Windows NT, 2000, XP - how to install them as guest?

[Torinde]

Question

Version 0.84.0 among other things "fixes problems with the IDE driver in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP and allows them to boot properly"

At NOTES there are mentioned:

• WinNT 3.1 - workaround making it possible to boot since long time ago
• WinNT 3.51, NT4, 2000 - couldn't boot in the past
• WinXP - copies a few files and gives an error

My attempts with 0.84.0 are unsuccessful so far. Following the NOTES files, after first installing MS-DOS 6.22 I ran "WINNT.EXE /b" from an NT4 ISO and setup finished properly - but on first boot I got a crash:

From what I see floppy emulation is still missing (#3436), correct? So, it's either via MSDOS and WINNT.EXE /b - or via CD.ISO boot, correct?

I get "El Torito bootable floppy not found" when trying "imgmount a -bootcd d" - for ISOs of NT4, 2000, ReactOS, Vista. Strangely OS/2 4.52 ISO was accepted as bootable, but crashes:

Haven't tried NT3.1, NT3.5 and XP yet.

After mounting some of the CDs and looking inside DOSbox finds only a README.TXT file stating 'your OS needs to support UDF', 'your OS needs to support Joliet' - not sure if I do something wrong? would be nice if DOSbox-X can read those directly.

Will there be guide(s) added to the wiki about those? @rderooy

Have you checked that no similar question(s) exist?

• [X] I have searched and didn't find any similar question.

Code of Conduct & Contributing Guidelines

• [X] I agree to follow the code of conduct and the contributing guidelines.

[Pierrestro]

100th comment in this issue! I would like to use that opportunity to say that I have managed to install at least one edition of every Windows NT operating system up to Windows XP. As of today, I have not been able to complete the installation of Windows Server 2003, in my case I tried to install the Datacenter edition (32-bit, of course). I was going to install this server operating system on a VHD file of 4096MB. After copying the files from the CD to the C drive, I typed "Boot C:" and got this message. Here is the boot file. boot.zip

what emulated cpu you used

[BridgeHeadland]

@Pierrestro core=dynamic_rec cputype=ppro_slow cycles=max realbig16=true

[Pierrestro]

@BridgeHeadland it works for me just fine i upload a windows xp image for dosbox-x in the past it's here it should works https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P3kxQzNd5mtZ2TyMLnCwPmN6vMh7MeUI/view?usp=sharing

[BridgeHeadland]

@Pierrestro How do I get my complete installation of Windows Server 2003 to work with your Windows XP image file and everything that comes with it?

[MatthewCroughan]

If guy guys could start posting your dosbox.conf's along with your images, it would really help make this reproducible. Is there anywhere I could chat with you all to get help? I'm working on a project to reproduce these things with a single nix command

https://github.com/MatthewCroughan/NixThePlanet/

Instructions coming soon, there are already three Nix functions which use dosbox-x to reproduce images using TCL Expect, OCR and VNC to automate the installation steps.

[BridgeHeadland]

@MatthewCroughan CONF.ZIP These are the configuration files I used to try again to install Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition (x86) with SP2, without success.

I am the picture of the error I got, after booting drive C for the first time (again). :)

[herrnst]

Reading all this, I really wonder if I am the only one experiencing things as described in https://github.com/joncampbell123/dosbox-x/issues/3538#issuecomment-1740528713 - ie. Windows complaining that an old configuration was loaded, regardless of the version of NT/2K being booted (still happens with NT 3.1, 3.5x, 4 and 2K at least).

If this actually happens only for me, then what might I be doing wrong? The conf is with a ppro_slow on dynamic_rec, has the primary/secondary fakev86 things set to true and the harddisk images mounted as "IMGMOUNT 2 -ide 1m -fs none", and I also tried the latter with "-reservecyl 1" as found in the DOSBox-X docs...

[Pierrestro]

@Pierrestro How do I get my complete installation of Windows Server 2003 to work with your Windows XP image file and everything that comes with it?

Just use the iso of os that you want of windows in dosbox x start xp then start the installation of windows server or use config file with it and start installer in dos mode or in windows

[BridgeHeadland]

@Pierrestro I tried it yesterday but unfortunately it didn't work. I used my pre-installed Windows XP, which is on a 16384MB (16GB) VHD file, could that be why the installation still crashes? I see you have installed Windows XP on an 8GB IMG file.

[Pierrestro]

@Pierrestro I tried it yesterday but unfortunately it didn't work. I used my pre-installed Windows XP, which is on a 16384MB (16GB) VHD file, could that be why the installation still crashes? I see you have installed Windows XP on an 8GB IMG file.

yes it is 8gb i think you run many programs I know it is stripped down because the normal one will give a blue screen maybe normal editions dont work

[BridgeHeadland]

@Pierrestro I tried the Datacenter Edition. :)

[Pierrestro]

@Pierrestro I tried the Datacenter Edition. :)

just try to use windows xp you can run many things i dont see the point of getting windows server running in dosbox-x

[Pierrestro]

#4640 https://github.com/joncampbell123/dosbox-x/issues/4640 new issues page opened for other os check it out and help i'm looking for higher than xp and linux

[Torinde]

@BridgeHeadland, instead of Datacenter - I think it's better to try the regular editions and also to move upwards gradually from XP - I think some of those are available at archive.org.

1. Windows Server 2003 Standard/Enterprise (2003-04-24)
2. Windows Small Business Server 2003 (2003-10-09)
3. Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard/Enterprise (2005-12-06) + install afterwards SP2 and remaining updates
4. Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 (2006-06-09) - based on 2003 R2
5. Windows Home Server (2007-11-04) - based on 2003 R2, latest NT 5.2 build? (maybe requires Pentium 3/SSE)
6. Windows XP with SP3 and all updates up to May 2019 or August 2019 (some of the later updates require SSE2)
7. ReactOS - inspired by Windows Server 2003

By trying the releases chronologically you may isolate potential missing emulation pieces.

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde I even tried to install the standard edition with Service Pack 1 via Windows XP - Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 5 to be precise, even then I got the Blue Screen. The VHD file was of size 16384, I don't know if it matters, and Windows XP's behavior obviously depends on the actual size of the image file: I tried to install Windows XP on a VHD file of size 8192, and when I was about to start phase 2. of the installation, the NTLDR was somehow missing, and at size 8025 I got the installation completed, only that the start bar and the mouse pointer did not appear. It's possible I'm wrong, but I don't think it's possible to install Windows Servers as a guest system with under Windows NT, such as Windows 10 and 11, as a host system, even though W10 and W11 are newer (in such a way that they don't can be run under DOS). I think Windows Servers are based on a technology that is better than the NT technology. Maybe it can be done under macOS 14 Sonoma? If anyone here has some version of Windows Server newer than Windows Home Server, such as Windows Server 2022 Datacenter, it's worth seeing if it would be possible to install Windows Server 2003 in DOSBox-X under the ones I have not Windows Server as the host itself. I am curious to know if it will then be possible to install Windows Server 2003 Datacenter x86 with Service Pack 2 via Windows XP.

[Torinde]

I highly doubt you need Server host in order to install Server 2003 in DOSbox-X. For example I have installed Server 2003 in VirtualBox running on Win10 host. There is no link/relationship between host and guest OS, as far as I know.

Whether macOS DOSbox-X is better suited than Windows DOSbox-X to support Server 2003 as guest - I don't know, but I don't expect that to be correct.

XP is NT 5.1, while Server 2003 is NT 5.2 - maybe something in the slightly newer kernel is making it difficult to install in DOSbox-X.

Can you try 2003 standard edition without any service pack? The one straight from 2003-04-24?

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde Will see if I can find time this week, I recently found out that even Windows Servers belong to the NT family.

[BridgeHeadland]

I have installed the standard edition of Windows Server 2003, where it does not come with any service pack, and after several attempts with different versions, in different ways, in VHD files of different sizes, and it seems that it is only the standard edition without the service pack (RTM, actually) which is the only one that can be fully installed and run in DOSBox-X as of today, and this time the VHD file was of size 4096. Windows Home Server (2007) cannot be installed in DOSBox-X as of today I gets Blue Screen there), but can be installed and run in MS-DOS (at least 8.0) on real hardware. Why only the standard edition can be installed in DOSBox-X I don't know, I don't think it's because of the Service Packs, but some of the developers here can find out why by comparing the different ISOs one with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Home Server (2007), you will find them around the web, like archive.org.

[Pierrestro]

I have installed the standard edition of Windows Server 2003, where it does not come with any service pack, and after several attempts with different versions, in different ways, in VHD files of different sizes, and it seems that it is only the standard edition without the service pack (RTM, actually) which is the only one that can be fully installed and run in DOSBox-X as of today, and this time the VHD file was of size 4096. Windows Home Server (2007) cannot be installed in DOSBox-X as of today I gets Blue Screen there), but can be installed and run in MS-DOS (at least 8.0) on real hardware. Why only the standard edition can be installed in DOSBox-X I don't know, I don't think it's because of the Service Packs, but some of the developers here can find out why by comparing the different ISOs one with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Home Server (2007), you will find them around the web, like archive.org.

pls link vhd

[Torinde]

I have installed the standard edition of Windows Server 2003, where it does not come with any service pack

And what happens if you install Service pack 1 afterwards, in the already running 2003? Then the R2 updates (I'm not sure how exactly you can upgrade from RTM to R2), then SP2 (or skip R2 and do SP2 after SP1).

Windows Home Server (2007) cannot be installed in DOSBox-X as of today I gets Blue Screen there)

Did you try with cpu type Pentium 3?

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde I can't find any Service Pack installation file for Windows Server 2003 on the web that works properly, and upgrading from Standard to Enterprise doesn't work either. It looks as if the Service Pack itself, and other versions of Windows Server 2003 than the Standard edition, have something in them that makes you get a Blue Screen during the second phase of the installation, but I don't quite know what. Maybe it has something to do with this (the screenshot above)? No, I haven't tried Pentium 3 and I don't think it would work, as it won't work with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. I wonder if DOSBox-X will be able to support image files with NTFS file system, even though real DOS cannot. No, Windows Vista will not be fully installed, or run in DOSBox-X for that matter.

[Torinde]

Screenshot has warning about security features being disabled due to usage of FAT. You're right to try NTFS. I don't see a reason for that NOT to work - you're using a guest OS (Server 2003) that supports NTFS, it doesn't matter if DOSbox-X itself supports it or not (in the DOSbox-X shell, which you aren't using when running Server 2003).

I would say - start with Standard edition and then add from Microsoft Update catalog:

1. Service pack 1
2. R2 upgrade
3. Service pack 2
4. remaining updates manually or via Legacy update

Windows Home Server official requirement is Pentium 3. I'm not sure if that's really enforced or Pentium/Pro/2 will also work.

Legacy update can also be used for XP to reach May/August 2019 (although some updates in 2018 begin to require SSE2 and maybe some earlier ones - Pentium3/SSE?).

Vista was clarified above by Jon - DOSbox-X ACPI is not ready. Since ACPI is required for Vista, then it can't run.

[BridgeHeadland]

http://dosbox-x.com/wiki/Guide%3AManaging-image-files-in-DOSBox%E2%80%90X According to the Wiki, only FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32 work, at least for now. I've tried mounting a VHD file with NTFS before and it didn't work. By the way, I don't know where to find SP1, R2 Update or SP2, so it will be difficult, unfortunately.

[BridgeHeadland]

Now that I know that all versions of Windows Server 2003, except the Standard Edition without Service Pack, require Pentium 3, today I tried to install Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition with Pentium 3 enabled as the CPU type. As I experienced it previously with both Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the second phase of the installation hangs at the beginning. I have also tried with Pentium 2, and then it crashed, just like with Pentium Pro. I'm putting the attempt to install Datacenter Edition, as well as Windows Home Server, on hold, for the time being, until it is possible to run Windows 2000 and later in the Pentium 3, preferably without it crashing, then it will be appropriate to add the Pentium 4 as the CPU type value.

Edit: It took its time, but the second phase of the installation crashed under Pentium 3 as well.

[Torinde]

I've tried mounting a VHD file with NTFS before and it didn't work.

Where did it not work?

• It should work if you boot Win NT/2K/XP.
• It should NOT work if you boot DOS/9x/ME or if you use only DOSbox-X command prompt.

where to find SP1, R2 Update or SP2

I gave you the links above. Go to Microsoft update catalogue, search for "Windows Server 2003 service pack", sort results by size and you'll see the service packs close to the top. I gave you links above to the descriptions of what I think are the proper ones (x86, English). For R2 you can read about the three options in the link.

I don't think Pentium 3 is needed for any version other than Windows Home Server. Maybe even WHS can work without P3, but it's listed as official requirement for it (very often those are not actually enforced) - that's why I mentioned it.

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde It was not possible to mount a VHD file with NTFS as hard drive, as you can see. Originally I created this with FAT32 via DOSBox-X, as I don't know how to create VHD files with NTFS via DOSBox-X. I converted it from FAT32 to NTFS via Disk Management. Personally, I have long believed that DOS does not support the NTFS file system, and that the file system was intended to run NT, 2000, XP and later as hosts.

This has been mentioned before here https://github.com/joncampbell123/dosbox-x/issues/4396

[BridgeHeadland]

Once again I tried to install Windows Vista from Windows XP, in DOSBox, but this time with ACPI set to 6.0. I got the Blue Screen, and within a second (I put the DOSBox in turbo (where 1 minute takes about 18 seconds)) the DOSBox restarted. I think trying to install Windows Vista was too much for DOSBox-X.

[Torinde]

@BridgeHeadland, Jon already explained that DOSbox-X doesn't support ACPI (the setting is just a placeholder for implementing it in the future). So, unmodified Vista can't run, that's for sure.

If you insist in going in that direction (without actually implementing ACPI) - it seems there is unofficial Vista and Win7 patch: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - you need to search for it, I haven't pinpointed it yet.

So, beyond Win XP:

1. Windows Server 2003 - various builds
2. ReactOS
3. Windows Longhorn (and also Blackcomb and Vienna) - alpha/beta versions after XP/2003 - one of those will be the latest official build that doesn't require ACPI
4. Windows Shorthorn - unofficial backport of Vista/7 features into XP, has builds based on XP and builds based on Longhorn.
5. Vista with unofficial patch making it possible to boot without ACPI

[maxpat78]

But what about macOS on DOSBox-X? Virtual Box & others let it run, more or less...

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde Today I tried to install the latest version of Windows Longhorn, it crashed for some reason, and the whole DOSBox-X restarted. Then I was to install the first version, which is apparently based on Windows Server 2003 (the second version probably does, as both installation CDs have an i386 folder in them, just for joke, obviously), the first phase of the installation went without a hitch , but at the start of the second phase it crashed and it hung up. There were two error "arts" with colors from the CGA palette.

[BridgeHeadland]

I installed the first version of Windows Longhorn again, but this time as a clean install (advanced). Both the first and second phase went, and when I was about to start the third phase, I was told that NTLDR is missing, probably because the VHD file is 16GB (16384). Will see if I can do it with 4GB (4096) later today.

[BridgeHeadland]

It took some time, but I have now completed the installation of the first version of Windows Longhorn, which has the i386 folder, but still cannot be installed from DOS. It's just winnt.exe that's there as a joke. First I installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with SP3 in a VHD file of size 4096 (4GB), then I was going to install Windows Longhorn from WXP. After completing the install, I couldn't get WLH to start then either, so I think I'll put it on hold for now, anyway.

[Torinde]

@BridgeHeadland, I think it's better to avoid using Media Center Edition (or TabletPC or embedded, etc.) as starting point - use a regular XP instead - first choice is Pro, then Home. Unless you have some specific reason to try with one of the special editions.

I don't think that problem above is due to MCE, but it's possible that your Longhorn build doesn't have the MCE components or is incompatible with those for some reason.

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde I first tried to install the regular RTM Windows XP onto the 4096 VHD file and unfortunately I didn't get to the desktop, that's why I installed the MCE version from 2005. Anyway I did a clean install, that is I deleted all of Windows XP during installation, so I figured it didn't matter which Windows I installed Longhorn from, but maybe I should install it from Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, which I had installed a few weeks ago. It's in my cloud. I will download it next week when I have time.

[BridgeHeadland]

Today I discovered that it is entirely possible to install Windows NTs with the file system NTFS in DOSBox-X. It was Windows 2000 I installed. Last time it seemed like it wasn't possible, but then I misunderstood something. Admittedly, one cannot create an image file in NTFS format in DOSBox-X, but one can format a DOSBox-X-created FAT32 to NTFS via the installation of earlier Windows NTs.

[BridgeHeadland]

Since the last time I installed Windows XP Media Center Edition in DOSBox-X, in a VHD file of size 32000 - exactly (higher than that won't go), because I formatted FAT32 to NTFS, and it went like a dream. Today I found out that it is not possible to upgrade to, or reinstall Windows XP in 64-bit, from the 32-bit one, and yesterday I found out that it is at least impossible to install 64-bit version from the command prompt, so now I'm a little more sure that, on real hardware, you can't have MS-DOS in one hard drive, and Windows XP 64-bit in the other (or vice versa). Today I am in the process of installing Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition with SP0 in an NTFS formatted VHD file of size 32000, I have tried Datacenter Edition and it did not work. I couldn't format a VHD file of size 32000 from FAT32 to NTFS via the WS2K3 installation, so I had to install it from Windows XP in NTFS, which I installed recently, and it looks promising so far. Today I have come up with a theory as to why I could not install other versions of WS2K3 than the Standard Edition, it is because no other editions/versions have SP0, only SP1 or later, and among the Standard Editions only the one with SP0 works to install in DOSBox-X, at least as of today.

What I'm wondering now is: which file/files should I remove from the ISO files for the DatacenterEdition to avoid installing Service Packs newer than 0?

[BridgeHeadland]

The installation of Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, in an NTFS formatted VHD file of size 32000, went like a dream there too. From there I tried to install the second version of Windows Longhorn, which is the beta version of Windows Vista. I expected it to go better this time, since the file system this time was NTFS, but no, it didn't work this time either. I have no idea why it's not working, at least for now. I am linking to the Windows Longhorn download page, I'm sure someone here can figure out what the problem with the installation is, only the first two versions have i386 folder, they cannot start the installation from DOS, but can be started from Windows Server 2003 and earlier, down to Windows 95 (not sure on NT 3.1 and NT 3.5x), and the next phases/stages of the installation can be continued from DOS, at least DOSBox-X. https://winworldpc.com/product/windows-longhorn-vis/pre-reset The second version of Windows Longhorn pretends to be a 64-bit version, but is clearly 32-bit compatible.

This is how the once again failed installation of Windows Longhorn ended.

[Torinde]

I'm still puzzled why VHD size has impact on your success or not with Windows installs... but appreciate that you share the results, so that others know what works.

you can't have MS-DOS in one hard drive, and Windows XP 64-bit in the other

Probably you can - with a 3rd party partition manager and boot manager (e.g. System Commander or some modern one)

is not possible to upgrade to, or reinstall Windows XP in 64-bit, from the 32-bit one

Correct, as far as I know. And I think that's valid also for Vista/7/8/10. Also for upgrading from previous version (e.g. you can't upgrade from 32-bit XP to 64-bit Vista - only "fresh installs" are possible). But I don't know what will happen with a 32-bit Windows 10 if it runs on a PC complying with Win11 requirements - will Windows Update show the message "PC not compatible with Win11" or it will say "Upgrade to Win11 now!". To test that you should install first Win10 64-bit, confirm that Windows update says "Upgrade to Win11 now!", then install Win10 32-bit and check what happens in Windows update... (I think chance of that working is very low. The only reason to try it is because Win11 is special - it doesn't have 32-bit version, so maybe will offer 64-bit one to all Win10 users). Of course, none of that is related to DOSbox.

Standard Edition, it is because no other editions/versions have SP0, only SP1 or later

I don't think that's correct - "SP0" versions should be available for editions Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter, Web, Storage Server, Embedded and also for Small Business Server.

Those are two separate tracks of testing. One for editions:

1. Standard SP0 (works)
2. Enterprise SP0
3. Datacenter SP0
4. Web SP0
5. Storage Server SP0
6. Embedded (Standard/Enterprise/etc.?) SP0
7. Small Business Server SP0

Separately, since Standard works, check which Service pack/update is problematic:

1. Standard SP0 (works)
2. Standard SP1 (try both installing SP1 on working SP0 -or- do a fresh install of SP1 ISO)
3. Standard SP1 R2 (try both...)
4. Standard SP1 R2 + SP2 (try both...)
5. Standard SP1 R2 + SP2 + remaining updates (beware to skip those requiring SSE2)

Before doing any of that I would suggest checking the XP:

1. XP Pro "SP0"
2. XP Pro SP1 (try both installing SP1 on working SP0 -or- do a fresh install of SP1 ISO)
3. XP Pro SP2 (try both...)
4. XP Pro SP3 (try both...)
5. XP Pro SP3 + remaining updates (beware to skip those requiring SSE2)

Generally XP SP2 = 2003 SP1, but let's see...

which file/files should I remove from the ISO files for the DatacenterEdition to avoid installing Service Packs newer than 0?

You can slipstream SP2 into SP1 ISO, but I don't think you can remove SP2 from a SP1 ISO. You need ISO that itself is SP0 or SP1 or SP2.

For Longhorn - you need a build that doesn't require ACPI. As you can see in the link also the boot manager changed between builds and maybe the newer one is less compatible with DOSbox.

Longhorn pretends to be a 64-bit version, but is clearly 32-bit compatible.

I don't understand what you mean. A build is either 64-bit or 32-bit and there were "All-in-one" ISOs that maybe have both. For DOSbox you need the 32-bit ones for sure.

[BridgeHeadland]

Recently I have formatted VHD files from FAT to NTFS during Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 installations (Windows Longhorn installation failed), now I have tried to format from FAT to NTFS during Windows NT installation 4.0. First I formatted the 500MB VHD file, but it seemed to take ages to boot drive 2 for the third step of the install, so today I decided to format a 2048MB VHD file during the WNT40 installation. The third step of the installation managed to format from FAT32 to NTFS, but when I tried to boot drive 2 for the fourth step, I got this message. I don't really know what system diskette really is, I thought at first it was disk 1 of WNT40, which you create during installation, unless you type "winnt.exe /b" , which I did, but apparently it's not. Can someone tell me what a system diskette is, which one I should use and where I can find the IMG file?

[Torinde]

Probably NT installation hasn't put yet the system files/boot sector on the HDD? Can you boot from the CD instead? If not, mount also a DOS bootable floppy image, boot from it and try continuing the installation.

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde It seemed like the forever booting was an unfortunate, rare occurrence. I've done some research, but it didn't make me any wiser. From what I understood, it seems that the disk read error thing happens if you convert the file system from FAT16 to NTFS, during the installation. If that's the case, I'd say it doesn't make sense that the conversion can be reviewed during installation at all, unless you want to avoid the disk read error thing if you convert during installation, when you're not installing from DOS. I can't find what I read online yesterday, so what I'm saying about the result of the conversion is only as I remember it: even if you convert from FAT16 to NTFS during installation (at least through DOS), the file system will still be FAT16 , which has got some NTFS in it, but not enough to be an NTFS formatted file system. It is not only with NT 4.0 that I experience it, I experience it with NT 3.1 and NT 3.5x as well. The Windows NTs I mentioned can also be installed on a hard drive/partition with FAT16, you know, and they can definitely be installed on one with NTFS, it's in the name, it's just very unlikely that the files of the mentioned NTs won't understand the mixed file system.

[Torinde]

There is no "mixed file system" that "got some NTFS in it, but not enough to be an NTFS formatted file system".

It's either FAT or NTFS, never a mix. What you may experience is that the converter utilized has some bugs or incompatibility with DOSbox-X.

Since you already have working installations of all WinNT versions - you should be able to do the following?

• attach an empty image to one of those
• format it as single partition NTFS from inside working WinNT
• start a new DOSbox where you mount DOS bootable floppy, the empty NTFS image, NT installation files (on CD or HDD image)
• boot from the DOS floppy (or from NT installation CD, if that works) and install NT on the empty NTFS image

[BridgeHeadland]

Opening an image file in NTFS format, in DOSBox is not possible, and starting the installation of Windows NT with the image file, while it is in NTFS format, is also not possible - it is only possible to use an NTFS formatted image file from other steps of the installation of Windows NT, as well as a pre-installed Windows NT. I have also tried reinstalling Windows NT (WNT31 this time) without formatting the file system to NTFS and it worked, just like last time, then I copied the image file, then mounted both the original and the copy via Disk Manager, formatted the original to NTFS, transferred everything from the copy to the original, and unlinked both image files. I started DOSBox-X (latest developer build), and booted the C drive. Unfortunately, it crashed, and you can see the crash here. NT.ZIP Maybe those files in the Zip file are not as they should be.

[Torinde]

Opening an image file in NTFS format, in DOSBox

What does "opening" mean here? IMGMOUNT? I think IMGMOUNT driveNum (e.g. IMGMOUNT 2 ... -ide 1m) is meant to be file system agnostic, e.g. doesn't matter if it's NTFS or some Linux file system, etc. You will not be able to read/write files to such image via the DOSbox shell, but you can IMGMOUNT the image and then boot a guest OS that's capable of reading/writing to that file system.

So, I think the steps I mentioned in my previous message should be possible?

transferred everything from the copy to the original

For bootable disks that seldom (if ever?) works due to bootsectors, etc. You have to use some conversion software (FAT to NTFS).

[BridgeHeadland]

When I said open, I meant by typing "C:" while the VHD file is mounted as a C drive (not DriveNum). From my experience, it is not possible to access the VHD file as drive C, if the VHD file is formatted as NTFS, no matter how the VHD file was formatted, real DOS cannot even be installed into a real NTFS formatted hard drive on real hardware, therefore it is also not possible to start the installation of Windows NT if the VHD file is already formatted to NTFS. Starting the installation in an NTFS-formatted image file as a DriveNum drive is also not possible. The fact that the image file cannot be larger than 500MB if the first WNTs are to be installed is probably in DOSBox-X, because I think the storage capacity can be larger if you install them on real hardware, even if they still require FAT16 or NTFS. I also think that 500MB is too small for NTFS, in the context of NT, but I'm not sure. Yes, I have formatted a secondary VHD file to NTFS in WNT. The ISO files of the WNTs are not bootable.

[Torinde]

Yes, DOSbox, MS-DOS, PC DOS, etc. all DOS-es can't access NTFS partitions (unless you use NTFS4DOS).

not possible to start the installation of Windows NT if the VHD file is already formatted to NTFS. Starting the installation in an NTFS-formatted image file as a DriveNum drive is also not possible.

Really? I thought the NT setup is able to format the HDD as NTFS, so it should be possible to install in an already formatted HDD as well?

500MB is sufficient for NT3.x, but I think NT4 requires more than that. Also all NT versions support HDDs bigger than 500MB. Are you encountering problems with images bigger than 500MB only when booting from it - or also when using it as secondary HDD?

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde I completely forgot about this with NTFS4DOS. Should NTFS4DOS be in the image file (VHD, IMG, etc...) or in the Z drive then?

[BridgeHeadland]

@Torinde Do you know how to use NTFS4DOS, in DOSBox-X at least? I don't understand the information I find online, unfortunately, there is nothing about NTFS4DOS in DOSBox anywhere.

[BridgeHeadland]

I'm giving up on the NTFS4DOS thing for a while. After resting my brain for a few days, I have been at it again with unproven methods. I reinstalled Windows NT 3.1 twice, without booting either of the pre-installed WNT31s, one in FAT16, and one in NTFS, I mounted both VHDs as two additional hard drives in the host system with Disk Manager, then transferred everything from the drive with FAT16 to the drive with NTFS, it didn't work. I installed them again, but with complete only for the drive with FAT16 (complete installation of WNT31 with NTFS I never managed in DOSBox-X), but this time I used the FAT16 hard drive as the primary hard drive, and the NTFS hard drive as the secondary , then I typed "CHKDSK D: /F" from CMD in WNT31, that didn't work either. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the NTFS formatted VHD file at all. There is no doubt that the problem is in DOSBox-X, the developers can find out if that is the case or not.

[BridgeHeadland]

Today I tried a new but advanced method, that was to create a 1024MB VHD file in FAT16 file system, started the installation of Windows NT 4.0, and converted the file system from FAT16 to NTFS (apparently version 3.0, from what I've seen while the VHD file was open in HxD) during installation. I continued the installation until I got to the same nonsense, once again. After I exited DOSBox-X, I mounted the VHD file with Disk Manager, to delete everything that was there, what I could delete. I used the empty but unformatted VHD file to install Windows NT 4.0 in, but this time in VirtualBox. I was able to complete the installation of Windows NT 4.0 in VirtualBox, in the VHD file that I created in DOSBox-X, which I converted to NTFS, also in DOSBox-X, and this Windows worked as it should. I tried booting the same Windows in the same VHD file, in DOSBox-X, I got the same error, but apparently the DOSBox noticed that the VHD file was mounted, and it wasn't corrupt or anything, so I think I can take it quite well.

I know very little about HEX, but according to this (in the pictures) it looked like this specific VHD file was intended for Windows 2000, even though it was Windows NT 4.0 I was installing.