VirtualBox on DOS Without Windows

[saberman]

Is it possible to install VirtualBox on a plain DOS system that does not have Windows installed?

[multiOS]

Simple answer: "No" A supported GUI is a basic requirement. Currently supported VirtrualBox versions are designed (coded) to work with various x86_64 and ARM64 based systems; not 16-bit DOS which doesnt support hardware virtualisation. The underpinning hardware virtualization support that VirtualBox and similar softare still rely on today didn't become available to the x86 platform until 2005, some time after DOS and DOS with a Windows GUI went into decline being replaced by Windows NT based systems (or other competative options with similar capabilities).

You heve to consider the hardware that DOS was designed to work with and how 16-bit DOS (which can't be directly installed in a 64-bit environment), with it's RAM limitations (a maximum of 640Kb for running software), the lack of hardware management/firmware/driver support for 'modern' hardware; and the absence of multi-tasking capabilities, could run any virtualsation software and/or provide the spare resources needed by another OS.

DOS VM's and/or DOS-based systems on 'old/legacy' hardware could of course still be linked with more 'modern' hardware systems and virtual machines via network connections. There are also various PC emulators availabale that simutate hadrware setups from the DOS era which may be able to network with other real/virtualized setups.

[saberman]

I am trying to resistate an old system that had VirtualBox running on it. It does not appear to have an operational Windows on it.

I guess I will have to install Windows and then try to get VirtualBox up and running.