Establish clean homelab infrastructure baseline
Reorganize the brownfield repository, remove retired and generated artifacts, harden ignore rules, and record the GitOps/IaC redesign.
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# Installing Windows 9x (95 / 98 / ME) over the network
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9x is DOS-based, not NT — none of the NT5/NT6 methods apply. There are two routes; the second
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is much better for netboot.
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## Route A — the "real DOS way" (not recommended)
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PXE → `memdisk` boots a DOS floppy/ISO (FreeDOS or MS-DOS) → load a **real-mode NIC packet
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driver** + network redirector → copy the `WIN98` CABs from a share → run `setup.exe`. It works
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(netboot.xyz already has a FreeDOS entry to bootstrap from), but real-mode DOS packet drivers
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are a per-NIC nightmare and the CAB copy is slow. Only worth it for authenticity.
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## Route B — win98-quickinstall (recommended)
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<https://github.com/oerg866/win98-quickinstall>
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The important thing: **its installer is Linux-based** (a minimal Linux env + a writer called
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`lunmercy`). It does **not** run DOS-era Setup — it streams a pre-made image ("MercyPak",
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designed to be read once, sequentially) onto the disk, then you reboot into a working Win98.
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It bundles driver libraries (NIC/sound/video/storage incl. USB/NVMe) that can be injected at
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install time — so it also solves 9x's driver problem.
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Because the installer is Linux, **it netboots exactly like any Linux distro** — which iPXE does
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natively — with no DOS, no packet drivers, and no mid-install media dependency (it's a
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single-pass writer, so unlike XP it survives the process fine).
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```
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iPXE → kernel vmlinuz + initrd (HTTP) → lunmercy writes the image → reboot into Win98
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```
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### Building the image (on Linux)
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QuickInstall images are **derived from an already-set-up Win98 install**, so you either:
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- grab a **prebuilt release ISO** from the repo (fastest way to test the pipeline), or
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- `git clone` + `./build.sh` against your **Win98 SE ISO** to produce a custom image + boot
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media (see the repo's `BUILDING.md`).
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Output includes bootable **ISO / USB / floppy** images and the underlying **kernel + initrd**.
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### Wiring it into netboot — two ways
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Host the files under the appliance's assets dir so they're on `:8080`:
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`/home/panxiao81/services/apps/netboot/assets/win98qi/` → `http://192.168.10.127:8080/win98qi/`
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**B1. Quick path — `sanboot` the ISO** (good first test). Works here *because* it's a
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one-shot Linux writer (the reboot-mid-install problem that kills XP sanboot doesn't apply):
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```ipxe
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#!ipxe
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sanboot http://192.168.10.127:8080/win98qi/win98-quickinstall.iso
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```
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**B2. Proper path — `kernel`/`initrd` over HTTP.** Extract `vmlinuz` + `initrd` from the ISO
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and boot them directly:
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```ipxe
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#!ipxe
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kernel http://192.168.10.127:8080/win98qi/vmlinuz
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initrd http://192.168.10.127:8080/win98qi/initrd.gz
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imgargs vmlinuz <any source/args lunmercy needs>
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boot
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```
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> **Verify first:** whether `lunmercy` can read the MercyPak image from the **network**
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> (HTTP/NFS) via a kernel-cmdline source. If yes → serve the image over HTTP (its sequential
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> read design is ideal). If it only reads from the boot medium → either bake the image into
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> the `initrd`, or just use the `sanboot`-ISO path (B1), which keeps the image on the virtual CD.
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### Adding it to the netboot.xyz menu
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netboot.xyz supports a **custom menu**: set `custom_url` in `config/menus/local-vars.ipxe` to a
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dir that serves a `custom.ipxe`, and the menu gains a custom entry that chains it.
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```ipxe
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# in local-vars.ipxe
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set custom_url http://192.168.10.127:8080
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```
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Then host `assets/custom.ipxe` (→ `:8080/custom.ipxe`) containing a menu that chains the B1 or
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B2 snippet above. For a one-off test you can also just drop to the **iPXE shell** (menu →
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"iPXE shell") and paste the `sanboot`/`kernel` lines directly.
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## Test in a VM
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Use the `drive-vm` skill (BIOS, IDE disk — 9x is BIOS-only and wants IDE):
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```bash
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V=~/.claude/skills/drive-vm/scripts/vmctl.sh
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# either boot the ISO directly to validate the installer itself:
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$V start --name w98 --mem 512 --disk /path/blank.qcow2 --iso /path/win98qi.iso --boot d
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# or netboot it (bridge) once the menu/custom entry is wired:
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$V start --name w98 --mem 512 --disk /path/blank.qcow2 --bridge br0 --netboot
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```
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Then screenshot/keydrive through it. 9x is happy with **512 MB RAM** (more can upset it),
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a **BIOS** machine, and an **IDE** disk.
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## Gotchas
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- **BIOS/CSM only** — no UEFI. Legacy boot for both the installer and the target.
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- **9x RAM ceiling** — >512 MB–1 GB can cause "insufficient memory" errors; cap the VM/target.
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- **Disk geometry** — FAT32; keep the system partition sane (<127 GB is safest for 9x).
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- Drivers are handled by quickinstall's driver libs at install time — no F6/packet-driver pain.
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- The MercyPak-over-network question (above) is the one thing to confirm before committing to
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the pure `kernel`/`initrd`+HTTP path; `sanboot`-ISO always works as a fallback.
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