I decided to try and install Win98. Here are some comments about the Windows cvs build 20050223 downloaded from FreeOSZoo. (I have tried a few other cvs versions from there, and they have the same problems.)
There seems to be a serious problem with the guest OS (Win98, WinME) detecting when the cd image has changed. This means the guest is completely unable to do the compliance check, for example.
Occasionally it'll detect that you've changed it. But not usually.
I haven't heard anybody else comment about this, so I figured I should.
Qemu has major problems with spaces in pathnames. For example, when changing the cd to try and do the compliance check, it can't handle: "h:\win 9x\win 98.iso"
Qemu wont accept quotes around it, either.
Realistically, qemu should just accept the rest of the line as being the path.
It'd be nice if qemu gave an error message when you enter a pathname for a disk image that doesn't exist.
Once during the upgrade check, I tried to change the cd, I went into Windows dialog thing to change from C: to E: and it hadn't recognised the cd change. I accidently clicked on a directory from the old ISO image. That caused qemu to crash and immediately abort. It might have displayed a brief error notice or something, but it flashed by so quick I couldn't read it.
Needless to say, it's not a "good thing" when the entire emulator crashes.
I accidently tried qemu on a very damaged ISO that Nero had just made for me. From the Win98 boot floppy, changing to the cd drive or doing a directory on it would cause qemu to abort.
Eventually I just made up a cd image with Win98 and the old Win3 files (for complianc check) and I managed to mostly install Win98.
But it blue screened after the reboot during the final part of the installation.
I've also tried Win98se, WinME and XP. None successfully. All crashed or were unable to continue due to the cd change bug.
I don't know if these problems are specific to the windows ports on FreeOSZoo or not.
But to put it very simply.... Qemu is most definetly not ready to actually use!
I've read people installing Win98se, XP, linux, etc. but I can definetly say the daily windows builds aren't that reliable.
The only successful OS's I've installed are DOS and FreeDOS. Dr. DOS 7.03 doesn't work right. Some stuff in FreeDOS doesn't work right. And some programs under DOS don't work right.
Again, I don't know if I just happen to have tried the versions on FreeOSZoo that were broken, or if there is a problem with the Windows builds, or if qemu is just that bad with Microsoft products (and FreeDos and Dr.DOS.)
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