How to install Windows NT

[BridgeHeadland]

I have come so far in my research and experiments of how to install all versions of Windows NT up to Windows Server 2003, as well as Windows Home Server, so I decided to create a discussion topic, where the first post shows the procedures for the Windows NT installations. It applies to all editions of Windows NT I have mentioned, as well as Windows Longhorn (up to build 4020), which is the beta version of Vista. This post does not show how to install Windows Vista, at least not yet. As I see it, there are no plans to make it possible to install Windows Vista (and newer; except WHS) in DOSBox-X, I don't think it will be possible either, but of course I could be wrong. Currently. It is also possible to install all of Windows NT in dynamic VHD files, if you want to save space on the hard drive in your device.
This post will change over time!

Windows NT 3.1
Windows NT 3.1 for Workgroups is recommended.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 503 MB. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file or IMG file (other image files will behave as IMG), created in DOSBox-X. The file system begin as FAT16, but you can convert it to NTFS during the installation.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X with the configuration below, create an IMG file in the integrated DOS, like a virtual floppy drive, by typing "IMGMAKE disk.img -t fd_1440", then you will create an IMG (or similar) or VHD by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd -fat 16", with the configuration below, type "imgmount A disk.img -t floppy -fdc 0m", then "imgmount C hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and then, for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done type "D:", then "cd i386", then "WINNT.EXE". Now you are in the installation file of Windows NT 3.1, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the virtual floppy disk, you can enable Turbo to make the copying faster, after that DOSBox-X will restart, and you must write "imgmount A disk.img -t floppy -fdc 0m" and "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso - ide 2m", before typing "BOOT A:" to continue the installation. You have now reached NTLDR, there you will see a menu where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, you scroll all the way down with PAGE DOWN until you have reached the end, then you press F8, after that you press C, then ENTER, and then you choose whether you continue to have FAT (FAT16) as file system, or if you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows NT 3.1 itself, you must setup manually, and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows NT 3.1.

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine=svga_s3
memsize=256
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT16)

[video]
memsize=16
vesa modelist width limit=0
vesa modelist height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=off
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
cputype=pentium
core=dynamic
cycle=max

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=on (if desired)

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=printer
parallel2=disney
dongle=true

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=5000

[dos]
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0
ver=8.0
lfn=true

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

[fdc, primary]
enable=true
int13fakev86io=false

Windows NT 3.5x
Windows NT 3.51 for Worsgroups is recommended.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 1600 MB. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file or IMG file (other image files will behave as IMG), created in DOSBox-X if the file system is FAT16, you can convert it to NTFS during the installation.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X with the configuration below, create an IMG (or something similar) or VHD in the integrated DOS, by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd -fat 16", type "imgmount C hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done type "D:", then "cd i386", and then "WINNT .EXE /B". Now you are in the installation file of Windows NT 3.5, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the IMG/VHD file, you can enable Turbo to the copying should go faster, after that DOSBox-X will restart, and you must write "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", before writing "BOOT C:" to continue the installation. You have now reached NTLDR, there you will see a menu, where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, you scroll all the way down with PAGE DOWN until you have reached the end, then you press F8, after that you press C, then ENTER, and then you choose whether to continue with FAT (FAT16) as a file system, or if you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows NT 3.5 itself, the setup is done manually , and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows NT 3.5. If you want to install Windows NT 3.51, you must install Windows NT 3.5 first, but with the FAT16 file system, then you install Windows NT 3.51, which is only available as an upgrade, you install as a new installation, if you want to convert the file system to NTFS.

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine=svga_s3
memsize=256
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT16)

[video]
memsize=16
vesa modellist width limit=0
vesa model list height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=off
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
cputype=pentium
core=dynamic
cycle=max

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=on (if desired)

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=printer
parallel2=disney
dongle=true

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=5000

[dos]
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0
ver=8.0
lfn=true

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

[fdc, primary]
enable=true
int13fakev86io=false

Windows NT 4.0
Windows NT 4.0 for Workgroups is recommended.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 4098 MB. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file or IMG file (other image files will behave as IMG), created in DOSBox-X, or with Disk Manager in Windows if you have, the latter method is recommended, The file system need to FAT16 before you start the installation, you can convert it to NTFS during the installation.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X with the configuration below, create an IMG (or something similar) or VHD in the integrated DOS, by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd -fat 16", or create a VHD in Disk Manager, type "imgmount C hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done type "D:", then "cd i386", then "WINNT .EXE /B". Now you are in the installation file of Windows NT 4.0, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the IMG/VHD file, you can enable Turbo to the copying should go faster, after that DOSBox-X will restart, and you must write "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", before writing "BOOT C:" to continue the installation. You have now reached NTLDR, there you will see a menu, where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, you scroll all the way down with PAGE DOWN until you have reached the end, then you press F8, after that you press C, then ENTER, and then you choose whether to continue with FAT (FAT16) as a file system, or if you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows NT 4.0 itself, the setup is done manually , and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows NT 4.0.

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine=svga_s3
memsize=512
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT16)

[video]
vmemsize=8
vesa modellist width limit=0
vesa model list height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=off
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
core=dynamic
cputype=pentium_mmx
cycles=max

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=auto

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=printer
parallel2=disney
dongle=true

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=2000

[dos]
ver=8.0
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=true

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=true
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

[fdc, primary]
enable=true
int13fakev86io=true

Windows 2000
Windows 2000 Professional is recommended.

The highest possible storage capacity is of an unknown size, the recommended size is 32768 MB, if the file system is NTFS. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file created with DOSBox-X, or with Disk Manager in Windows if you have, the latter method is recommended. If you want to install operating systems with FAT32, the size cannot be larger than 16000 MB.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X with the configuration below, create an IMG (or something similar) or VHD in the integrated DOS, by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd", or create a VHD in Disk Manager, type "imgmount C hdd. vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done typr create a VHD in Disk Manager, type "imgmount C hdd. vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done type "D:", then "cd i386", then "WINNT.EXE". Now you are in the Windows 2000 installation file, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the IMG/VHD file, you can enable Turbo to speed up the copying, after DOSBox-X will restart, and you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", before typing "BOOT C:" for to continue the installation. You have now come to NTLDR, there you will see a menu, where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, you scroll all the way down with PAGE DOWN until you have reached the end, then you press F8, after that you press C, then ENTER, and then you choose whether to continue with - or convert to FAT32 as the file system, or whether you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows 2000 itself, the setup is done manually, and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows 2000. If your VHD is raw, you simply imgmount the VHD as 2, and you do the first 2 installation stages in 1 single stage, when you are going to format the VHD and decide the preferred file system, don't choose quick formatting. If the file system in your VHD file is RAW, type, at drive Z, "boot -el-torito d:".

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine_svga_s3trio64v+
memsize=128
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT32)

[video]
vmemsize=8
vesa modelist width limit=0
vesa modelist height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=force
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
core=dynamic_rec
cputype=ppro_slow (pentium_iii - if you set cycles to 4070000, or the basic speed in your device's processor is 4,07 Ghz or more)
cycles=max (4070000 - if your device's basic speed in the processor is slower than 4,07 Ghz)

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=auto

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=disabled
parallel2=disabled
dongle=false

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=2000

[dos]
ver=8.0
lfn=true
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

Windows XP
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (x86) is recommended.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 32000 MB, if the file system is NTFS. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file created in DOSBox-X, or with Disk Manager in Windows if you have, the latter method is recommended. If you want to install operating systems with FAT32, the size cannot be larger than 16000 MB.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X with the configuration below, create an IMG (or something similar) or VHD in the integrated DOS, by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd", or create a VHD in Disk Manager, type "imgmount C hdd. vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done type "D:", then "cd i386", then "WINNT.EXE". Now you are in the Windows XP installation file, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the IMG/VHD file, you can enable Turbo to speed up the copying, after DOSBox-X will restart, and you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", before typing "BOOT C:" for to continue the installation. You have now come to NTLDR, there you will see a menu, where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, press F8, after that press C, then ENTER, and then choose whether to continue with - or convert to FAT32 as the file system, or whether you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows XP itself, the setup is done manually, and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows XP. If your VHD is raw, you simply imgmount the VHD as 2, and you do the first 2 installation stages in 1 single stage, when you are going to format the VHD and decide the preferred file system, don't choose quick formatting. If the file system in your VHD file is RAW, type, at drive Z, "boot -el-torito d:".

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine_svga_s3
memsize=1024
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT32)

[video]
vmemsize=4096
vesa modelist width limit=0
vesa modelist height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=force
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
core=dynamic_rec
cputype=ppro_slow (pentium_iii - if you set cycles to 4070000, or the basic speed in your device's processor is 4,07 Ghz or more)
cycles=max (4070000 - if your device's basic speed in the processor is slower than 4,07 Ghz)

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=auto

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=disabled
parallel2=disabled
dongle=false

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=2000

[dos]
ver=8.0
lfn=true
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition RTM (x86) is currently the only version of this Windows that works, otherwise I would recommend Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition (x86).
I have experienced that the Standard Edition can crash during the installation, and will crash after the installation, every time this Windows starts, if the cputype is set to pentium_iii, even if the cycles are set to 4070000 (4.07 Ghz; I don’ t think real hardware requiers more than 4,07 Mhz to run Windows NT 5.x with Pentium 3). It could possibly be because the base speed, on the devices I've used, is below 4.07 Ghz.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 32000 MB, if the file system is NTFS. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file created in DOSBox-X, or with Disk Manager in Windows if you have, the latter method is recommended. If you want to install operating systems with FAT32, the recommended size is 4096 MB, the highest possible storage capacity is unknown.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X " with the configuration below, create an IMG (or something similar) or VHD in the integrated DOS, by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd", or create a VHD in Disk Manager, type "imgmount C hdd. vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", when done type "D:", then "cd i386", then "WINNT.EXE" .Now you are in the Windows Server 2003 setup file, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the IMG/VHD file, you can enable Turbo to speed up the copying, after that, DOSBox-X will restart, and you must write "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", before writing "BOOT C:" to continue the installation. You have now reached NTLDR, there you will see a menu, where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END- USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, press F8, after that press C, then ENTER, and then choose whether to continue with - or convert to FAT32 as the file system, or whether you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows Server 2003 itself, the setup is done manually , and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows Server 2003. If your VHD is raw, you simply imgmount the VHD as 2, and you do the first 2 installation stages in 1 single stage, when you are going to format the VHD and decide the preferred file system, don't choose quick formatting. If the file system in your VHD file is RAW, type, at drive Z, "boot -el-torito d:".

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine_svga_s3
memsize=1024
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT32)

[video]
vmemsize=4096
vesa modelist width limit=0
vesa modelist height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=force
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
core=dynamic_rec
cputype=ppro_slow (pentium_iii - if you set cycles to 4070000, or the basic speed in your device's processor is 4,07 Ghz or more, the installation may crash)
cycles=max (4070000 - if your device's basic speed in the processor is slower than 4,07 Ghz, the installation may crash)

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=auto

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=disabled
parallel2=disabled
dongle=false

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=2000

[dos]
ver=8.0
lfn=true
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

Windows Longhorn (Windows Vista Beta)
Windows Longhorn (6.0.4020.0) (beta) is recommended among those that work in a way, versions newer than this currently not working, otherwise I would recommend Windows Longhorn (6.0.4093.0) (beta); this windows is not working at all at the moment.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 32000 MB, if the file system is NTFS. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file created in DOSBox-X, or with Disk Manager in Windows if you have, the latter method is recommended. If you want to install operating systems with FAT32, the recommended size is probably 4096 MB, the highest possible storage capacity is unknown.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X " with the configuration below, use a copy of the image file where you have Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Home Server, whether in an IMG file, VHD file or another image file, by typing "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", in the integrated DOS, if that's what the image file is called, then write for example "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", if it's Windows The Longhorn ISO is called, when it is done type "BOOT C:" so that you start one of the mentioned Windows. You start the installation of Windows Longhorn by clicking into the CD drive, where the Windows Longhorn CD is, then you do a completely clean installation of Windows Longhorn, you can also convert the file system to NTFS, if the file system is not already, you can activate Turbo so that the copying will go faster, after that DOSBox-X will restart, and you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m" again, before typing "BOOT C:" to continue the installation. You have now reached NTLDR, there you will see a menu where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. If you are using one of the first two versions of Windows Longhorn, after a while you will come to an END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, press F8, after that press C, then ENTER. Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will reboot again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows Longhorn itself, the setup is done manually, and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows Longhorn. If the file system in your VHD file is RAW, type, at drive Z, "boot -el-torito d:".

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine_svga_s3
memsize=1024
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT32)

[video]
vmemsize=4096
vesa modellist width limit=0
vesa model list height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=force
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
core=dynamic_rec
cputype=ppro_slow (pentium_iii - if you set cycles to 4070000, or the basic speed in your device's processor is 4,07 Ghz or more, the installation may crash)
cycles=max (4070000 - if your device's basic speed in the processor is slower than 4,07 Ghz, the installation may crash)

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=auto

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=disabled
parallel2=disabled
dongle=false

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=2000

[dos]
ver=8.0
lfn=true
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

Windows Home Server
There is only one version of this Windows, and therefore the only one I would recommend; this windows is not working at all at the moment.

The highest possible storage capacity is size 32000 MB, if the file system is NTFS. Operating systems can be installed in a VHD file created in DOSBox-X, or with Disk Manager in Windows if you have, the latter method is recommended. If you want to install operating systems with FAT32, the recommended size is probably 4096 MB, the highest possible storage capacity is unknown.

Approach
Start DOSBox-X " with the configuration below, create an IMG (or something similar) or VHD in the integrated DOS, by typing for example "IMGMAKE -t hd -size XXXXX hdd.vhd", open the VHD file with Disk Manager, transfer all files from the ISO file to the VHD file you opened with Disk Manager, since the ISO file are based of a DVD disc. From DOSBox-X, you type "imgmount c hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", then "c:", then "cd i386", and then "winnt.exe". Now you are in the Windows Home Server setup file, for DOS, first press ENTER to continue, then ENTER again, the setup will now copy the files to the IMG/VHD file, you can enable Turbo to speed up the copying, after that, DOSBox-X will restart, and you must write "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m", and preferably "imgmount D cdrom.iso -t iso -ide 2m", before writing "BOOT C:" to continue the installation. You have now reached NTLDR, there you will see a menu, where the installation/upgrade of Windows is the recommended option, so you can safely press ENTER. It will take time, after that you will come to an END- USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, press F8, after that press C, then ENTER, and then choose whether to continue with - or convert to FAT32 as the file system, or whether you want to convert to NTFS (which is recommended). Now the rest of the second step will take care of itself, so you can activate Turbo again to speed up the setup. DOSBox-X will restart again, you must type "imgmount 2 hdd.vhd -t hdd -ide 1m" again, before typing "BOOT C:", because the rest of the setup will take place in Windows Home Server itself, the setup is done manually , and it's up to you how you want to set up Windows Home Server. If your VHD is raw, you simply imgmount the VHD as 2, and you do the first 2 installation stages in 1 single stage, when you are going to format the VHD and decide the preferred file system, don't choose quick formatting. If you prefer to use a Disk Manager created VHD, transfer all the files from the ISO file in a Disk Manager created VHD with a earlier Windows NT, or the RTM version of Windows Server 2003 with SP2, and do a clean install inside the VHD.

[sdl]
autolock=true

[dosbox]
machine_svga_s3
memsize=1024
convertdrivefat=false (true if you want to run WNT with FAT32)

[video]
vmemsize=4096
vesa modelist width limit=0
vesa modelist height limit=0

[vsync]
vsyncmode=force
vsyncrate=75

[cpu]
core=dynamic_rec
cputype=ppro_slow (pentium_iii - if you set cycles to 4070000, or the basic speed in your device's processor is 4,07 Ghz or more, the installation may crash)
cycles=max (4070000 - if your device's basic speed in the processor is slower than 4,07 Ghz, the installation may crash)

[voodoo]
voodoo_card=software

[sblaster]
sbtype=sb16vibra

[speaker]
tandy=auto

[serial]
serial1=disabled
serial2=disabled

[parallel]
parallel1=disabled
parallel2=disabled
dongle=false

[printer]
shellhide=true
timeout=2000

[dos]
ver=8.0
lfn=true
hard drive data rate limit=0
floppy drive data rate limit=0

[ide, primary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false

[ide, secondary]
enable=true
int13fakeio=true
int13fakev86io=false
cd-rom insertion delay=4000

To create a VHD file in Disk Manager, click Create VHD in Action. You decide where the VHD should be placed, how big the file should be, and whether the file should be fixed or dynamic. You left-click on the recently connected VHD file in Disk Manager and choose initialize disk, you choose the MBR partitioning method, you wizard for new single volume without assigning a drive letter or path (number), don't format the volume, and then finish. Now the VHD file is ready.

For some reason, Windows NT 5.x (2000/XP/Server 2003/Longhorn/Home Server) requires cycles to be set to 4070000 (4.07 Ghz) to run with cputype set to pentium_iii, unlike DOS-based Windows, which does not require cycles to be set to 407000 (4.07 Mhz ). Haven't checked yet on how many cycles pre-NT5.x requires to run with pentium_iii.

Bonus
It doesn't appear that Windows Vista will install or run in DOSBox-X, at least not yet, but if you create a VHD file with the FAT32 file system (32000 is the only known size known to work), in DOSBox-X, and install Windows Vista (any version , only it's x86) in another virtual machine, like VirtualBox (the only one tested), where you have to expect the file system to be formatted to NTFS. After the installation is complete, try booting the VHD file in DOSBOX-X. You will get to the Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR), but you may not be able to start and run Windows Vista anyway, mostly because this Windows was installed on a different virtual machine than DOSBox-X. If you install Windows 7 or later this way, you won't even get to the Windows Boot Manager In DOSBox-X (reason unknown), it will just flash at the top left.
You are welcome to try to install Windows Vista in DOSBox-X, but then the installation must be started from Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 (Standard Edition RTM), and not from the integrated DOS, since the CD or DVD does not have an installation file for DOS.
These images of the Windows Boot Manager are the print screen when it was run in DOSBox-X.

[joncampbell123]

I'm of the understanding from other discussions here that Windows Vista and higher requires an ACPI BIOS to run, or at least install.

[Torinde]

Correct, so it may be a good test for ACPI developments?

[Torinde]

@BridgeHeadland, thank you for sharing your experiences!

Related:

• Windows NT, 2000, XP - how to install them as guest? #3538

I haven't went through all of it, so sharing some first observations:

You may want to split the long opening post - for easier reference and for discussions about each OS version be in the replies to each post:

• opening post: intro & the common parts valid for installing NT in general
• next post: NT3.1
• next post: NT3.5
• next post: NT3.51
• next post: NT4
• next post: Win2000
• next post: WinXP
• next post: Win2003
• next post: WHS
• next post: Vista
• next post: ReactOS

Recommending Windows editions that don't work is confusing... for me the question is not "which edition is best" (whatever best means), but "which Windows edition works with the least amount of problems or most convenient installation procedure".

• would be handy if you share links to archive.org or winworldpc.com or wherever you downloaded the known-to-work installation files from.

WHS - official requirement is "Pentium III" - I doubt that's a reason for it not to work in DOSbox, but have you tried with cpu type P3?

ReactOS - NT/2003 clone with open source, so worth to try, because theoretically having access to the source code may help with solving the problems in running it?

[Torinde]

You may also want to check the recently added capability by @joncampbell123 to boot from some installation ISOs directly (WinXP and maybe others).

dosbox-x/CHANGELOG

Line 24 in 61e4460

- The BOOT command now supports El Torito "no emulation" booting from a