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Hardware

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

By John Sheesley July 30, 2008, 3:31 AM PDT

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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.

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Click OK after you make your selection.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Restart Windows again!

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Give the location of the drivers

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

You only have one card to choose from.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Restart Windows yet again.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

I’ve chosen DHCP.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

TCP/IP is configured and ready to go.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Setup modifies necessary system files and tells you about it.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Basic Windows versions of some TCP/IP utilities appear.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Again you must restart Windows.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

After the install completes, you must restart yet again.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

When Windows restarts, IE 5.01 finishes its configuration.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

You must choose a timezone.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Start IE 5.01 to fix the problem directly.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Pick a new home page.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

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.

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Configuring Virtual PC 2007 to run Windows 3.11

Like IE 5.01, Netscape won’t load modern Websites like TechRepublic. At least Netscape will give errors rather than locking your machine when it hits a site it can’t load.

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