[Resolved] How to install application in Windows 95 guest?

[sursurring]

Hi, I've just installed Windows 95 on VirtualBox, and I can't figure out how to install the application I want to run.

I made the folder with the installation files into an ISO, and it's now set up through the optical drive, but when I try to open the G: drive that shows up, nothing is visible in it. I tried to add the files to a thumb drive, but that doesn't even appear. I also looked into Guest Additions for shared folders/drag-and-drop, but it seems that's for Windows hosts only. So how can I make the files accessible on my guest system?

This is my first time using VirtualBox, so I'm sure there's an obvious answer that I am missing. Thanks for any help you can provide!

[socratis]

I made the folder with the installation files into an ISO

How exactly did you create the ISO? I have some reservations about it...

If you're on VirtualBox > 6.0.2, there's a built-in mechanism that creates a compatible ISO. Just click on the CD-icon in the status bar and select "Create ad hoc ISO...".

I tried to add the files to a thumb drive, but that doesn't even appear

You need to have the Ext.Pack on the host, and either enable a filter of use the on-the-fly grab option, see USB basics and troubleshooting. It won't just show auto-magically...

I also looked into Guest Additions for shared folders/drag-and-drop, but it seems that's for Windows hosts only.

No, it's not "Windows hosts only", since the Guest Additions are installed on the Guest (hence the name). It's simply that there are no Guest Additions for Win9x.

[andyp73]

How exactly did you create the ISO? I have some reservations about it...

My guess would be that it has created a DVD or Blueray ISO image. I think they were both pre-Win95 which would be expecting a CD ISO.

-Andy.

[mpack]

I guess first step would be to prove the ISO on the host. I think OS X probably has an ISO mount tool, or you can easily get one. Can it see the files inside the ISO?

I doubt that the DVD or Bluray idea is it. To VirtualBox there's no difference between optical formats except size, and I can't imagine a Win95 era app being too big for a CD-R (i.e. 640MB). We talking about the era where software typically still came on a small stack of 1.44MB floppies, at least optionally.

It's possible that the ISO uses filesystem extensions that are not recognized (e.g. Joliet, or multi-session), or perhaps the disk wasn't finalized.

... or just abandon the external ISO tool and use the Virtual ISO feature Socratis mentions. Hopefully that is compliant with Win95 era standards.

[sursurring]

Thanks, all, for the suggestions, but I can't quite get it working yet. I would very much appreciate a followup on one or both of the following, since I'm clearly doing something wrong.

I tried to create the ad hoc VISO, but the dialog that appears is not accepting mouse input. I can use the keyboard as far as selecting the files, but without the mouse I'm not sure how to actually finish creating the new ISO.

Trying the USB approach, I downloaded the extension pack and set up a USB filter using the link socratis provided, but that isn't showing up in the guest either.

[mpack]

To be blunt: you can forget about setting up USB mass storage in a Win95 guest.

Win95 (and Win98 after it) had no native USB mass storage support, you had to install drivers for every specific device. I'm going to assume you have no Win95 drivers for any flash storage device available to you now. In any case Win95 support for USB was extremely buggy, it got completely replaced in Win98. So even if you had drivers, the chances of it working are poor.

There's a freeware mass storage library for Win98, but the driver architecture for Win95 is totally different so I doubt you'll get much joy from that project.

Let's face it: in the Win95 era people used CDs or floppies. Take yer pick! CDs ought to be straightforward, especially with the new VirtualBox feature.

[socratis]

I tried to create the ad hoc VISO, but the dialog that appears is not accepting mouse input.

D'oh! I forgot about that!
See ticket #18426: On OSX hosts VISO dialog doesn't accept mouse input, broken after 6.0.2. I hadn't put it in the 6.0.2 Known Issues until now, because I didn't have any confirmation so far. Only a single developer that I was talking to over IRC was suspecting something. Thanks for confirming, actually now it's on the list of Known Issues.

BTW, it was just recently fixed with the latest 6.0.97 development builds (>r128921). Or you can downgrade to 5.2.x or 6.0.0.

Alternatively, you could try out Keka, it has the capability to create ISOs more... easily compared to what DiskUtility does.

And as mpack said, you should really forget about the USB passthrough media option, Win95 is way too old for those kinds of tricks...

[sursurring]

Keka worked! Thank you so, so much! I'm about to play an RPG I haven't been able to play since high school - you all are the best!!

[socratis]

Glad it worked for the ISO part. I wouldn't hold my breath for the game though... If you have an issue with the game (which you will), please open a new thread, because I'm going to mark this as [Resolved].

[mpack]

Keka worked! Thank you so, so much! I'm about to play an RPG I haven't been able to play since high school - you all are the best!!

Oh dear. So I guess the next chapter will be the big fight to get decent graphics drivers working!

[Rootman]

OP, glad you got it solved. I't been years since I've used WIn 95 as a guest but I remember having a similar problem.

What I did was create a second VDI file and formatted it FAT32 (I suppose it was FAT32, can't remember) on another Windows XP or 7 guest and wrote the files to it and then shut it down. I attached the second disk to the Win 95 guest and installed the app. I kept the second VDI file around for just such use for a few years.

[socratis]

Not a bad idea Rootman...
In fact there were a couple of discussion on the subject just a couple of days ago:

• file sharing between Windows 10 host & DOS 6.22 guest
• File Sharing with MS-DOS 6.22

It contains some similar ideas. One of them (can't remember which thread) was to install Win9x so that a) the OP could run their DOS application, b) take advantage of the advanced networking of Win9x compared to that of straight DOS. Good, fresh reading...

[ghr]

All these are valid options:

• second VDI
• ISO
• networking
• USB

Each of them however has "some" requirements:

• second VDI: must be FAT or FAT32
• ISO: must be readable by host OS
• networking: use TCPIP, and on Linux host some extra smb setup (not sure if a Windows host requires something, I don't remember anything for WIn7 anyway; and did not try yet for Win10)
• USB: see below

Especially for USB: requires adequate hardware, BIOS AND Driver for what you want to use. On the Guest side also OSR2. If you can meet all these requirements it will work fine for USB sticks, and just as well on (Win95 era) hardware as in VirtualBox (use USB1 controller only). Probably getting the hardware/driver combination is the biggest issue now; I just happen to have that, and as said, it works nicely. I will add that I have even older hardware, say from early Win95 era, where I do have issues.