Bochs

Bochs is an easy to use and reliable x86 PC emulation application designed to emulate various objects and resources on the computer. To put it simply, the tool can emulate custom BIOS, common I/O devices and Intel x86 CPU, starting with the early 386 to the modern x86-64 AMD and Intel processors.

According to the developers, since the app can simulate the entire computer environment, apps native to x86 architectures act as if they are running on a real machine. The direct advantage is that you can run a wide variety of software with no modifications. Thanks to this tool, you can also run Linux, other versions of Windows and DOS. In addition to operating systems, the app can interpret most instructions from reboot to power-up and comes with support emulation for standard peripherals, including here the mouse, keyboard, network card, VGA monitors, disks as well as timer chips.

The utility can come in handy for anyone who prefers to run applications in a second operating system, but without the need to have two different machines or appealing to dual-booting. Another common use for the tool is extensive debugging for new operating systems, particularly the home-brewed that do not seem to work right. Lastly, the tool can come in handy for technical students who want to learn more about how PC hardware works.