My video on recovering files from a VirtualBox virtual machine with the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS ISO will teach you how to start your virtual machine from the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS live CD ISO, so you can recover your files from an Encrypted Windows or Linux system partition virtual machine which can’t start at all, a virus is blocking you from logging in, you can’t reach the login screen, or you forgot your username or password, but need to recover your important files from your broken unencrypted virtual machine.
The same ideas can be used to recover your files from a real computer. You just need to set your computer to start up from the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS install live CD by configuring your BIOS/CMOS to start from CD first and click the “Try Ubuntu 10.04” LTS button when Ubuntu is done loading. You also need to plug a real USB flash drive or hard on to your computer USB drive to copy the files. If you do not have a USB flash drive, you can install a new or old hard drive inside your computer or laptop for copying the files, but you might have to partition it with Gparted in System > Administration menu. Using a Network computer or online backup like a FTP server is also possible in Ubuntu.
Learn how to install Oracle VirtualBox 3.2.6 in Ubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS with Ubuntu Debian Package installer program in 6 simple steps.
Virtual box is a free simple open source virtualization software which lets you run a
guest Operating System like Ubuntu Linux, and Windows inside a host operating system like Ubuntu, Windows, Linux, Mac, or Solaris.
There is not a lot of free security software available for Windows 98 these days since many software companies stop supporting software for Windows 98 and ME since only a small percentage of computers use Windows 98 or ME. But, if you are in the small percentage, you still need an antivirus, antispyware, antimalware, and firewall. Plus, buying a newer version of Windows for your old Windows 98 computer is not worth it in many cases since most Windows 98 and ME computers will probably run Windows XP very slow, or the computer does not run well at all.
You can also install a free Linux distro on your Windows 98 computer, but it can be time consuming to install and learn to use Linux. I recommend earlier versions of Ubuntu like Ubuntu 7 or 8. Kubuntu and Xubuntu might be good for your needs as well.