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VM for my grandmother

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First post, by xplus93

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Is it possible to have a completely idiot proof VM for running legacy applications? I need to set up an Me/9x VM for my grandmother so she can run the software for her sewing machine. Basically I want her to be able to click a button on her desktop and her computer boots into Me, and when she clicks shutdown in Me it goes back. Or another option which I doubt is possible would be an invisible VM like parralels on the mac. Sorry if I sound ignorant, but i'm about a decade out of date and VM technology is not something I ever put much interest in.

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Reply 1 of 21, by Matth79

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The 3 options these days are:
Virtualbox: https://www.virtualbox.org/ Not optimized for 9x https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Guest_OSes
VMWare
Microsoft Hyper-V - (not available in Home, only in Pro and above)

Reply 2 of 21, by Jo22

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No idea if that's helpful, but I once used WINE inside of andLinux.
That's a small Linux OS running on top of 32bit Windows.
It's seamless and you can perhaps configure legacy ports (serial, parallel).
http://www.andlinux.org/

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 4 of 21, by xplus93

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I guess not much has changed then with those options, except that andlinux is neat. I'll have to use that for myself sometime, but I have doubts about it being stable for this use or supporting the very annoying drivers. I think it would run under XP mode but the cost of a 10 pro upgrade and xp license defeat the point of avoiding the purchase of a new sewing machine. Is there a way to set up virtualbox to work the way I described? If not I guess i'll go with VMware, I can find a copy somewhere 😉

XPS 466V|486-DX2|64MB|#9 GXE 1MB|SB32 PnP
Presario 4814|PMMX-233|128MB|Trio64
XPS R450|PII-450|384MB|TNT2 Pro| TB Montego
XPS B1000r|PIII-1GHz|512MB|GF2 PRO 64MB|SB Live!
XPS Gen2|P4 EE 3.4|2GB|GF 6800 GT OC|Audigy 2

Reply 5 of 21, by Jorpho

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xplus93 wrote:

I think it would run under XP mode but the cost of a 10 pro upgrade and xp license defeat the point of avoiding the purchase of a new sewing machine.

Huh? XP Mode was last included in Windows 7 Pro, and required no additional XP license. (Also, Windows 10 OEM licenses are apparently very cheap if you know where to look.)

I suppose PCem might also be an option.

Reply 7 of 21, by xplus93

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Jorpho wrote:
xplus93 wrote:

I think it would run under XP mode but the cost of a 10 pro upgrade and xp license defeat the point of avoiding the purchase of a new sewing machine.

Huh? XP Mode was last included in Windows 7 Pro, and required no additional XP license. (Also, Windows 10 OEM licenses are apparently very cheap if you know where to look.)

I suppose PCem might also be an option.

That's what I thought as well. I just figured I was incorrect. So that gets rid of that option because she is definitely using 10. If it was 7 I could be slic (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) and upgrade her to ultimate for free. PCem is going a bit too far back.

XPS 466V|486-DX2|64MB|#9 GXE 1MB|SB32 PnP
Presario 4814|PMMX-233|128MB|Trio64
XPS R450|PII-450|384MB|TNT2 Pro| TB Montego
XPS B1000r|PIII-1GHz|512MB|GF2 PRO 64MB|SB Live!
XPS Gen2|P4 EE 3.4|2GB|GF 6800 GT OC|Audigy 2

Reply 8 of 21, by Jo22

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Hmm.. If WINE only worked for that special software, too!
That would make things so much easier..: Win10 comes with a built-in Linux subsystem based upon Ubuntu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Subsystem_for_Linux

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 9 of 21, by keenmaster486

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Jo22 wrote:

That would make things so much easier..: Win10 comes with a built-in Linux subsystem based upon Ubuntu.

Wow! This is like WINE in reverse!

World's foremost 486 enjoyer.

Reply 10 of 21, by xplus93

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It's more than software, it has to interface over USB to operate the machine. That's the main problem, windows 10 won't work with the older drivers. Supposedly there is an update that brings the machine and software up to date with win 7 x64, but it's discontinued by the manufacturer and was a paid upgrade. So I think i'll change my plan of attack. I''ll raise the jolly roger and go on a quest to track it down.

XPS 466V|486-DX2|64MB|#9 GXE 1MB|SB32 PnP
Presario 4814|PMMX-233|128MB|Trio64
XPS R450|PII-450|384MB|TNT2 Pro| TB Montego
XPS B1000r|PIII-1GHz|512MB|GF2 PRO 64MB|SB Live!
XPS Gen2|P4 EE 3.4|2GB|GF 6800 GT OC|Audigy 2

Reply 11 of 21, by Jorpho

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xplus93 wrote:

PCem is going a bit too far back.

What do you mean, "too far back"? PCem can run Windows 9x, precisely as required by your original post. The primary issue is that I am not sure if it supports USB passthrough at present.

I think VMware might have some sort of "seamless" operation; I've never really looked into that functionality.

Reply 12 of 21, by xplus93

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I just double checked, unity mode goes back to windows 2000/xp. I'm going to do some research and see if it can work with that modern of an OS.

XPS 466V|486-DX2|64MB|#9 GXE 1MB|SB32 PnP
Presario 4814|PMMX-233|128MB|Trio64
XPS R450|PII-450|384MB|TNT2 Pro| TB Montego
XPS B1000r|PIII-1GHz|512MB|GF2 PRO 64MB|SB Live!
XPS Gen2|P4 EE 3.4|2GB|GF 6800 GT OC|Audigy 2

Reply 13 of 21, by keenmaster486

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Honestly though, I really think VirtualBox is your best bet here, even though it's not optimized for 9x.

World's foremost 486 enjoyer.

Reply 14 of 21, by leileilol

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Microsoft VirtualPC 2007's fine for 9x and since it's non-gaming software in question, this is what i'd suggest if you can't get the virtual PX working with it. USB interfacing I forgot if it had thatI'

Win9x on Vbox sucks.

apsosig.png
long live PCem

Reply 15 of 21, by duralisis

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Win9x on newer versions of VMWare Player/Workstation works for the most part; but I've never used it daily and tried passing through USB devices and such. Also I'm not sure you can create a new VM with the right compatibility settings without editing the config file by hand. Virtualbox is a complete mess with Win9x; I've always had mouse issues or weird slowdown when typing (like holding down a key too long).

If you can somehow get your sewing app working in an older version of XP or "XP Mode" (which is an SP2 image); then I can recommend the VMWare seamless mode for single apps. You have to go into the VM first to configure the device drivers and to grab serial/usb devices; but after that it works great. The app is just surrounded by a window frame that signifies it's in seamless, but otherwise looks like it's running on Win7/8/10. I've had good luck doing this with USB serial adapters on an industrial setup.

P.S. If you have to stick with 9x/ME, you might find older versions of VMWare (like Server 2.0, which was free with registration) are a little more friendly to the older OS. I had good luck with NT 3.5 on it once. But the interface is a tad different than you're probably used to.

Reply 16 of 21, by Jorpho

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duralisis wrote:

If you can somehow get your sewing app working in an older version of XP or "XP Mode" (which is an SP2 image)

SP2 image? That's news to me. What gave you that idea?
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/o … rum=w7itprovirt

Reply 17 of 21, by kolano

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I'm normally not that enamored with the MS VM solutions here, but I think they are most likely to allow for the transparent app launch you'd likely hope for here (i.e. click an icon, app starts, click close, it shuts down. No nonsense.)

Eyecandy: Turn your computer into an expensive lava lamp.

Reply 18 of 21, by keenmaster486

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leileilol wrote:

Win9x on Vbox sucks.

Yes, but for sewing machine software? It would serve the purpose quickly and easily.

World's foremost 486 enjoyer.