Windows 98 Qcow2 Updated -

Disclaimer: You must own a valid Windows 98 license key to legally use these images. These are for preservation and hobbyist use.

The easiest way is to download a community-maintained image from the Internet Archive. Search for "Windows 98 SE (Updated) QEMU QCOW2 Image" (updated as of 2024/2025).

When downloading, look for these file indicators: windows 98 qcow2 updated

Top sources:

Windows 98 natively supports only up to 137GB. Using a larger virtual drive can cause corruption. Disclaimer: You must own a valid Windows 98

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -accel kvm \
  -cpu host \
  -m 512 \
  -hda win98_updated.qcow2 \
  -soundhw sb16 \
  -device ne2k_pci,netdev=net0 \
  -netdev user,id=net0 \
  -vga std \
  -usb \
  -device usb-tablet

Mount your Windows 98 SE ISO. Boot. Install. It will be slow and ugly.

qemu-img convert -c -O qcow2 win98.qcow2 win98-compressed.qcow2

If you want, I can produce:

(Note: Windows 98 requires legacy drivers; include driver ISOs when prompted during install.)