Use web resources (minix, qemu, diskexplorer) to get more specific details or extra commands etc.
Also try using the man pages.

Installing Minix_over_QEMU for Windows

• Grab the software: "Minix over QEMU for Windows"
• Install just like you would with any installer you 've come across so far.
• Hint: Install under "My Documents", so you can have easy access to you virtual HD images.

Start Minix over QEMU

Quit Minix over QEMU

• You HAVE TO SHUT DOWN Minix before you quit it. Don't just hit X on the top right corner, or the Minix FS will be corrupted and your changes might get lost.
• In order to quit Minix and then QEMU follow this procedure:
  • execute the shutdown command as root . Wait till you see System Halted .
  • hit ALT+CTRL+2 , write quit and hit ENTER.

Transfer Files from Windows to Minix

• Minix over QEMU runs on a virtual Minix formatted disk image. In order to transfer files to this disk image, since there is no such tool / driver available to windows, we need to use another virtual disk image, one both Minix and Windows recognize and are able to manipulate. That is a DOS formatted image, somehting like a 2,88MB disk. The procedure decribed in the following lines has two basic steps: 1. Write files to the DOS formatted image 2. Copy file from that image to the Minix formatted image so that minix can read them.
1. Write files to the DOS formatted disk image
• Don't ever follow this step while running "Minix over QEMU". You will be accessing a virtual filesystem used by another OS at the same moment, leading it to a corrupted state.
• Just double click on the "DiskExplorer" shortcut on your Desktop or Start Menu. Alternatively, you might run diskexplorer.bat from the installation directory.
• Drag and drop any file you want on DiskExplorer and will be placed inside the virtual file system (hdb.img). Pay attention on a couple of details:
  • The dos formatted virual filesystem (hdb.img) is only 2,88MB large, so do not abuse your free space. Minix supports tar compression, so you might want to compress large files or directories before transferring them.
  • Since it is FAT16 formatted, long file names (larger than 8 printable characters) are not supported.
2. Copy files to the Minix formatted disk image
• Make sure you exited DiskExplorer.
• The file you just transeferred does not lay on a mounted partition. It lays on a virtual DOS FS, Minix does know about. In order to copy the file to a Minix FS mounted partition, you need to use dosread to perform the transfer.
• Issue this command to perform such a copy:
  • dosread c FILENAME > /PATH_TO_DIRECTORY_WE_WANT/FILENAME , where
  • FILENAME stands for the file name
  • PATH_TO_DIRECTORY_WE_WANT stands for the full path where the file will be placed
  • c stands for the virtual FS device namec (and will always be referenced thus unless you change it)
• For example, in order to copy a tar-red kernel sources file which lays inside the DOS formatted FS, named kernel.tar, to the /usr directory of MINIX, we need to perform the following: dosread c KERNEL.TAR > /usr/kernel.tar

Transfer Files from Minix to Windows

• A relevant 2-steps procedure has to be followed: 1. Transfer the files from the Minix FS to the DOS formatted FS and 2. then from there to Windows. The key command in this procedure is doswrite .
1. Transfer the files from the Minix FS to the DOS formatted FS
• Make sure DiskExplorer is NOT running
• Issue this commandto perform a copy:
  • cat /PATH_TO_DIRECTORY_WE_WANT/FILENAME | doswrite c FILENAME , where
  • FILENAME stands for the file name
  • PATH_TO_DIRECTORY_WE_WANT stands for the full path where the file lays
  • c stands for the virtual FS device namec (and will always be referenced thus unless you change it)
• Alternativelly, you might want to compress and transfer, for example, a whole directory. Then you should use:
  • tar cv - /PATH_TO_DIRECTORY_WE_WANT/DIRECTORY | doswrite c DIRECTORY.tar , where
  • FILENAME stands for the file name
  • PATH_TO_DIRECTORY_WE_WANT stands for the full path where the directory lays
  • DIRECTORY stands for the name of the directory we want compressed and transferred
  • c stands for the virtual FS device namec (and will always be referenced thus unless you change it)
• An example: compress and transfer the whole kernel sources to the DOS formatted image issuing this comnnand
  tar cv - /usr/src/kernel | doswrite c kernel.tar
2. Transfer the files from DOS formatted FS to windows
• Quit "Minix over QEMU" following the right procedure ( shutdown and then ALT+CTRL+2 and then quit )
• Invoke "DiskExplorer" (through shortcut or diskexplorer.bat
• Just Drag and drop any file you want from DiskExplorer to the directory (in Windows) where you want it transferred.

Hints and Tips

• QEMU uses parameter "-m" to specify the amount of RAM used for running the emulated system. "Minix over QEMU" speciefies that parameter inside minix.bat , found in the installation directory. You might want to edit it, if you find that the default value of 128 MB makes your system non responsive. Just use your favorite editor and set that number (128) accoding to your judgement. You'd rather not touch anything else, unless you know what you are doing.
• Read the MAN pages
• Google your way to the top.
• Read the rest of the documentation
• Study Mr. Tanenbaum's book "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation 2/e"
• Want to know what happens below what you see? Give it a shot and install Minix over QEMU yourself. It might take you some days of drudgery but eventually you will feel a far better person.
• Actually being a blood donor does make you a better person and does not take days of your time, just minutes. I guess you should definitely consider that as an option. And that is not a joke.
• Take the time to correct my language mistakes and mail me (name--> Konstantinos Menychtas <--surname)