Perhaps you have asked those questions, but even if you haven't, old operating systems are a great way to learn about the evolution of computers.
Now, it used to be that the only way to run old operating systems was to go on EBay and purchase some old installation floppies and get some old hardware to run the operating system. Then you had to pray that the old hardware would run. Then you had to pray that the old discs you purchased are still good. Finally you had to hope that your software installation works without a flaw. You don’t have to have a very imaginative mind to realize that it is a major pain to do go through all of that.
Fortunately, with today’s technology, nobody in their right mind has to go through that hassle (Unless of course you like collecting old computers and fixing them up or without the hardware the experience isn’t the same for you).
Here’s the plan to play with all of the old operating systems that you want, without all of the hassle:
1. Using your current PC that runs Windows XP/ Vista/ 7, whatever, we will obtain some software that runs your old operating environment in a window on your current Windows operating system.
2. Next we will obtain the ROM, installation discs or virtual hard drive of the old operating environment.
3. Then we will configure the emulator/ Virtual Environment to run your old Operating system.
Now before you faint, know that that it sounds complicated, but it is really quite simple. I will guide you through it.
We have two choices when deciding how we want to install the operating system. The first is simpler but less likely to work. The second is more difficult, but more likely to work. I recommend that you try the first method first as it is easier and if it works you just saved yourself a large amount of aggravation and hassle. That is why I am going to show the first method first and that is why it is in the "Quick 'N' Easy Guide".
To get started, we need to download some software called Microsoft Virtual PC. What this software allows us to do is run an IBM compatible OS in a window in your current operating system. What this means is you can run an operating system within an operating system, cool huh?
Look at the picture at the top of the post to further understand what I mean.
Either go to Google and search for “Microsoft Virtual PC 2007” or go to Microsoft.com and search for it. Once you find it download the software and save it somewhere where you can find it (Like your desktop). After it downloads click the setup.exe and follow the instructions. The default installation settings work fine. Once it is done installing click the Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 icon and it will open up. After it opens up it will want you to configure it. Now as I said earlier, you have two options. The first is more difficult and time-consuming but it has more of a chance of working. That is what I will be covering first. We will be creating a virtual machine from scratch and installing the operating system manually. When you open virtual PC, you will either see a “New Virtual Machine” wizard or you will see the virtual PC console. If you don’t have the wizard, select “New”. Now that we have the wizard open, let’s set up a Virtual PC. Download one of the Virtual Hard Drives that I have here for practically every IBM compatible operating system there is:
After you download the Virtual Hard Drive you want, let’s configure your Virtual PC. ). In the wizard the first thing that you want to choose is create a virtual machine. Make the name of the Virtual Machine the name of the Operating System that you are installing. Next you will see a screen for hardware selection. You have a few choices here. You can either choose a default setting, choose other and tweak the hardware as you feel or you can Google the system requirements for the operating system that you are installing and make the memory size a little larger than the operating system. It may be confusing, but I am going to let you choose the option that makes the most sense for what you are installing. But for the most part I just recommend that you choose the other option. Next you will be able to adjust the ram allotted. If you don’t have a very powerful host computer (The computer that is running Microsoft Virtual PC), then I recommend that you leave the ram at 128 MB or you might even want to lower it to 64 MB or lower if you have a slow system and/or the operating system allows it. Next you will have to choose to use an existing Virtual Hard drive or create one. Choose the existing VHD option and navigate to the location of you VHD. After selecting the VHD you downloaded your Virtual Machine is ready to run. Simply press the start button and let it run. If everything worked properly, you will see your operating system boot. If you get tired of the operating system you just installed, simply download another VHD and choose the “New” option on the Virtual PC console and follow the same procedure as above.
Have fun!
