Windows 3.11 help

[amigo]

Hi All,

We have this PC at work that runs with windows 3.11. Just recently, it got corrupted and we don't have the setup disks to reinstall the system. I cloned the the other system (but with different hardware-video card and mobo) plugged it in but I got an error about the video card driver.
This is the first time I'm gonna trouble shoot windows 3.11. I should be most grateful if someone could help me out.

Thanks in advance

[Ob1]

where are you working where they still use windows 3.11 as a workstation? you should advice the co. to upgrade to at least 98se, preferrably 2000.

[amigo]

We have the latest OSes on our newer systems.
We still have win311 on our older systems that controls industrial applications. Not pretty sure about the upgrades, compatibility might be an issue on older programs. But I would try to install windows 2000.


http://www.amkor.com/

[GaryRouth]

Hi amigo

Let's see if I've got it straight: a Windows 3.11 system had trouble, so you either swapped hard drives, or put in an exact-match "cloned" hard drive - (I'll assume of a system also running Windows 3.11) of a system with completely different hardware?

Can I also assume that the reason those machines are running 3.11 might be that they don't meet the minimum system requirements for more recent Windows versions? (... in addition to the software compatibility issue with your industrial applications)

I imagine you were lucky enough to have similiar motherboards, since Windows actually started up. If it's working well enough with the exception of the video, check to see what card it is (perhaps an old Western Digital Paradise, Sis, ATi, Matrox, Trident, or whatever?) & see if a driver from driversguide.com will do.

_______________

You mention that the company has recent machines with recent Operating systems. There are emulators that you can try - to see if your Windows 3.1-designed legacy industrial applications will run OK on the more reliable newer machines - VMWare & Virtual PC on Windows, Xen on Linux. To get an idea of how its done, here's a webpage from a VMWare user on how to install Windows 3.11 on VMWare http://www.oldos.org/howtos/wfw311vmware.php

That would ease your reliance on older hardware, should that be the case. To grab a copy of the 3.11 diskettes, your best bet would be eBay.

. . . Gary

[glc]

Exit Windows to a DOS prompt. Change to the Windows directory. At the C:\WINDOWS prompt, type SETUP. You can change the video driver here, just set it to standard VGA till you know what video card you have and can identify a better driver, you will probably need the Windows discs to install an accelerated driver unless you download a specific driver. You may also need to edit the config.sys and/or autoexec.bat to remove any reference to a specific video driver at the DOS level. If you don't know how to do it in DOS, you can run SYSEDIT in Windows. However, to properly maintain Win 3.x machines, you need a bit of DOS knowledge.

Gary, 3.11 could care less what motherboard it has. It's not a plug and play operating system.

ob1, please don't do that. The poster is asking for assistance with Windows 3.11, and that's what we will provide. There is a legitimate need for legacy operating systems in industrial settings. I have a customer that's running machinery with Win 3.1 and nothing newer is compatible, not even Win95.

If you can find an old WinNT 3.51 Server CD, it has a full install of Win for Workgroups 3.11 on it in a \clients subdirectory.

[amigo]

I got the system working. How do I add a program to execute automatically(startup)?

[glc]

2 ways - 3.11 has a startup group in Program Manager, or you can put it in the winstart.bat file. This will start it with Windows. If you want to start it in DOS to be memory resident, you put it in the autoexec.bat file.

[Southern Belle]

heyal,

well i see you already have it working but if you still need the win3.11 for workstations o/s i still have a copy.

i forgot where but u can d/l the o/s something about after a certain amount of time there free to public and i believe 3.11 is.

good luck