How to Create a Windows 98 ISO for VirtualBox

Running Windows 98 inside VirtualBox is a surprisingly practical way to revisit legacy software, test old games, or explore how computing worked in the late 1990s. But before VirtualBox can do anything, it needs an ISO file — a single disc image that contains the entire Windows 98 installation. Creating that ISO correctly is where most people run into trouble.

What Is a Windows 98 ISO and Why Does VirtualBox Need One?

VirtualBox is a virtual machine (VM) application that simulates hardware inside your current operating system. To install any OS inside a VM, VirtualBox needs to "boot" from something — traditionally a physical disc or, more practically today, an ISO file.

An ISO file is a bit-for-bit copy of an optical disc stored as a single .iso container. When you attach an ISO to a VirtualBox VM, the software treats it exactly like a physical CD-ROM spinning in a drive.

Windows 98 originally shipped on CD-ROM, so the goal is to create an ISO from that disc — or to locate a disc image you legally own and prepare it correctly.

Do You Legally Own a Windows 98 License?

This matters before anything else. Microsoft ended support for Windows 98 in 2006, and the OS is no longer sold commercially. However, owning the original installation disc and license key means you have the right to create a personal backup copy for use in a virtual machine.

Downloading ISO files from third-party sites for software you don't own is a different situation entirely and carries legal risk regardless of the OS's age. This guide assumes you have the original disc or a legitimate personal backup.

Method 1: Creating an ISO from a Physical Windows 98 CD 💿

If you have the original Windows 98 CD-ROM, you can rip it into an ISO using disc imaging software on your current machine.

Tools commonly used for this:

• ImgBurn (Windows) — free, straightforward, widely trusted for disc-to-ISO work
• dd command (Linux/macOS) — command-line tool built into Unix-based systems
• Brasero or K3b (Linux) — GUI-based options with ISO creation built in

Using ImgBurn on Windows

1. Insert the Windows 98 CD into your optical drive
2. Open ImgBurn and select "Create image file from disc"
3. Set the source to your CD/DVD drive
4. Set the destination to a folder you can find easily, with a .iso extension
5. Click the read button and wait for the process to complete

The resulting file will typically be between 250 MB and 500 MB depending on whether you have Windows 98 First Edition or Second Edition (SE).