Bochs is a third-party open-source application that allows users to emulate a Windows operating system using their Android device. The Bochs application emulates the functioning of the processor, RAM memory, disk, BIOS and all hardware peripherals of a computer running a Windows operating system on Android. This makes it possible to start and run a Windows operating system on an Android device. If you are interested in using this type of application, you can install Bochs on your Android device quickly and easily.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Check System Requirements to Run the Bochs App
Step 1. Go to your phone's "Settings"
To find out the version of Android installed on your device, select the "Settings" item on the home of your device.
Step 2. Check the basic information of your device
Scroll through the "Settings" list to locate and select the "Device Info" item.
Step 3. Check the Android version
Within the screen that appeared, "About device", you should be able to find the version number of Android currently in use on the device. The system requirements are minimal, in fact it is necessary that your device uses a version of Android only equal to or higher than 2.2 (Froyo).
Part 2 of 2: Install Bochs
Step 1. Download the Bochs APK file and its SDL file
You can download using the following links:
- https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1389700/.
- Simply select the link at the bottom of the web page to download the necessary files.
Step 2. Connect the Android device to the computer
To do this, use a USB data cable. Connect the micro-USB terminal to the corresponding port on your Android device, then connect the USB connector to a free port on your computer.
Step 3. Access the phone memory
Open the "Start" menu and select the "Computer" item. From the appeared window, you will be able to view all drives and devices connected to the computer. Select the icon for your Android device to access its internal memory.
Step 4. Copy the installation files
Drag the Bochs application APK file from your computer folder to the internal memory or SD card of your Android device.
Step 5. Install the Bochs application using Android file system management software
Start the application you normally use, such as "Archive" or "File Manager" (but there are many others) using the relative icon located on the "Applications" screen. The application you choose will only display the entire file system and related contents of your Android device, much like when you use the Windows "Explorer" program.
- From the Android application window chosen to access the file system, enter the folder where you copied the APK file, then select it to open it. This will start the application installation process and at the end you will see the Bochs app icon appear on the device home.
- The "Archive" application (a file explorer application) is integrated into all versions of the Android operating system. If your phone does not come with an application to access the file system, you can download a free one from the following link:
Step 6. Extract the SDL folder you downloaded
The SDL file is downloaded in ZIP format. Select the archive in question with the right mouse button, then choose "Extract" from the context menu that appeared to extract its contents.
Step 7. Copy the SDL folder
Copy the contents of the SDL folder extracted in the previous step to the internal memory or SD card of your Android device. It is preferable to copy the SDL file inside the same folder where you copied the APK installation file. Alternatively, copy the data to a location on the file system that you can easily access from your device or computer.
Step 8. Launch the Bochs application
To do this, select the relative icon that you find on the device home.
Advice
- APK files are compressed files that allow the direct installation of applications on Android, without having to access the Play Store.
- SDL, which stands for Specification and Description Language, is a programming language used to create system processes. In this case the SDL language is used together with the Bochs application to recreate the processes of a Windows environment within an Android device.
- The Bochs application can be installed on your Android device without having to make any changes to the operating system. If you want to emulate the Windows operating system on your Android device, you will need to have a Windows image file to use through Bochs.
