Running Windows on a Dreamcast?

[lastcallgames]

So, I've been wondering, especially after seeing PC's latest "Games that Never Were" video, how feasible would it be to run a version of Windows (probably NT or even 95/98) on a Dreamcast?

I know it uses Windows CE for some games, but other than the DC, that was used mostly for phones (and of all things, the Gizmondo), and while I'd love a good port of something like the matching balls game from a 2002 HP palm knockoff, why couldn't it run a more substantial game? The biggest issue is that it lacks a hard drive to boot from, but doesn't CE get around that?

I dunno, just shooting ideas into the ether.

[scaryred24]

It would be a challenge to get it to work, but nothing like that isn't impossible just not 100% plausible.

[Presbytier]

The Windows CE version is a self contained boot loader on the game disks themselves. The Dreamcast as far as I can tell does not support a native environment. The real difference is computing architecture; Windows is designed on the intel/x86 platform and the Dreamcast runs on the Power PC/RISC architecture. This is a pretty big difference.

[lastcallgames]

That's why I was thinking a boot disc, or seeing if the other games could run in CE burned on a backup of it.

[Presbytier]

I doubt it. Every game that ran on CE had to be specially configured (which is why it is so hard to get CE games to run on emulators).
http://www.cnet.com/news/windows-ce-not ... st-launch/
Interesting but not too information heavy article on Windows CE at the launch of the dreamcast.

Again many homebrew games use it but it just interfaces the game to the console it is not a full OS


EDIT: So it looks like someone has gotten at least one MS OS running on a dreamcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVRaDlvYY9Y

[-drez01-]

^^^ Very cool!^^^ I Can't believe I never knew about this before! It also works in NullDC (when you add a keyboard). Was messing with it and seems to run at a decent speed when you close all the windows but the program manager.

Here is a link to the download for others who wish to try out Windows 3.0 on their Dreamcast (keyboard is required to get option to boot to Windows 3)

http://rubbermallet.org/fake86-0.13.3.15-dreamcast.rar

[DR TEAMCAST]

EDIT: So it looks like someone has gotten at least one MS OS running on a dreamcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVRaDlvYY9Y

That is more emulating an x86 PC than actually natively running windows on the SH4

I've actually looked into this a few months ago. Windows CE 5.0 and up supports the SH4 CPU. I tried using Windows CE Platform Builder and rendering all the files for an install on SH4, then putting them on a selfboot disc. It would work, but the problem is; A.) It needs 4mb of bootrom space, DC has 2mb B.) I do not think you can actually write to the bootrom without modding the hardware C.) The drivers for the Dreamcast hardware do not exist even if it did work

Potentially, it can be done. A Windows CE kernel can be made that uses less than 9mb of RAM. With a bunch of features like remote desktop (Playing PC games via Dreamcast keyboard and mouse, if you wanted to)

To do that you'd need to

• Pretty much add drivers for all the hardware in Platform Builder, PVR GPU, SPU, Maple bus, G2 bus, modem, BBA, etc
  
  Probably change it from reading the bootrom files from the actual bootrom to an SD card or something
  
  Open source those additions

In order for that to be legal, someone who wants to install the then Dreamcast compatible Windows CE kernel would have to:

• Install Platform Builder
  
  Add the open sourced Dreamcast drivers for Windows CE 5.0 to the compilation
  
  Compile the Windows kernel
  
  Make a Selfboot Inducer package using Sizious's software
  
  Compile the Selfboot Inducer package using Sizious's Selfboot Inducer software
  
  Burn the CDI
  
  Buy a Windows Genuine product key after the 120 day evaluation period ends, or repeat this process

While running the actual Windows CE OS on Dreamcast may sound like a silly novelty. It would open the floodgates for a wide array of uses and applications. For one, you could run Windows CE games via SD card. Port the SD ISO loader to Windows CE for Dreamcast. Make it so when you open the CD lid, Windows CE OS reloads via SD card until the console is powered off. Probably allow use of modern, more optimized development libraries to make new games, KallistiOS is very unoptimized for 3D games. Developers can write in-OS applications like a PC. Pretty much make the Dreamcast a full fledged PC. I can keep listing uses for it

I hope maybe someone with a lot of skill in this subject joins this thread for a deep discussion about this topic. It would be really cool to see this happen, and having a Windows Genuine sticker on my Dreamcast would be quite neat

[Presbytier]

I think it would be easier and more practical to simply optimize Kallisto for 3D or just build Windows CE games without trying to build an entire OS

[DR TEAMCAST]

I think it would be easier and more practical to simply optimize Kallisto for 3D or just build Windows CE games without trying to build an entire OS

You would not really be "building" the OS. In terms of coding it. You would just have to add the hardware drivers. The rest is ready to go for the SH4 CPU. Making a Windows CE game would be a lot more coding by a long long shot

Most or all of the drivers are available in kallistiOS already. So it would just be a matter of porting them to Windows CE. Someone with the know-how to do so could probably do that in less than a few days at the most imo

[Presbytier]

I think it would be easier and more practical to simply optimize Kallisto for 3D or just build Windows CE games without trying to build an entire OS

You would not really be "building" the OS. In terms of coding it. You would just have to add the hardware drivers. The rest is ready to go for the SH4 CPU. Making a Windows CE game would be a lot more coding by a long long shot

Most or all of the drivers are available in kallistiOS already. So it would just be a matter of porting them to Windows CE. Someone with the know-how to do so could probably do that in less than a few days at the most imo

I wonder how easy it would be to use the level building tools that come bundled with Tomb Raider 4/5 to be used as a base 3D engine for a Dreamcast CE game then?