Quick Start

(A.k.a. get HelenOS up and running in 10 minutes)

This method is recommended for new users. We recommend to use QEMU, which we use for our day to day testing. If you use another emulator, you need to be more careful.

Running HelenOS in QEMU

To try out HelenOS in QEMU, download the latest IA-32 ISO image from the ​download page. Install ​QEMU. In the directory where you downloaded the HelenOS ISO image run

qemu-system-i386 -m 256 -boot d -cdrom image.iso

You should see the GRUB and just five seconds or so later HelenOS should automatically come up.

For more information about running Helenos in QEMU, see UsersGuide/RunningInQEMU

Running HelenOS in another emulator

You can also use a different emulator (Bochs, VirtualBox, etc.). Make sure your emulator is configured to emulate a Pentium 4 or later CPU. Otherwise HelenOS won't boot and it will display a red error message.

Note: If you use a non-free/non-libre emulator (that only runs in a non-free/non-libre OS) and you run into trouble, we might not be able or might not be willing to help you, depending on the actual circumstances. Please use free/libre software instead. There is no need to use non-free/non-libre software for running or developing HelenOS.

Troubleshooting

The system does not come up, a red error message is displayed

This is a problem during the GRUB/kernel transition when the kernel probes and initializes the CPU. It can mean one of two things, depending on the message:

• Error: Extended CPUID not supported — CPU is not 64-bit. System halted.
  • You are trying to run a 64-bit system on a 32-bit CPU! Please download the IA-32 system image instead.

• Other message
  • The CPU is an old antique and does not have some (pretty standard) feature required by HelenOS. Make sure your simulator is configured to emulate a more recent (at least Pentium 4 or later) CPU. It is possible to configure/build HelenOS even for a 80486-class CPU, but we don't provide a pre-built image for it.