Help with Virtualization and DOS Server

N

navino87

Disciple
Hello everyone.. Iam totally noob when it comes to virtualization.. So i need help from you ppl to get going..

Earlier in 80s and 90s we used a dos server for our accounting purpose.. What it actually does is that when the client is connected to the dos server, we get access to our accouting software and all the accounting datas are stored in the server... Everything works in dos...

Now I really needed to generate a accounts report from it.. But the server computer is not working.. When i took the hdd from it and connected it to my office computer, i can see data in it.. What i did is copied all the files from it and saved it to my office computer.. Then i converted it to iso file.. I then downloaded virtualbox and did little study about it... Converted the iso file to vdi file using following cmd
Code: 
VBoxManage convertfromraw -format VDI [filename].img [filename].vdi
Then when i created a new VM with converted vdi file and started it, NOTHING HAPPENS:huh: (Fatal : no bootable medium found)

Can this be done? some1 plz help me with this:S

TY
 
Thx for the reply.. I think its the active partition...

I also have 1 query.. Should i clone backup my hdd to make it boot via VM?? or simple copy-paste will do?
 
i am not sure what exactly you copied over? the entire drive / just the data that you required. but if you boot from a 98 boot cd & run FDisk then mark the partition Active that would do the trick... else other easier way is to use some Partition Manager tools in boot mode & use that tool to mark the partition Active.

Even if you clone the drive you'd still have to mark it active.
 
First things first

- Create a Virtual Machine with Dos as the OS, you need have the DOS disk inorder to install it

- Once that is done you can then attach that data as a additional hard disk and get the dat off it

- I'm not good with DOS so please excuse
 
Thx every1 for the info.. I did a bit of research with the files that i copied from server HDD.. I found that it is running Novell Netware 3.12.. Now i guess i cannot extract the accounting Application from it.. Am i right? b'coz, i cant find any file related to accounting.. So, I thing The only way to do this is to make a bib by bit copy of the hdd and make it run on VM.. Am i right??

TY

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Things becomes very complected for me :( Is there any easy way to retrive the data from the novell partition??? There is a partition that does't showup in windows.. I guess that partition is novell's NWFS partition.. Is there a way to access this partition from windows?? If this can be done, things become very easy for me...

Some1 plz help me with this..

TY
 
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