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Windows 3.1 and 1.1 won't Install

RuMoR0922RuMoR0922
edited March 2013 in Software
Hi, WinWorld!

I've been trying to install Windows 1.1 and Windows 3.1 on a VMware Workstation for the past couple weeks. Whenever I start Windows (and VMware see's it as 3.1 or MS-DOS for Windows 1.1) it brings up a screen claiming it's 'attempting to boot' from a MAC or looking for something.

This is what I get when I attempt to start it:
2aQeSNj.png

And then it says it failed to find an operating system after a minute or two.

My computer specs are:
HP Pavilion g6 laptop
AMD A5 Processor
Radeon Graphics Card
4 GB of RAM
500 GB HDD

So, I don't see why I would have a problem getting it to start up. I can get XP, 7 and Server 2008 R2 to start up without a problem. So, if any of you know how to help me, thanks a lot! :D

Comments

  • gdea73gdea73
    the screen you're seeing means there's something wrong with the disk image you're trying to boot to; the VM is trying to do a network boot, because it couldn't find a suitable disc/disk image to use.

    I don't use VMs often so I'm not sure why that would be, but are you sure you've given it the right disk image to boot from?
  • RuMoR0922RuMoR0922
    I've downloaded it right from the file servers on WinWorld. I thought it was doing a network boot; but, I wouldn't understand why it would when I told VMware to not initalize Internet protocals at the beginning of a session here.
  • noonenoone
    I'm guessing you didn't properly install dos first off.
    Vmware emulates a bios also, you will have to double check boot devices. First off, start the virtual machine, and start smashing f2 inside the VM as fast as possible. That will give you a emulated PheonixBIOS setup utility. Tab over to boot and make sure removable devices is first, then cdrom drive, then hard drive. If not, move them around with the instructions on that screen until they are at that order (network should always be last). Then, if you still get that, dos wasn't installed properly.

    If that was the case, go into the virtual machine settings and make sure that you have a dos boot disk use MSDOS <4.0 for windows 1.01 and MSDOS 5 or higher. (I typically run IBM PC-DOS 2000 for Windows 3.11 as that's the most recent version of DOS around that isn't freeDOS.)
    Now... unlike any of the other OSes, you have to create a partition table. So as soon as you boot into DOS setup, hit f3 to exit, and get dropped down to a dos prompt. Run "fdisk" and create a partition table. Make a partition for dos (can't be greater than 2gb or dos will not boot). Do not format the drive! After the partition is created, restart the virtual machine and reenter dos setup. Exit it again, and get to the prompt and type "format C:". Say yes and then reboot the virtual machine again and install dos.

    Now if someone needs a more detailed instructions for doing this, I'll be willing to do a step-by-step instruction set for anyone to set up a virtual machine. However, I prefer to use virtualbox for anything older than windows 95, since you can't do shared folders in vmware for 3.11 or dos. I'm not sure if the newer versions of virtualbox support 3.11 for shared tools or anything. (I know MS virtual PC does though.)
    I have vmware drivers for 3.11 here, if you still want to go ahead with vmware. You won't be able to do shared folders with this though, and there's no instructions on how to set up those drivers, I never got around to it. I also have the tcp/ip driver and a few apps in there that I know are really needed to do anything. Perhaps, I'll add on to that a bit more in a few weeks.
  • RuMoR0922RuMoR0922
    Ok, I'll try that later noone. Thanks!
  • DeepFriedCookiesDeepFriedCookies
    Lol you know you have to install DOS from a floppy image or CD image first, right?

    Noone you know DOS 7 is better than PC DOS 2000, right? Although it's cool to run IBM software for once.
  • noonenoone
    DeepFriedCookies wrote:
    Lol you know you have to install DOS from a floppy image or CD image first, right?

    Noone you know DOS 7 is better than PC DOS 2000, right? Although it's cool to run IBM software for once.
    It gives a retro feel. Also, I notice some stability issues with DOS 7 when I run older DOS games in it. It's amazing how many older games require raw access to disks and hardware, which makes DOS 7 throw a fit and halt the machine. Personally, I wonder if FreeDOS is stable enough and can run Windows on it now. Having something a little more modern would be nice. It might be worth a try eventually I guess.
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