This lesson is being piloted (Beta version)

Using Emulators to Resurrect Recovered Data: Setup

This tutorial has been tested and can be completed using MacOS, Windows, or Linux. In order to complete the tutorial using the provided example files, you will need approximately 5 GB of free space of storage (and we’d recommend something more like 10 GB if possible, to really explore in some of the activities!)

You will need to download and/or install two open-source emulators to complete the workshop activities: QEMU, a generic PC emulator, and Mini vMac, which emulates a Macintosh Plus.

Installing QEMU

QEMU is a command-line application, and most easily installed using package managers. Its project web site contains instructions for download depending on your OS. Please be certain to use QEMU 4.2.x or higher. Certain legacy operating systems, including Windows 95, may not work properly with other versions. A few additional notes:

MacOS Users
QEMU is best installed on MacOS using Homebrew. If you do not already have Homebrew on your system, follow Homebrew’s instructions for installation first, then QEMU’s instructions for MacOS installation.

(Homebrew should install QEMU 4.2.x by default)

Windows Users
The QEMU project does not officially maintain Windows versions, but links to Windows installers provided by their contributor Stefan Weil.

The makers of this workshop also highly recommend Chocolatey, which is essentially the same as Homebrew, for Windows. If you install Chocolatey first, QEMU can easily be installed by typing choco install qemu in a Command Prompt or PowerShell window.

(Chocolatey should install QEMU 4.2.x by default, otherwise be sure to choose a manual installer that lines up with this version)

Linux Users
Linux users should be able to easily install QEMU with their distribution’s package manager. Just be careful to check that your distro’s repositories install version 4.2.x by default (Ubuntu users, for example, will need to be on 20.04 LTS or above). If your package manager only offers version 4.0.x or lower, please manually download and build from the source code offered on QEMU’s website.

Installing Mini vMac

Mini vMac is a stand-alone application that should require no further setup or installation once downloaded and unzipped.

You can visit the official project Download page and select the appropriate package for your system.

Once downloaded and unzipped, we recommend placing the application file (.app, .exe) in the “Mini vMac” folder included with the downloads below.

Downloading Sample Content

The sample files to complete the exercises in this tutorial can be downloaded here. You should download all files, including “Mini vMac” and “Windows95” folders, and the “Software Metadata Scavenger Hunt - EaaSI Sandbox” spreadsheet. Put the downloads wherever convenient on your computer.