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  • Virtual PC 2007 is a handy tool for running multiple operating systems. However, it's not without its limitations when running an older OS like Windows 3.1. Here's what it takes to get everything working.

    This screen shows a basic Windows 3.11 installation under Virtual PC. The emulated hardware under VPC isn't supported by Windows 3.x and you have to hunt around to get all of the drivers and stuff that you need.

    The Classics Rock blog on TechRepublic lists the file locations. You'll need.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Begin by putting together a CD-ROM with the files you needs. VPC under DOS can't access the host machine's hard drive, so this is the only way you can load the drivers you need.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • PKUnzip is always a handy utility to have in DOS. Extract the files to your C:\DOS directory.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You'll need the S3 Trio64 drivers for Windows 3.1 to get better than basic VGA resolution and colors out of VPC.

    You get to this screen from the Windows Setup icon in the Main Group.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Select Other from the Display drop down box, and Windows 3.x prompts you for the location of your drivers.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Select the screen size and color depth you want. Unlike Windows 9x and better, you can't change this resolution on the fly and always have to go through Setup.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Click OK after you make your selection.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Setup installs the fonts and video drivers after you click OK.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You must then restart Windows to make the new video driver take effect.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • When Windows comes up, you should notice a color and resolution change.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • The emulated sound card for VPC is a SoundBlaster 16. The following screens show the installation program for the card.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • After the DOS installation program finishes, the SoundBlasters Windows Setup program runs. It installs the Windows programs and configures the Windows drivers.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Restart Windows again!

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You can now begin configuring the Network Settings. In Windows For Workgroups 3.11, this screen is found by clicking Network Setup in the Network Group.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • VPC emulates the Intel 21140 network card. Windows doesn't include a driver for this card, so you must download it. Select Unlisted to find it.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Give the location of the drivers

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You only have one card to choose from.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Windows For Workgroups installs NetBEUI and IPX as the default protocols. TCP/IP is *not* a choice.

    I've removed IPX for now because you must have at least one protocol installed and I haven't installed TCP/IP yet.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Restart Windows yet again.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • When the computer restarts, you can see the drivers for the card load.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • When Windows starts this time, you'll see a login screen. The default password is blank.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • When you enter a password, it's added to Windows' password list.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Now you must download and extract the TCP/IP files for Windows 3.1.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Go back into Network Setup when Windows starts back up. This time click Add Protocol. Click Unlisted to load your TCP/IP drivers.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • After giving the location of the drivers, you only have one choice.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • NetBEUI and TCP/IP are both listed now. Remove NetBEUI.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • TCP/IP is all by itself. Now you must configure it.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You can statically assign IP Addresses by filling out the information on this screen. You can also use DHCP by clicking Enable Automatic DHCP Configuration.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • I've chosen DHCP.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Unlike later versions of Windows, DHCP in Windows 3.x only sets the IP address and NetMask of the workstation. You must statically enter the address for the Default Gateway, WINS, and DNS servers.

    This defeats a lot of the purpose of DHCP unfortunately.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Click the DNS button to get here. Here you enter DNS information.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • TCP/IP is configured and ready to go.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Setup modifies necessary system files and tells you about it.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Basic Windows versions of some TCP/IP utilities appear.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Again you must restart Windows.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You should check the Network Settings for Virtual PC to make sure that the proper network card is enabled and chosen for your session. In machines with multiple network cards, the default session may not choose the proper card. Select it from the drop down box.

    Networking in the Windows 3.x session may not work if you don't check this.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • There's DOS based PING utility you can use to check connectivity when Windows restarts.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • TCP/IP is working and we're connected to the Internet!

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Now it's time to get a Web browser. The newest browser supported by Windows 3.1 is Internet Explorer 5.01.

    Start the Setup program from the Run dialog box.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • IE 5.01's setup program is similar to the old one for IE 6.0.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Even though you have a networked TCP/IP stack installed, IE 5.01's Setup program tries to configure a modem. Cancel out of it.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • After the install completes, you must restart yet again.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • When Windows restarts, IE 5.01 finishes its configuration.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You must choose a timezone.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • With modern versions of IE, you may be tempted to use the Internet Connection Wizard to setup networked surfing.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • D'oh! IE *still* wants to only use a modem.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Start IE 5.01 to fix the problem directly.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Select Tools | Internet Options. When you click the Connection tab, IE will complain about the connection settings.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Select Your Local Area Network. Now you don't have to worry about the modem.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • The default homepage is a Lycos page that doesn't exist anymore.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Pick a new home page.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • IE 5.01 may be the latest Web browser available, but it doesn't support Javascript well enough to render most Web sites. Be prepared for lots of errors and for many sites not to load.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Google finally loads. Search results will not launch however. AltaVista is a better search engine with IE 5.01.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • You can load 32bit support for Windows 3.1 by installing Win32s. This will run some, but a vast minority, of 32bit Windows programs.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Freecell is one of the few 32bit programs that work with Windows 3.x.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • As an alternative to IE, you can load Netscape 3.0. It won't do much better than IE in the long run however. It will crash your machine much less however. IE 5.01 sometimes will lock the session if it encounters a Web site with a lot of Javascript.

    Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

  • Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

    Caption by: John Sheesley

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Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Virtual PC 2007 is a handy tool for running multiple operating systems. However, it's not without its limitations when running an older OS like Windows 3.1. Here's what it takes to get everything working.

Read More Read Less

Virtual PC 2007 is a handy tool for running multiple operating systems. However, it's not without its limitations when running an older OS like Windows 3.1. Here's what it takes to get everything working.

This screen shows a basic Windows 3.11 installation under Virtual PC. The emulated hardware under VPC isn't supported by Windows 3.x and you have to hunt around to get all of the drivers and stuff that you need.

The Classics Rock blog on TechRepublic lists the file locations. You'll need.

Published: July 30, 2008 -- 10:31 GMT (03:31 PDT)

Caption by: John Sheesley

Related Topics:

Enterprise Software Virtualization Cloud Big Data Analytics Innovation Tech and Work
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