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Im actually suprised to see that people still use windows 3.1. I thought that the oldest that is being used is windows 95 i guess i was wrong.Thsoe that use windows 3.1,on what kind of system are u running and also what can u possible be able to do with windows 3.1?
I am just trying to load it on my laptop for the hell of it. I want to experience the "used to be like this" era. I find it challenging also to have to find things on the net for these versions. Like you are surprised people use it...I am surprised I still find programs to use on it. You are right, no one can actually use win 3.xx for anything much at all......but I think most just want the challenge like myself.....anyway I guess to each his own. Have a great day
Tim
Lots of systems. 2 years ago, a school board that I am aware of was using 3.1, that was networked.
They are upgrading as we speak, but they had it, and had to work with it.
that sucks were still using windows 3.1.Its no wonder that alot of people comming out of high are not profision in using computer.:(Quote:
Originally posted by Leurgy
Lots of systems. 2 years ago, a school board that I am aware of was using 3.1, that was networked.
They are upgrading as we speak, but they had it, and had to work with it.
I have personally seen two companies still running Win 3.11 (with one finally getting 1 Win 95 machine, and another company that is still running DOS. All a matter of $$$s. Lot's of 286 and 386 machines out there still. Since a lot of the original software is still DOS many are a little reluctant to switch over to Windows.
Also it limits the amount of 'games' for people to play.
You have to always keep in mind, that at one point these systems were top of the line too. :)
Ylen, are you making fun of me? :)
You can do quite a bit with DOS and Windows 3.x. My 486DLC system is an example of that (although VirtualDr is a real chore on it.)
And it's still good for a game of Doom!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by AlaricD
[B]Ylen, are you making fun of me? :)
No im not! I just don't remmember when is the last time i used windows 3.1 or msdos. Probeably if i were to get a computer wit 3.1 i woudnt' know what to do,don't think their was my computer icon was their?
I wasn't offended...
Win3.11 with Win32s is pretty snappy on a "slow" system (until you try using IE5.0 under it with only 16MB of RAM.)
Email clients, browsers (for DOS and Win3.x), games, utilities, financial software abound.
Nope, no "My Computer", but there was a "File Manager" (winfile.exe) and a "Program Manager" (progman.exe, the default shell.)
You can even set your Win9x shell to PROGMAN.EXE (set SHELL=PROGMAN.EXE in SYSTEM.INI) for a real blast to the past.
well i may actually put in widows 3.1 still have disk somehwere will have to find them,will hope they still work.
can people put 3.1 on the net to let other download,or is that still illegal.If it's not illegal!, anyone know where i can get 3.1, don't feel like searching for my floopies disk,and chances are they will not work.
It is illegal, as the copyright is still in effect for Win3.1, and will be until 2067 (copyrights last for 75 years from the original copyright date, unless renewed.)
k thanks for the info,iguess i will have to find my old floopies.Will be moving at the end of the month,so will be packing and will see if i can find them at that time.
How much space dose windows 3.1 need,Should i creat a different partion for it,or can i install it under fat32 partion(windows 2000 is on this partion)?
Well, you'd need to make a boot floppy, because once you started Windows 2000, when you run the Win3.1 win.com, it will complain that you're already running Windows.
But it should still work on a FAT32 partition (I've had it coexist with Win98 on the same partition, I simply booted to "COMMAND PROMPT ONLY" and then started \win311\win.com manually.)
Another bonus-- the permanent swap file in Win3.x is named 386SPART.PAR, not WIN386.SWP, so you don't have to worry about colliding swap files...
did the 3.1 come on regualr floppies, or on those old big disk,what ever they called and their size
It came on both the 5.25" and 3.5" sizes...
for my sake i hope they came on regular floppies,other wise i will have no way of installing them,don't have the drive for the old disk anymore. :(Quote:
Originally posted by AlaricD
It came on both the 5.25" and 3.5" sizes...
Microsoft KB: OSR2 Cannot Dual-Boot Between Windows 3.x and Windows 95Microsoft KB: Common Questions About the FAT32 File SystemQuote:
Windows 3.x was designed to use the FAT12 and FAT16 file system, and could potentially damage a FAT32 volume.
Microsoft Windows Platform Development: FAT32 on Preinstalled SystemsQuote:
Q. I have a dual-boot computer, can I convert to FAT32?
A. If you convert your hard drive to FAT32 using Drive Converter, you can no longer use dual boot to run earlier versions of Windows (Windows 95 version 4.00.950, Microsoft Windows NT 3.x, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, and Microsoft Windows 3.x). However, if you are on a network, earlier versions of Windows can still gain access to your FAT32 hard drive using the network.
Quote:
MS-DOS® APIs that rely on intimate knowledge of the file system layout generally fail on FAT32 drives. For example, GetDPB (Int 21h, function 32h), Int 25/26h Absolute Disk Read/Write, and most of the Int 21h, function 440Dh IOCTLs will fail on FAT32 drives.
I just remmber something,one of the computers that im currently using for bussiness that used to be 386 before i upgrade,an old hardrive which i beleive has windows 3.1 installed on it,Its like 2g computer.As soon as i build a new system,which should be very soon i will connect that old harddrive and see what kind of probrams i still have on it.It should be interesting.
Make no mistake. Win 3.x is a DOS shell and should be treated as thoug it was DOS. (Someone mentioned 12 and 16 bit FAT).
It's interesting to be sure because it was Microsofts first attempt at a GUI. BTW I have software (freeware) that makes Win 3.1 work and act like it's Win 95.
The beauty of Win 3.x is it could be put on such tiny hard drives. (Compared to todays) and such old machines.
Win 3.11 for example (which I still have on it's original 8 floppy set) required a 386SX DOS 3.3 or later, 3MB RAM (sigh) and 10.5 MB of hard drive space. Verison 3.11 was fully networkable and internet ready. (Those wre the days).
A couple of years ago I took a night course in advance troubleshooting taught by a friend of mine. Out of 35 students (many over 30) only the two of us even heard of DOS. Let alone Windows 3.x
Todays kids never heard of anything before Win 95. Soon we'll be saying "When I was your age we didn't have a graphic user interface. Dagnabit
ylen13, see Windows 3.1/3.11 Menu. Windows 3.1 takes about 7 to 12 mb of disk space. Among the other things that link lists is Ramdrive. This you can use on your computer without modifying it. The Windows can really run fast as well.
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NOTE: Link Corrected!
thanks for the link,but its dead,also their is no gurantee that i will be able to find the disk,so i may have no way of installing it on my current compQuote:
Originally posted by Eeyore
ylen13, see Windows 3.1/3.11 Menu. Windows 3.1 takes about 7 to 12 mb of disk space. Among the other things that link lists is Ramdrive. This you can use on your computer without modifying it. The Windows can really run fast as well.
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Try this link: http://www.geocities.com/politalk/win31/index.html
Also, if you're interested, you can still pick up Windows 3.1x on ebay.com for a few bucks: http://search.ebay.com/search/search...y=windows+3.11
thanks for the link,as for 3.11 i will fast see if i still have it on a hard drive in my old comp that im using for bussiness,if not i may pick it up on ebay.Quote:
Originally posted by Vernon Frazee
Try this link: http://www.geocities.com/politalk/win31/index.html
Also, if you're interested, you can still pick up Windows 3.1x on ebay.com for a few bucks: http://search.ebay.com/search/search...y=windows+3.11
Hi, also while on the subject of RamDrive OS's for those interested u can also run Win95 from a RamDrive too, HERES the link... a while ago now i tried it with both Win 3.1 & 95 and both worked out cool...
Shame the same can't be said for Win98... HERES another link that says it can be done, but i found it to be very unstable (BSOD's all the time) when i got it going and its machine specific too (contrary to what it says), so pretty useless to me... but u may enjoy the challenge, i think the prob lies in the fact that it was written a long time ago before we had common RAM sizes like 256 & 512MB's etc... i think if it was rewritten to make it run completly from RAM (rather than half RAM & half CD) then all would work fine...
Its a pitty one cant ghost to a RAM-Drive (or is there a way? maybe pkzip or summut would work?) or it would be so easy and Win98 would run ultra fast and be 100% secure from unwanted modifications :)
Just thought i'd share, Regards :)
found the disk and got it installed,now got alittle problem,it seems that the boot disk that im using to get in to the msdos is wrong version,is says i need the version that win31 was written,anyone know were i can get one?Looked at www.bootdisk.com but wasn't sure which of one of this bootdisk will work. Windows didn't exactly installed where i told it to iinstall but it's okay.
One little funny thing,after it finish searching for previos installed in windows,it told me that it found another windows,which is win2k and it sudgest that i upgrade win3.1 over win2k :)
ylen13, you have to boot with DOS version 6.22 or older to run Windows 3.x. You can go through the entire install process and things will seem to be going fine until you try to start Windows after the install is complete. You might even get it to work under Windows 95a boot files.
Since Windows 3.x knows nothing of these, it may have thought them defective. If they were on a FAT 32 partition, it should not have found them at all. That would indicate that you booted with Windows 95b or later files.Quote:
it told me that it found another windows,which is win2k and it sudgest that i upgrade win3.1 over win2k
LotusAstra, using lfnbk.exe which can be found on Windows CDROMS, (\tools\reskit\file\lfnback\ on a Windows 98 CD) you can convert long filenames so they can be PKZIPPED at DOS. When you set this up, they are added when Windows starts.
I ran Windows 98FE on a RAMDISK. It loaded from a Iomega ZIP Disk. While it took a while to unzip the files, when it started, it took only a second or 2 to start. I have never experimented to see how it worked as I don't have that kind of memory (yet). But we tried it on my kids computer with 256mb of ram.
I will have to experiment with that other method of running Windows 98 from a CD. Thanks for that link.
Vernon, thanks for finding and correcting my link error. Just one little character can make or break you.
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As for using File Manager and Program Manager, I just realized that I hadn't tried using these in XP. Program Manager is still there, but *sniff* File Manager isn't. I miss the li'l guy...
Back when I was using Win 98, I would occasionally use File Manager because it was able to do something that Explorer wasn't. Either that or it was just easier. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was definitely simpler.
I just remembered what it was! File associations. They were definitely easier with Winfile.exe. Ah well...
Thx Eeyore for that info and sorry for my slow reply (dunno how i missed the notification, but i just got one from Flibbertigibbet, so i'm here now :D)
That sounds quite usefull, it'll be sumut i'll definatly have a look into.
Thx again, much appreciated.
Regards :)
Re. Boot Disk Win 3.11 can use Dos 3.3 or later but Dos 6.0 or later is recomended.
I have also successfully installed using PS DOS 7
re. File manager Windows explorer is as close as we're going to get.
I think a lot more people are using older OS's than most of us realize. I worked for a computer tech company for a while and used to make house calls to upgrade or help people with computer problems. You'd be suprised how many were still using Windows 3.1 or even Dos. Many people (especially older people) have gotten used to their computer and they do all they need for them, so there's no reason for them to keep up with the times and spend money on computers they won't use.
For example, I started out on Macs many years ago because when I was going to High School that was the computer of choice for education. I strictly use PCs now, but I gave my old PowerPC Mac Clone to my grandmother who wants nothing more than to get on the internet and have a word processor. Even though it's outdated even for a Mac (Mac OS 7.1, 200 Mhz, 2 Gig HD) it's plenty enough for her to use. And even though Mac OS's have always been known as the "user friendly" OS, it's still challenging for her to learn.
Hi webshark I was talking to a computer consultant just yesterday and he told me one of the major petro-chemical industries in town had only recently went from a mixed 3.11 and win 95 environment to W2k.Quote:
Originally posted by Webshark2000
I think a lot more people are using older OS's than most of us realize. I worked for a computer tech company for a while and used to make house calls to upgrade or help people with computer problems. You'd be suprised how many were still using Windows 3.1 or even Dos. Many people (especially older people) have gotten used to their computer and they do all they need for them, so there's no reason for them to keep up with the times and spend money on computers they won't use.
For example, I started out on Macs many years ago because when I was going to High School that was the computer of choice for education. I strictly use PCs now, but I gave my old PowerPC Mac Clone to my grandmother who wants nothing more than to get on the internet and have a word processor. Even though it's outdated even for a Mac (Mac OS 7.1, 200 Mhz, 2 Gig HD) it's plenty enough for her to use. And even though Mac OS's have always been known as the "user friendly" OS, it's still challenging for her to learn.
Again as I've stated before there is little or no DOS support in W2K or XP for many programs that are and have been used for over a decade.
if i got my 286 laptop running and it has a 40 mb drive , cant i put on win 3.1 with intenet explorer version 3 and maybe doublespace and then read html files offline from a floppy copyed of a win 98 program?
Win 3.1 or 3.11 will likely work on a 286. Though it is a DOS shell in essense it can't access the resources it needs on the old 286.
You can run Win 3.1 in standard mode on a 286. But you can't use 386 enhanced mode. Standard mode means you can only run one DOS program at a time. (No multitasking or running more than one window open at a time). There are HTML programs other than IE 3 that can be used to read HTML files but yes IE 3 will read them. (You may be dissapointed in how badly IE 3 reads them). I have put 3.11 and IE3 (Which fits nicely on three floppies) on several 386s with excellent results.
IE3 will not run in Windows Standard Mode because the entries it makes to the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI are required for it to run.
- device=c:\iexplore\iedial.386
device=c:\iexplore\vxdpctcp.386
device=c:\iexplore\iewcomm.386
Being in Standard Mode bypasses the [386Enh] section, "breaking" IE.
(And drivers ending with .386 require a 386 or higher to run, anyway...)
Shucks, that's nothing; there are a heckuva lot of people who are not "profision" at using spell checkers, either. :pQuote:
Originally posted by ylen13
that sucks were still using windows 3.1.Its no wonder that alot of people comming out of high are not profision in using computer.:(
The only reason I upgraded to Win98SE is that there are programs that will only run on Win98, and not on 3.1
But I've never seen a program yet that would not have run just as well under 3.1 as under Win98, if not better. In fact, many of them would have run very well under DOS.
My other computer is a 486DX80, running Windows 3.1, along with DOS 6.22, and it loads and starts considerably faster than this AMD K6-2, 450 MHz, and runs my DOS and Windows 3.1 programs very well. Some of the programs even run better than on this machine.
People have forgotten DOS and how powerful it really is. Windows makes the job much easier on programmers, but that doesn't mean Windows is really inherently more powerful than DOS. And if you run Win9x on a Pentium Pro, you'll discover how much 16-bit code is still there...
peeps do still use it...
and in the most surprising fields as well...
I know a forensics expert (doctor).
the files of years ago have to be able to be opened up as they was...