Setting up a stable Win98SE VM in Parallels 6

R

ronaande

Member
I was unable to find a satisfactory discussion of setting up Windows 98SE (and Windows 98FE) on Parallels Desktop 6. After a day of fuss, I finally hammered out what I believe is a solution to the issue. It involves some steps from this forum and elsewhere, coupled with a few "new" things.

This post will take a while to complete as I am busy and have to complete it step-by-step. Please be patient.

NOTES: I post this since it worked for me, however I make no assurances that this will work or be safe for everyone. Please use discretion... Also, if someone else already posted this, I apologize. I could not find the Parallels 6 solution using search.


Problem description: Windows 98SE guest OS exhibits one or more of the following issues upon installation in Parallels Desktop 6.

1) IRQ conflict prevents the network adaptor from starting, killing internet access on the VM
2) Sound does NOT work, and attempts to use the usual driver locks up the VM upon shutdown and boot.
3) Video driver needs installation (already addressed elsewhere, but I post again to be complete)
4) USB does not work (at all)

I will provide step-by-step (verbose) directions for those of you who are not familiar with legacy windows oses so you can get an operable Windows 98SE VM on your Parallels 6 system. There may be an easier solution... I don't know for sure. So, my apologies in advance if this is the "long way."
 
Quick Outline: PHASE 1 (Setting up the VM)

Techies who do not need high verbosity can read this outline and execute the steps. If you need further details, wait until I post them or ask in the thread.

* If you don't care to ever have networking in Windows 98, you can install it as directed by Parallels Team. I will not describe it here since the directions are already plastered on this forum.

PHASE 1: SET UP THE VIRTUAL MACHINE


STEP 1: Create a Windows 98 Virtual Machine in Parallels 6 (or 5). Do NOT start the installation yet! Close the VM creation wizard when it says the VM has been created.

STEP 2: Download "apminst.inf" from "http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-4E5JF3.html". Create a floppy disc image (with .fdd) extension and place this file in the disc image. If your CD is NOT bootable, place this file in the windows floppy boot disc image. Lenovo has a detailed description of this file and its use at the following site
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-48VPPW.html
if you are interested. I tell you how to use the file below, even though you can read it at the link above.

STEP 3: Open the VM's configuration and go to "Hardware". Select the HDD and resize it if desired. Mount the disc image from step 2 in the VM's floppy drive. Mount the install CD in the VM's optical drive. Note: ONE of these discs must be bootable with CD-Rom drivers. If they are not, you will need to set up a DOS system with CD drivers to start the Windows Installation. Here, I assume your CD is bootable, or your floppy has the option "Start Computer with CD-Rom Support".

STEP 4: Start the Virtual Machine. If prompted, strike a key to boot from CD or Floppy. Then, when the option list appears, choose the option "Start Computer with CD-rom Support". The system will load DOS and take you to the command prompt. Identify the floppy drive letter where the file from step 2 is located. Change to your optical drive by typing "D:" sans quotes where "D" is the letter of your CD drive. (Note, do NOT type "cd D:" as drives are NOT directories!) Type the following in the "D:\>" prompt: "SETUP A:\APMINST.INF ", sans quotes where "A" is the letter of the floppy disc with the "apminst.inf" file. Strike "Enter/Return" Installation will commence with a test of your system and a format of the HDD. This will take some time to complete. It is SLOW. Follow the installation prompts as directed. The install my hang one or more times during the process. If it does, just restart the virtual machine by choosing "stop" and then "start" from the Virtual Machine menu.

STEP 5: Once Windows setup finishes, allow the system to install the drivers it has. Once the installation is complete, go to:
Control Panel>System>Device Manager.
Make sure the network interface card is "Working Properly". Your "internet sharing" entry will probably have an error. This is OK. If the network adaptor card is not working with an error that it can't find a free Interrupt Request to use, Windows probably did not install in APM mode as it was suppose to in STEP 4. Check the steps again.

-- You are now ready to proceed to PHASE 2, configuring the drivers --

NOTE: STEP 4 installs Windows 98SE in APM (advanced power management) mode, which is one way to avoid the IRQ/Memory conflicts that seem to crop up in Windows 98SE on Parallels 6. There are more "techie" ways to combat this, but I feel this is the way most likely to kill the problem with minimal loss of functionality and the least time-consuming approach.
 
Quick Outline: PHASE 2: (Configure Video)

PHASE 2: CONFIGURE VIDEO

A WARNING: It is ill-advised to use Windows 98/98SE or any other "legacy operating system" to access the internet. While, by following the steps in PHASE 1, you should have internet access on your Win98 VM, you should download everything from a recent OS with virus protection enabled.

The steps for setting up the video driver are already described on this forum. The general steps are as follows:

Step 1: Using your Mac Host Operating System, visit http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=31499&highlight=prl-tools-other.iso and save the prl-tools-other cd image to your hard drive.

Step 2: Surf over to http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?p=68655#post68655 and follow the directions there for creating a batch file to get around a known issue with the VM video driver in Windows 98. Once you complete those steps, return here to continue.

Step 3: Open the "Startup" folder under the "Start Menu". Run the batch file. You screen will probably flash as the file opens.

Step 4: If the Windows 98 Disc is still mounted inside the Win98 system, go to "My Computer" and eject the Windows 98 disc. Release the mouse and keyboard from the VM and mount the prl-tools-other.iso image in the VM's optical drive.

Step 5: Once the disc mounts in the Windows 98 Guest, go to "My Computer">"Control Panel">"System">"Device Manager">"Display Adapters" Next, right-click on the current adapter and choose "properties". Click "Driver">"Update Driver". Click "Next". Choose the radio button "Display a list of all..." and then click "Next". Click "Have Disk" and then point the system to the directory "D:\Drivers\Video\Win9x". Then, click OK and allow the driver install to proceed. Once it installs, restart the VM using "Shutdown".

Step 6: Once the VM restarts, you should have a functional video system. Eject the img-tools-other.iso from the VM. Note that you may want to change the color depth and resolution so that the VM takes up more screen space.

Note: As the VM resolution goes up, the mouse pointer may lurch when moved. If so, shut down the VM and go into the VM settings and visit the "Hardware">"Video Card" option. Activate 256 MB video memory and turn on hardware acceleration. This should make the pointer and video system work better.

-- VM video system should now be working as desired --
 
A note about phase 1

I was going to save this for the detailed explanation, but I am sure someone will be confused if I wait. Since I can't edit the first post, I will explain it here.

When you start the Windows 98SE setup from the optical drive, it will give you an error and fail if you do not partition and format the virtual hard drive. Follow these steps to to do so:

When the VM is first made and you boot the computer with CD-rom support, you should
1. change to the A:\ drive by typing "a:", sans quotes.
2. type "fdisk" at the prompt.
3. Choose to allow large drive support by hitting the "y" key.
4. Hit "1" and then "enter".
5. It will ask if you want to use the maximum available space for the DOS partition. Indicate "yes". It will then create the primary DOS partition.
6. Hit "esc" to return to the main menu.
7. Hit "2" and hit "enter"
8. Make sure it tells you that the partition is active. If not, hit "1" and indicate that you want to make that partition active. (Follow the prompts)
9. Hit "esc" three times.
10. You are now out of the fdisk system. Stop the VM now.

Visit the following link and download the freedos.fdd file on that forum.
http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=160

11. Open the VM configuration and, under Hardware>"Boot Order" ensure the floppy drive is listed first. (remember the order as you will want to change it back after you are done) Open the Floppy drive and mount the newly downloaded freedos.fdd file in the drive.
12. Close the config window and start your Virtual Machine. If freedos tells you there is an invalid disc/media type for the drive, hit "ignore". Freedos will begin loading and ask you to pick an option. Choose the first.
13. Once freedos loads, you will be greeted by the command prompt. Type the following in the prompt: "format c:"
14. Freedos will warn you of pending data loss and ask you to confirm by typing "YES". Do so.
15. Freedos will format your C: drive. Once it is done, stop the virtual machine.

16. Open the configuration window again and go to "hardware". Dismount the freedos.fdd disc and mount the disc you made in the first phase. See below for the directions:

*Directions for making that floppy image. Download the file from the IBM website indicated in the Phase 1 posting. Once you have that file, open disk utility on your Mac. Click "New Image". Change the "size" attribute to Custom: 1.44 (the system will say 1.5). Change the "format" attribute to "MS-DOS (FAT)". Give the file a name in the "Save As" field and then click "create". Once the file is made, navigate to the directory where it resides. Open this .dmg file and, once it is open, copy the downloaded file to it. Once the copy is done, dismount the disc. Now, change the extension on the .dmg file from .dmg to .fdd. MacOS will warn you against doing so, but proceed anyway by clicking "Use .fdd". That's it, you now have the disc needed for the procedure. Mount it to the floppy drive and proceed.

17. Visit "boot order" again and make sure to change the boot order back to normal.
18. Restart the VM and proceed as directed in my first post. When you run setup this time (with the argument specified in the first post) setup should proceed without giving you any "windows needs XXXXXXX amount of memory" or "invalid media type" errors.

Sorry for not posting this in order. Everyone makes mistakes...
 
You are welcome. Hopefully these posts help others set up their Win98 VMs on Parallels. Thank you also for taking the time to post the direct link for the video drivers.
 
Thank you ...

Hi, your thread help'd me lot to setup a working Win98SE Box on my 2006 Macpro !
Thank your for the advice !

Best regards comtom1
 
You are welcome. Your post reminded me that I still have to complete this thread...

I will post a possible USB2 solution today and strive to post the audio solution the first weekend of February.
 
[Optional] Quick Outline: PHASE 3 (USB2 Support)

Before we begin, I want to restate a few things and provide one warning.

This step is totally optional. If you do not desire USB/USB2 support on your VM, then just skip this step. Otherwise, read the proposed solution, decide if you want to take this route, and execute the steps if so. There are other solutions available (search the web) to try if you feel uneasy with this solution.

WARNING: This proposed solution involves downloading and installing nusb33e.exe. While some of these files are safe, other versions are not. Remember, viruses and spyware can hide in these files! Only download from a trusted source. In general, if in doubt, DON'T DO IT!!! I can't guarantee the files you obtain are clean, so please use your discretion and, above all, back up your VM before making any changes to your system! If you get a virus or otherwise destabilize your Windows 98SE install, the backup will be your only recourse, short of reinstalling your Windows 98VM, which by now you have seen takes a LONG TIME.

WARNING: As stated before, it is ill-advised to use a legacy OS to access the internet. PLEASE DO NOT download any files needed using the Windows 98 VM! Only download files using an up-to-date system with virus/spyware protection and an active firewall. Any other approach puts too much trust in your fellow internet users, trust that is all-too-often misplaced. Also, never trust your legacy system with sensitive information, due to security vulnerabilities.

[Optional] Phase 3: USB2 Support

Note: These drivers should make most older USB1 and USB2 devices functional on your system, but not all USB devices will work. Some devices do not have Win9x drivers for USB access. In these cases, the device may never work on Windows 98.

Step 0: Shut down the Windows 98 VM if it is currently running. Navigate to the folder where your VMs reside (usually Documents>Parallels). Find the Windows 98SE VM file archive and COPY it to another directory on your computer system. It will have a .pvm extension. This will back up your Virtual Machine in case the next series of steps corrupts your VM. If needed, you will be able to delete the damaged VM from your Parallels folder and replace it with a copy of the backup.

Step 1: Once your VM is backed up (don't skip this!!!) you need to download a copy of nusb33e.exe from the web. Search for the file name and download a copy that matches your release of windows 98SE. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Make sure you choose the version of nusb33e.exe that is meant for your language version of windows 98SE! If you choose the wrong one, you will most likely corrupt your VM. Also, if you are using Windows 98FE, be careful! The Windows 98SE versions may not work for you. Once you download your copy of nusb33e.exe, scan it using virus detection software that will detect Windows flavor malware. If it appears clean, proceed...

Step 2: Go to the Windows 98 VM file (not the backup, the original), right click it and select Open>"Open with Parallels Mounter". The VM's HDD will appear on your desktop. Open it and copy the nusb33e file to the root of C:\ on the 98 VM.

Step 3: Eject the VM's virtual disc from your Mac (right-click it and choose "Eject"). You MUST EJECT THE DISC. If you don't, your VM will not be able access the hard drive and will give you an error when you start the VM in the next step. The HDD cannot be mounted in MacOS as well as Parallels.

Step 4: Start your Win98 VM and go to the control panel. Open "System">"Device Manager". DELETE ALL if the "UNKNOWN" devices on the system. You can leave the "Audio Device" alone. We will configure it later. All other Unknown devices need to be deleted. Go to the "Universal Serial Bus" entry and expand it. DELETE EVERY ITEM IN THE LIST.

Step 5: Close all windows on the screen and open "My Computer." Open the root hard drive, find the "nusb33e.exe" file you copied to the drive. Run the file. Once you are prompted to restart the VM, do so.

Step 6: Once the VM restarts, it will install the drivers for the USB Hub, Controllers, etc. It will then ask you to restart it again. Do so.

-- Once the VM fires up again, your USB devices should now be installed correctly. USB drives SHOULD now be detectable. --

Restoring your backup: If your VM is corrupted during this process, you should delete the damaged VM and return a copy of the backup to the VM folder. To do so, open your VM List in parallels, find the Windows 98 VM, secondary-click it and choose delete. When asked if you want to save the VM files, say NO. Empty the trash. Now, copy the backup you made earlier and drop it in the Parallels VM folder. Last, reopen the VM List, click the "down arrow" next to the "+" in the lower left-hand corner of the list, and click "open". Find the Windows 98 VM file and open it.
 
Quick Outline: PHASE 4 (Intro to 1 Possible Sound Solution)

Unfortunately, while trying to get audio working under Windows 98SE, I have found only one effective method. While I continue to hunt down possible 3rd party drivers that will play nice with Parallels 6 and Windows 98, I have yet to run across one that does not either 1) fail to start or 2) lock the VM up when the sound card is accessed. The solution I outline in the next posts is rather inconvenient, but it DOES WORK, provided you follow the directions specified. Of course, I will keep this thread updated with the latest discoveries. If I locate a more convenient driver solution, I will post it. Also, I ask that if anyone else reading these posts has stumbled upon a downloadable 3rd party driver that works well with PARALLELS 6 and WINDOWS 98, please post the solution here, gain your few minutes of glory, and help others get their Windows 98SE boxes up and running!

Please note this thread is about problems inherent in PARALLELS 6 and WINDOWS 98SE! Parallels 5 does not exhibit such atrocious behavior in Win9x as mentioned in the first post. Except for the video driver solution, I have not found any Parallels 5 solutions for audio, networking, and USB that have played nicely with Parallels 6. Sad, but true.

OK, verbosity aside... let us begin.

PHASE 4: PREPARING FOR WIN98SE AUDIO DRIVER SOLUTION

This solution (I hope the first of many) involves using two files from Windows ME. I explain how to get these files below, either from installation media or a full Windows ME install on an HDD. ME has a working driver for the AC'97 virtual sound system in Parallels 6. Windows 98SE does not seem to...

What you will need:
1) Your working Windows 98SE VM
2) Windows 98SE Install disc. (Should be easy, assuming you already have the 98VM working!)
3) Either a Windows ME Upgrade/Full install CD or a PC with Windows ME installed.

*NOTICE: This is very important... you do NOT need to install Windows ME! If you want to, that is fine, go ahead. However, if all you desire is Windows 98, you will only need the Windows ME media/PC to extract driver files from.

You have two methods to get the files. I describe both in the next post.

1. Extract files from a working Windows ME installation
2. Extract files from Windows ME Installation media (Either an upgrade or full version install media will do fine)

Please choose the one most-relevant to your situation. Otherwise, hang on and hope I, or someone else, locates a downloadable driver that works...
 
Quick Outline: PHASE 4 (Swipe the ME Sound Driver)

The first step is to get the needed audio driver files for you Windows 98SE VM by extracting them from Windows ME. First, I will list the WINDOWS ME FILES USED BY THE SOUND SYSTEM ON PARALLELS 6. Most of these files also exist (in one form or another) on Windows 98SE. Only two are missing. However, I list them all in case someone has an issue getting the sound system to work on their computer due to version differences between Windows 98FE and 98SE, etc. Just trying to be thorough...

DRIVER FILES UNDER WINDOWS ME FOR AC'97 AUDIO
c:\windows\system32\drivers\ichaud.sys
c:\windows\system32\drivers\ks.sys
c:\windows\inf\wdma_int.inf
c:\windows\system\vmm32.vxd
c:\windows\system\mmdevldr.vxd
c:\windows\system\ksuser.dll
c:\windows\system\ksproxy.ax

The files marked in red, ichaud.sys and wdma_int.inf, are the two files most likely missing from your Windows 98SE installation and will need to be implanted from your Windows ME media into the corresponding folders on Windows 98SE. Once you get the files needed, please READ the next post for directions unless you are skilled with Windows 9x! It is easy, but there are a few things that can cause severe problems if not noted!

Your options for obtaining these files are as follows. Please choose the heading below that fits your situation best and follow the directions.

EXTRACT FROM WORKING WINDOWS ME INSTALLATION
This requires little explanation. Fire up the Windows ME machine, whether it be virtual or physical and log in. Insert storage media into the system that you can use to copy the files off of the system and onto your Mac. Navigate to the "Windows\inf" folder and search for "wdma_int.inf" and COPY it to your storage media. Next, navigate to "Windows\system32" and copy "ichaud.sys" to your media. If you are an overachiever, you can copy the other files just in case you need them, but if you are using Windows 98SE, you should only need the two files specified here. Transfer the storage media to your Mac. Now, proceed to the next post.

EXTRACT FROM UPGRADE/FULL WINDOWS ME INSTALL DISC
This is the more likely approach people will use. I suggest using a windows machine for this step, since it will easily open .CAB files. Macs can too, but you may need to do more legwork, depending on your setup. Insert storage media into the system that you can use to copy the files off of the system and onto your Mac. On your computer, insert the installation media and mount it. Navigate to the installation disc. Locate the "driver6.cab" archive file. Search this archive for "ichaud.sys" and copy it to your storage media. Next locate "Win_18.cab" archive and search for "wdma_int.inf" and copy it to your storage media. Transfer the storage media to your Mac. Now, proceed to the next post.
 
Quick Outline: PHASE 4 (Implant Sound Driver Files in Win98SE)

This last post will get you a working sound system in Win98SE running under Parallels 6 (unless you are an unlucky user.) One note before we hit the home stretch. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO EMAIL OR OTHERWISE SEND YOU THE NEEDED FILES. Despite the age of Windows 98/ME, these Operating Systems are still protected by patents and licensing agreements. As a result, I will NOT under any circumstances redistribute them. Sorry. I know it is inconvenient. Hopefully a better solution comes to light eventually.

Phase 4: The home stretch... working sound in Windows 98SE

You have hopefully followed the suggestions in the previous post and obtained "ichaud.sys" from the windows ME "windows\system32" folder and "wdma_int.inf" from the "windows\inf" folder on Windows ME. If so, here are your final steps to, hopefully, success.

Step 1: Mount the media with the copied driver files on your Mac.

Step 2: Back up your Windows 98SE VM, just in case things go south... use the directions in the USB2 post above if needed.

Step 3: Navigate to the Parallels VM folder and use Parallels Mounter 6 to mount the Windows 98SE VM Virtual HDD. I provided directions in a previous post for this, so I will not be detailed again. (If USB is working, you could fire up the VM and do the work there, but I prefer the mounter route. To each their own.)
* WARNING: From here-on-out, you should NOT get any messages telling you that you are about to overwrite files! If you do, STOP!!! You probably grabbed the wrong file from the ME media. If you overwrite system files in 98SE with ME files, you most likely will destabilize your VM! Backups... they are important here.

Step 4: Open the "Windows\inf" folder on the Win98SE VM and copy "wdma_int.inf" to this folder. The .inf, you probably know, provides the details about the driver so windows knows how to interface with the hardware (in this case the AC'97 audio system) and what driver files are needed.

Step 5: Go BACK one directory so you are back at "C:\Windows" and find the "system32" folder. Open this folder and copy the "ichaud.sys" file from your storage media to the system32 folder.

Step 6: Close the Window and DISMOUNT the Win98VM HDD. Go into Parallels VM List and fire up Windows 98SE. Note that if it does not start, you probably forgot to dismount the HDD.

Step 7: Once Win98SE boots and you log in, you will need to configure the sound system. (Sound will not be working yet...) Visit "My Computer > Control Panel > System" and select the "Device Manager" tab.

Step 8: Under the device manager, look for the entry heading "Other Devices". You should see one entry entitled something like "PCI Multimedia Audio Device". It will be bulleted with a yellow "?". Right-click on this and select "properties".

Step 9: Click on the "Driver" tab. It will mention in the popup box that the drivers are not installed or the driver failed to start. Click on "Update Driver". Windows will show a popup box saying the Wizard searches for drivers for "PCI Multimedia..." Click "Next".

Step 10: The next window will ask what you want Windows to do. Choose "Search for a better driver than..." with the radio button next to the option and click "Next." (You could choose to search on your own, but since you dropped the .inf file inside the INF folder, Windows should automatically search that folder and find the necessary "wdma_int.inf" file.)

Step 11: It should now show a listing of places where you can search for drivers. You should be able to skip this part. Windows should automatically search the INF folder. If you want to be extra careful, check "Specify a location:" and type in the path "C:\WINDOWS\INF". Then, click "Next".

Step 12: Wait patiently while Windows searches. It should very promptly inform you that it is now ready to install drivers for an "AC'97 audio device." If so, tell it to proceed. If it did not find the driver, make sure you copied "wdma_int.inf" to the correct folder and try again. Once it finishes install, close out of the Device Manager.

Step 13: Windows will probably ask for the "Windows 98SE installation CD." If so, eject any CD in the virtual drive, mount the 98SE install disc in the drive using the steps in previous posts and allow Windows to continue installation.

Step 14: You need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Do so. Windows will reboot.

STEP 15: IF ALL WENT FOR YOU AS IT DID FOR ME, YOU WILL BE GREETED WITH THE CHARACTERISTIC WINDOWS 98 STARTUP SOUND! SUCCESS!!!
HAVE SOME FUN!
 
Follow-up Post and a Clarification

Please note that, in the prior post, I specified the directory "C:\Windows\System32" as being the home for ichaud.sys on Windows 98SE. Please note that it should be dropped into the "drivers" folder under System32. Sorry for the lack of clarity there. If you do not drop ichaud.sys into the correct folder (System32\drivers), the driver setup will crash and burn.

I hope that this solution set has helped people set up their Windows 98SE VMs in Parallels 6. If you have any feedback, feel free to post it here or send questions. Of particular interest to me is hearing from people who either 1) have found a more convenient solution to the issues posed herein or 2) have tried my suggestions but still have not been successful setting up a Windows 98SE VM. Please share with everyone so we can work toward having more successful installs of Windows "Archaic Edition" VMs!

'til the next post, I wish the world good tidings. Later...
 
Thank's for the Sound

Hi, thank you for the great work.
I followed the usefull instructions and faced no problems.
Sound works from now on - win98se is now full operational !

Best regards

comtom1
 
Possible Graphics Issues Update 1

A note to those of you who are setting up or have set up a Win98VM using these directions.

It has been my experience that the ".bat" file fix for the video driver slows down the graphics performance of the Win98VM significantly once it is run. It does solve the reboot lockup problem, but the performance degradation (at least in my situation) has proven unacceptable. For those who are finding their game/graphics performance under the VM to be decidedly unimpressive, I suggest the modification below. It is slightly more inconvenient, but MAY boost your graphics performance (it does for me):

Move the "shortcut" placed in the "startup" folder under "start">"programs" from the startup folder to your desktop. Restart the VM once this is done. When the system fires up again, the .bat file should NOT run, since the shortcut has been removed from the startup folder. Use your VM as you normally would. When you are ready to shut down the VM, run the .bat file by double-clicking the shortcut on the desktop. Then, shut down the system. (IF YOU FORGET TO RUN THE .BAT FILE, YOUR VM WILL PROBABLY LOCK UP DURING SHUTDOWN.)
 
Some issues I came across doing this.

1. If you use a bootable Win98SE cd or image, you cannot perform step 4. a:\ is taken over the CD boot software from the bootable CD. In fact even if you mount the floppy image containing the APM .inf file it will get unmounted when the bootable Win98 CD boots. a:\ is magically replaced with a standard Windows boot floppy. Don't ask me how this happens. I am guessing it's a side effect of the bootable Win98SE CD?

2. The video driver work around doesn't work. Video performance is terribly slow with the correct driver installed AND I still get "frozen" mouse pointer. I have to use the keyboard to navigate and do a restart.

3. Never bothered with USB or sound so I cannot report back on those.

4. It's obvious Parallels has become more a "latest version of Windows" emulator than a true virtualizer. Windows98SE is wildly popular with the retro gaming cult and I am surprised at it's lack of support and functionality. VMWare is just as bad FYI.
 
1) If you boot from a bootable CD, it does create a virtual floppy drive called "A:". In this case, your other floppy image is probably labeled "B:" When I say "Where 'A' is the letter of the drive with the floppy image, I mean 'A' must be replaced with the letter of the Parallels floppy drive. I can't specify the drive letter for all cases since an individual may have multiple Parallels floppy drives. Sorry if I was unclear in that step.

2) I don't notice any issues with the driver, so long as the batch file is not run on startup. I did need to turn on video acceleration though. I don't know how to advise regarding the issue.

4) I AGREE 100%!
 
mr_p: One thing you might want to try, assuming you don't reinstall the OS using APM (which I would recommend, just try b: as your floppy drive for the APM file), is check the video system for memory conflicts.

I have noticed issues with some hardware on Parallels running Windows 95 and Windows 98 where it fails to allocate memory resources appropriately. Go to "Control Panel">"System">"Device Manager". Then, right-click on the "Parallels Video Adapter" under "Display Adapters" and choose "Properties">"Resources". Once there, check to make sure it says "No Conflicts" under the "Conflicting Device List". If it states there is a conflict, it will say something to the effect that a memory range (usually represented by a string of hexadecimal characters) or an "input/output range" is used by another device. If it says this, first uncheck the "Use automatic Settings" box and then find the conflicting entry in the "Resource Type/Setting" table. Once you find it, select "Change Setting" and use the box that pops up to select a new "range" so that it says there are no conflicts. Once you have done this, save the settings and restart the machine.

Hopefully removing the conflict will help some, assuming there is one. Please note that some entries can't be changed in this manner, but most "range" entries can. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the info. I don't have any conflicts that I can find. I notice you said you don't have any video provided you DON'T run that .bat file work around? So I should not be running it?

As for the floppy, I did try b:\ as well as others and it was no where to be found. Parallels would simply not mount that image for reasons unknown. What I did to work around it was to copy the .inf to a Windows boot floppy (image). Then use that floppy to boot Parallels with the CD inserted. Then I could execute the setup.exe using the .inf arguments.
 
Interesting... your configuration regarding floppies worked differently than mine. I'm glad you got it working...

Regarding the .bat file: I created the file, but instead of dropping it in the "Start" folder as directed by the Parallels Team, I placed it on the desktop. When I want to shut down the VM, I run the .bat file first and then shut the machine down. This has proven much more effective in terms of graphics, at least in my case. Of course, your milage may vary.
 
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