Windows 3.1

[tycapel7]

Hi all, Does anyone know where i can download a free copy of Windows 3.1 Im trying to load an O/S onto a computer that does not have a CD Rom. Im not sure but i think you can load Windows 3.1 on to floppies. Can you help me please.

Regards, Robert.

[AlaricD]

Because the copyright on Microsoft Windows 3.1 has not expired, it is not legal to download it.

I have an OEM distribution of Windows 3.1 on CDROM, but all the files are in one directory, not in separate directories, making it harder to divide up into floppies. However, you can copy the files to floppies, then copy those floppies to a temp directory on the hard drive and run the install from there.

Please note that if your hard drive isn't bootable with at least the core components of DOS 3.3 or higher (IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, COMMAND.COM) Windows 3.1 won't do you much good.

[markp62]

You can take the hard drive out of that computer, install into another computer with a CD, copy the setup files onto the hard drive, then put it back into the original and run setup off of the hard drive.
Like AlaricD said, 3.1 is not an operating system like 9x and above. Think of it as just a Graphical User Interface [GUI] for the MSDos Operating System.

[jmtjet]

Hello Robert, you might want to consider Windows 95 on floppy disks. You can still get them on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=41883

This set is a little pricy-but if you look around you might be able to get one cheaper.

Win 3.1 was not very good. Actually, the DOSSHELL was better than 3.1.

Hope this helps.

[jerry4dos]

Some more ideas:

Early versions of Windows came on floppy disk sets, and you can still find them on eBay for about $40. If you have a WIN95 CD, you can make your own set of installation floppy disks, but M$ hasn't made it any too easy for you, because some of the installation files are 1.7MB and a standard floppy disk only holds 1.4MB (thank you Bill Gates).

Step-by-step directions for making the specially formatted disks are here:
http://www.btinternet.com/~robert.bale1/bkup/win95backup.htm
If you have any trouble with the DMF formatting program recommended on Robert's page, here's another one you can try -- MAXFORMAT -- I found it a little easier to work with:
http://www.floppysoftware.com/en/
Note that both MAXFORMAT and MAXIDISK from
http://www.herne.com
need to run on a Windows 95/98/ME platform. Neither will work on Windows NT/2K/XP.

Another option is to use an old-fashioned DOS file chopper, like CHOP31.EXE, which will let you chop up binary files into any convenient size you want, copy the pieces to floppy disks, copy the pieces from the floppies to the hard drive of the laptop, then reassemble the pieces into the original 1.7MB file size. Download CHOP31.EXE from:
ftp://mirrors.aol.com/pub/simtelnet/msdos/fileutil/chop31.zip

A third option is to use one of those Iomega parallel port external ZIP drives to move the installation files onto the laptop. You can get a ZIP drive for about $15 on eBay, and it will run in DOS with drivers available from the IOMEGA web site. All the WIN95 installation files will fit on a single 100MB ZIP disk.
https://iomega-na-en.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/iomega_na_en.cfg/php/enduser/cci/product.phph

Also available are external parallel port CDROM drives. I just bought one from eBay that cost $26.00 -- just the perfect tool for installing operating systems. Be sure you get one that will run in DOS.

You can also get a LAPLINK parallel port cable (about $5 at eBay which will let you connect two computers together (see note), and transfer the installation files in DOS. You don't need to use the expensive special LapLink software -- there's a good alternative called FILEVAN-for-DOS, which is much cheaper. You can even download an "evaluation" copy and try it.
http://rainyc.com/dos.html
Note: If you buy a LapLink parallel port cable from eBay, make sure it is a "crossover" parallel port cable. They look like regular male-to-male parallel port cables, but have the "in" and "out" pins cross-wired. I suspect some of the cables offered on eBay are not "crossover" cables -- confirm this with the seller before buying.

I'm a big fan of putting all the Windows installation files on the receiving computer's hard drive, and running the installation from there, even in cases where floppies or a CDROM are available.

Good luck.

Jerry

[tycapel7]

Wow, thats what i call help, thankyou all very much. I will be trying all your ideas and let you know how i got on.

Regards, Robert.

[Dexahol]

Hi Robert, just noticed that you're from Wales. Are you, by any chance, a Charlotte Church fan? Me and my wife love her. Voice of an Angel indeed!

Dex

[tycapel7]

Hi Dex, yes i am a big fan of the lovely Charllotte, got all her CD's.

Regards, Robert.

[Dexahol]

We've only got a couple right now, Voice of an Angel, which I believe was her debut album, and Dream a Dream, which has the title song she did with Billy Gilman. A beautiful song.

Dex

[Vernon Frazee]

Let's get back on Topic please.

[tycapel7]

Hi all, i have manage to load all the files from a Win 95 CD to floppy disks. How do i install them on my formatted hard drive?
I don’t have windows on the drive, and most of the files are compressed.
Does Win Zip work in DOS, or is there another way to set it all up. Can you help please?

Regards, Robert.

[AlaricD]

You will have to use PKZip for DOS, as the Win in WinZip does signify it is a program designed for Windows.

You can use the PKZIP program to extract the .ZIP files from floppies to a directory on the hard drive, once they are all extracted just run the SETUP.EXE in there as if it were being run from CD.

[jerry4dos]

Hi tycapel7:

Did you use the DFM 1.7MB format to put your Windows Installation files on? If you did, they are not "compressed", (except in the MicroSoft way) and do not have to be decompressed or unzipped before running the installation.

If the computer you are trying to install Windows on already has DOS on it, make a folder called "C:\WIN95" and copy all the files that were in the "X:\WIN95" folder on the Windows Installation CD. This means copying all 29 of those floppy disks you made. Once they are copied, navigate to the "C:\WIN95" folder on the hard drive, and type SETUP, and press enter. The Windows installation will start right from the hard drive. If the Install Wizard ever asks you to "Insert Disk #whatever", point it toward the "C:\WIN95" folder again. Everything it needs will be there.

If you don't have any DOS on the computer to be loaded, you'll need to boot up on a bootdisk so you can at least get the floppy files copied over to the hard drive. You can make your own bootdisk by downloading one for your version of Windows from:
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

If you made your floppy disks using some sort of third party compression (PKZIP, WinZip) so the Windows installation files would fit on a regular 1.44MB floppy disk, then you're going to have to uncompress them as AlaricD suggests. But if you made them using either MaxiDisk or MaxFormat following Robert Bale's instructions (my earlier post), you won't need to decompress anything.

Good luck. Post back here if you get stuck.

Jerry

[tycapel7]

Hi Jerry.
I have used a program called 166 Floppy 21 to format the 29 floppies. I have copied the zip files as they appear in the Win 95 folder on the CD, to my 28 floppies. How do I make a folder on the C drive in DOS.
I can get to the A: prompt from my boot up disk. I’m finding this all very interesting, and hope that I can actually install an operating system on a computer that does not have a CD player.

Regards, Tycapel7.

[AlaricD]

Originally posted by tycapel7
Hi Jerry.
I have used a program called 166 Floppy 21 to format the 29 floppies. I have copied the zip files as they appear in the Win 95 folder on the CD, to my 28 floppies. How do I make a folder on the C drive in DOS.
I can get to the A: prompt from my boot up disk. I’m finding this all very interesting, and hope that I can actually install an operating system on a computer that does not have a CD player.

Regards, Tycapel7.

Your Win95 CD shouldn't have .ZIP files on it-- are you referring to the fact that .CABinet files will have the .ZIP icon when viewed in Explorer if WinZip is installed?

To create a directory on your hard drive, type C: to get from the A:\> to C:\>, then type mkdir directoryname where the directory name has up to 8 letters and can have an extension up to 3 letters (although the use of extensions with a directory name is not extremely common.)