Can't start windows 3.11 ws

[dlharper]

I haven't been able to get the Soundblaster 16 driver to work either, but I got different errors from you. Where did you get yours from, and what did you do with it?

[dlharper]

If you really want to set up a network on a virtual machine with Windows for Workgroups 3.11, then you might proceed as follows:

a) You first need to enable the AMD PCNet-Fast card. So download: ftp://ftp.mpoli.fi/pub/hardware/NET/OTHER/ETHERTE1.ZIP which contains the driver files.

b) Unzip the downloaded file. You will only need the files in directory wfw311, so put these on a floppy disk image, and insert it in the virtual drive.

c) In Windows 3.11, in Network | Network Setup click Networks..., select "Install Microsoft Windows Network" and click OK (twice). Then select "Unlisted or Updated Network Adapter" (and again OK). Now browse to the disk and directory containing the driver files.

d) Proceed with installation, selecting most defaults (except for "Interrupt", where you will need to change Auto_Scan to something else that does not conflict - maybe 9). Change network names if necessary - the defaults may be fine. Insert Windows disks 7 & 8 when requested. If you are told that Windows cannot determine which disk it needs, then reinsert the floppy with the driver files before clicking OK.

e) Reboot and restart Windows. It seems that with some systems this gives a Invalid VxD error - in this case it seems necessary to go through Windows setup again. (I do not know why this should happen - it doesn't happen with my desktop and does with my laptop, every time, and with identical specifications on the virtual machine.)

f) When Windows restarts, give a login name and password, allowing the creation of a password file.

All this will (with luck) give you a network conection. It will not, however, allow you to browse the World-Wide Web. For that you will need to install TCP/IP. To do that:

g) Download TCP32B.EXE (perhaps from one of the mirrors listed at: http://www.filewatcher.com/m/tcp32b.exe.690031-0.html)

h) This is a self-extracting file. Extract it by running it in DOS or load it into something like WinZip. Put the extracted contents onto a disk or CD image to create a (virtual) driver disk.

i) Now in Windows go to Network | Network Setup and click Drivers... then click "Add Protocol..." then select "Unlisted or Updated Protocol"

j) With the driver disk inserted, browse to it and choose to install "Microsoft TCP/IP-32 3.11b"

k) On closing, when the "Microsoft TCP/IP Configuration" screen comes up, select "Enable Automatic DHCP Configuration" and agree to enable DHCP when asked.

l) Reboot and restart Windows.

You can now try installing a web browser:

m) Download an appropriate browser from (eg) http://www.oldapps.com (The easiest to install is possibly MS Internet Explorer 3.01, but Internet Explorer up to version 5.01 is stated to be compatible with Windows 3, as are versions of Netscape up to 4.7. In practice there can be complications. MSIE 5.01 wants to set up a dial-up modem, for instance, and it is awkward to install without one. Some of these downloads (like MSIE 3.01) come as a single installation file, others will need unpacking.) Whichever you choose, put the appropriate file(s) on a CD-ROM image (they won't fit on a floppy image) and just install in Windows.

The challenge then will be finding current websites that will render reasonably with the outdated browser.

[mpack]

Help me

Did you do anything about the observations I made earlier, e.g. about using LoadHigh (lh), and also about the DOS=high,umb line?

Did you add the EMM386 line to CONFIG.SYS?

[Theramlösaexperten]

Ok the true is that i use a bootable dos that i copyed to c: so it boot with it.
I downloaded it from allbootdisks.com and the sound driver from sierrahelp.com

[mpack]

There are a huge variety of possible DOS boot configurations. Just because it boots doesn't mean it's ready for Win3. Make sure it's configured similarly to my own config given above, though obviously you would use the CDROM driver you had working, and you wouldn't want a UK keyboard layout (I assume).

[Theramlösaexperten]

Help me!
http://c0.videobam.com/storage/33/video ... 7/52fbf089

I recorded a video on whats happening when i try to install network

[dlharper]

Like mpack, I don't like clicking unknown links, but I have just tried this on an isolated VM. I cannot get it to download at all.

I think I must ask: Why are you trying to set up this network? Is it to run a program that will not run on a more recent version of Windows and which needs a network? If so, are you sure it won't run on something like Windows 98 (or even XP)? Windows 98 works much better in VirtualBox than Windows 3, and it is much easier to set up with a network. The great majority of Windows 3 programs will run on Win98, or at least Win95.

You are surely not trying to set up a multi-user workgroup using Windows 3.11?

Of course, you might simply be doing it for fun, just to see what you can do with it. I admit that I do that sort of thing myself. But in that case the whole thing becomes a problem-solving exercise, and you just keep going until you get stuck.

[Theramlösaexperten]

Like mpack, I don't like clicking unknown links, but I have just tried this on an isolated VM. I cannot get it to download at all.

I think I must ask: Why are you trying to set up this network? Is it to run a program that will not run on a more recent version of Windows and which needs a network? If so, are you sure it won't run on something like Windows 98 (or even XP)? Windows 98 works much better in VirtualBox than Windows 3, and it is much easier to set up with a network. The great majority of Windows 3 programs will run on Win98, or at least Win95.

You are surely not trying to set up a multi-user workgroup using Windows 3.11?

Of course, you might simply be doing it for fun, just to see what you can do with it. I admit that I do that sort of thing myself. But in that case the whole thing becomes a problem-solving exercise, and you just keep going until you get stuck.

Oh thanks

[dlharper]

If you do want to install sound on a Windows 3.11 VM, I have found that you can do it as follows:

a) Download: sbbasic.exe (perhaps from one of the mirrors listed at: http://www.filewatcher.com/m/sbbasic.exe.1326693-0.html)

b) This is a self-extracting zip file. Either
i) extract the files in the host (eg using WinZip) and put them all on a disk image. (They will just fit on a 1.44Mb disk.)
or
ii) put the .exe file on a floppy disk image and run it in DOS within the VM to extract it.

c) In DOS in the virtual machine, CD to the directory containing the file set. Run INSTALL.EXE, accepting all defaults, and press F10 at the end to reboot. This will install both DOS and Windows 3.1 drivers for Soundblaster 16. (The final part of the installation will take place when Windows is next started.)

[Theramlösaexperten]

I installed the network + soundblaster16 now.

After i installed the network with the driver you said dllharper and ie 5.0.
When i type ''win'' in dos it freezes on Windows 3.11 for workgroup screen.

Please help!

[Theramlösaexperten]

I installed the network + soundblaster16 now.

After i installed the network with the driver you said dllharper and ie 5.0.
When i type ''win'' in dos it freezes on Windows 3.11 for workgroup screen.

Please help!

P.S i found my old soundblaster 16 cd so i plug it in and install it.

[Theramlösaexperten]

Help Me!

[mpack]

Help you with what? And using what information?

I've already directed you to the tutorials that encapsulate pretty much everything this site knows about getting Win3.x (btw an unsupported guest) to work as well as it can in a VBox VM. If that still doesn't allow you to get it working then that's pretty much that. For general DOS and Win3 tutorials, finding drivers etc, you should use Google.

[dlharper]

It is possible to install Windows 3.11 on VirtualBox with network, sound, etc, but it is fiddly. The information exists on the web (and quite a lot of it on this forum). Look for it and study it. I am sorry, but if you cannot do what you need with the information you can find, then give up on WIndows 3 and use something more up-to-date.