is not what you want to do since Windows 98 is a 32-bit operating system. Although 32-bit Windows should be able to install on an actual 64-bit computer (i.e. - a computer with a 64-bit processor), it might work differently when installing on a VM.

If you didn't create a VM inside VMware Player before attempting to install Windows 98, you might get that message. It would be similar to installing Windows 98 when you don't have a computer. You have to create the virtual computer (the VM) before installing Windows 98 on it.

It's been years since I used VMware Player so I don't know if the current version will automatically detect your guest OS. VMware Workstation ($$$$$) and VMware Fusion (for Mac) will, but I don't know about Player. You might check a video on how to install Windows 98 on VMware and see if there's something you're not doing. Perhaps one of these...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihDQaYquLrA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV8jm0oqZfI

Thank you for the assistance, but I am still flummoxed. As regards the VMware situation, the situation is as follows.

I install VMware Player via the Installation Wizard.
I click on 'VMware Player setup'
I see 'Setup Wizard Complete'
I restart and get 'Welcome to VMware Player'
I click on 'Create a New Virtual Machine' and get a 'New Virtual Machine Wizard'.

I then 'Install from Installer disk'
I put the W98 disk in the drive.
I then 'Select a Guest Operating System' and check Windows 98.
Then I get 'Ready to create Virtual Machine'

Then I check 'Play Virtual Machine'
I am then invited to 'Download VMware tools for W95,W98,Me and NT' - which I assume I need - and then the sky falls in.

I get 'Install of VMware Tools failed. Contact VMware support or your System Administrator' - which I assume is me.

In George Orwellspeak, I am doubleplus upflummoxed.

petert

Check out post #5 in the thread below -

"Install of VMware Tools for Window...strator."

So you need to use that iso for VMware Tools that you download ***here*** instead of the one that comes with VMware? Wonder why they supply the wrong one.

I'd set my VM's up so long ago I'd forgotten - I had to download another ISO (which I still have somewhere) and install it. They no longer provide VMware Tools for the older versions of Windows.

You'll run into similar issues for Sound and Video drivers, they're hard to come by these days. It's a lot of work, but if you're persistent you can locate them.

The emulated sound card in the version of VMware I used a year ago was the Sound Blaster Audio PCI. I think earlier versions of VMware Player allowed you to choose Sound Blaster 16 by editing the vmx file for the VM.

I never got the emulated AudioPCI to work right with midi (at best it would play, but had an annoying buzzing sound). Other types of sound seemed to work. I think there may have been a problem with midi in Virtual PC too.

The SBPCI_WebDrvsV5_12_01.exe driver worked for Windows 98SE in VMware but not Windows 95. If you go to the Creative website, you can find this driver if you look up drivers for Windows 98SE and AudioPCI. (be sure to look for Windows 98SE and not Windows 98)

I don't remember what the emulated video card was. I thought it was a special "VMware" card that got its drivers from the tools.

Yes, Draclvr, I was. I have to purchase a new 98SE OS and was confused by the fact that some came with keys and some didn't. (Looked on Ebay.)

Anything else I should look for?

Sharon

OEM versions of Windows 98SE may have bootable CD's.
The boxed retail version does not, and will require a boot floppy or mounting a floppy image.
You can get a floppy image ***here*** however it is an extra step.

Instructions for Windows 98 on Virtual PC 2007 ***here***
and are similar to instructions for Windows 98 on Virtual PC 2004 here on Gameboomers
http://www.gameboomers.com/Members/virtual_pc_2004_faq.htm

Once you the get a successful VM installed, peruse to the location the machine was defined in (usually a sub folder in My Documents) and copy the .VHD (Right click - Copy, Right click Paste). It save a lot of time if you manage to corrupt the original install, you can just rename the files and avoid reloading the entire OS.

Thank you Jenny and Inland. I'll know better now what I'm looking for and will probably save myself from some future hassle.