For DOS games, the windows version is irrelevant. Also if you want to run later windows 95 and up games, windows 3.xx is irrelevant also. I only have 3.1 on my pcs mostly because of the retro feeling and nostalgia reasons. I have 3.0 on my 286, 3.1 on my 386 and 3.11 on my 486. I like to be able to run each version independently. And also another thing. If your pc where you want to install that version, is capable of running win 95/98, you can start by having dos/win 3.xx installed (with it's complete driver package etc ) and then install the 95/98 version on another directory. That way you can switch to the old version by hitting the F4 key when it says starting windows 9x . . . .

agreed... any version of 16-bit windows is irrelevant to your DOS gaming experience

I prefer WFW 3.11 out of all the 16-bit windows because it is the fastest on a 32-bit machine... it allows 32-bit disk and file access and has bits of other 32-bit code also... it also handles Win32s better... overall it is also more stable than Win3.11 in my experience

there's no reason why your mouse wouldn't work... you probably need newer drivers

Cool. Thanks guys. I shall poke at this with rather more confidence then.

Probably the coolest thing about Windows pre-95. If you don't like it, you can simply delete it. 😀

Markk wrote:

And also another thing. If your pc where you want to install that version, is capable of running win 95/98, you can start by having dos/win 3.xx installed (with it's complete driver package etc ) and then install the 95/98 version on another directory. That way you can switch to the old version by hitting the F4 key when it says starting windows 9x . . . .

This is intriguing, though I don't have a use for it yet.

Does this only work with independent W95/98 installs, or does it work with the upgrade versions as well?

I have W95 Upgrade on floppies and on CD, and the W98SE Upgrade CD for either w3.1x or 95 - not 98.

In particular, I have also always wondered if an install using that W98SE Upgrade is functionally the same as the full-disk W98SE install.

personally i'd use Windows for Workgroups 3.11 since it has a stack for internets and lans. it's the most advanced Windows 3.x anyhow, I own it twice and I don't see a reason why to choose an older version, unless I want some bundled software that no longer appeared (Recorder)

Upgrade is the same as full except IIRC it checks for one or two files from the older OS. Been a decade since I did it tho so my memory is fuzzy. I remember keeping the files on a floppy so I could point to them and still do a clean install with my upgrade disk.

win.com is the big check

TheMAN wrote:

agreed... any version of 16-bit windows is irrelevant to your DOS gaming experience

I prefer WFW 3.11 out of all the 16-bit windows because it is the fastest on a 32-bit machine... it allows 32-bit disk and file access and has bits of other 32-bit code also... it also handles Win32s better... overall it is also more stable than Win3.11 in my experience

there's no reason why your mouse wouldn't work... you probably need newer drivers

32-bit disk and file access

Is that the same as FAT32?

DosFreak wrote:

Upgrade is the same as full except IIRC it checks for one or two files from the older OS. Been a decade since I did it tho so my memory is fuzzy. I remember keeping the files on a floppy so I could point to them and still do a clean install with my upgrade disk.

Awesome. So it's really just a file check to make sure you're an upgrade customer. That would be great. My concern is only that it operates just like W98SE, meaning for example my favorite set-up recipe would yield the same relatively-stable W98SE I last used.

Robin4 wrote:

32-bit disk and file access

Is that the same as FAT32?

Wouldn't it be possible to run win3x on top of DOS 7.1 anyway?
Then you'd get all the benefits (including LFN, Long File Names).

Robin4 wrote:

TheMAN wrote:

agreed... any version of 16-bit windows is irrelevant to your DOS gaming experience

I prefer WFW 3.11 out of all the 16-bit windows because it is the fastest on a 32-bit machine... it allows 32-bit disk and file access and has bits of other 32-bit code also... it also handles Win32s better... overall it is also more stable than Win3.11 in my experience

there's no reason why your mouse wouldn't work... you probably need newer drivers

32-bit disk and file access

Is that the same as FAT32?

No

leileilol wrote:

win.com is the big check

I think so too, but there's more to it. Have been experimenting.

Tested win.com on a floppy from five sources.

- win.com as an new, empty file.
- win.com as the renamed WIN.CN_ from WFWG3.11 setup files
- win.com as the renamed win.cnf from W95 Upgrade CD
- win.com as the renamed win.cnf from W98SE Upgrade CD for w3.1x or 95
- win.com from a WFWG3.11 install

No luck with those, but giving it the W95 Upgrade CD to check worked fine.

All those original un-renamed files were on the same floppy in directories, just in case the renaming might be the wrong thing to do.

FWIW, here's the official word,
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?sci … kb;EN-US;221829

The "Microsoft Windows 98 Upgrade" product. This upgrade product is available on CD-ROM. When you use the Windows 98 Upgrade version, you must have a copy of the previous version of Windows on CD-ROM or on floppy disks for the compliance-check procedure during Setup. Make sure that you have your qualifying version of Windows on CD-ROM or on floppy disks before you run Setup. Note that you must also have a Windows 98 Startup disk to install this product.

Only funny thing is it doesn't like my Logitech 3-button serial mouse either. Worked fine during initial setup, but not detected afterwards.

EDIT:

Just to be thorough, I tired pointing the W98SE Upgrade at it's own CD, but no luck.

Using Win3.1 floppies, it confirmed previous version detection with floppy #1, and requested to see floppies 2, 3, and 4. It took different lengths of time checking each. There are 6 disks in a set.

Also the mouse didn't get detected during setup this time. That's worrisome - a nice serial mouse is hard to replace.

pewpewpew wrote:

Only funny thing is it doesn't like my Logitech 3-button serial mouse either. Worked fine during initial setup, but not detected afterwards.

I remember years ago I had such an issue with the CDROM drive. Windows 98 installed using CDROM just fine, but after I reached the desktop the CDROM drive was gone?!?!?

Tetrium wrote:

I remember years ago I had such an issue with the CDROM drive. Windows 98 installed using CDROM just fine, but after I reached the desktop the CDROM drive was gone?!?!?

Perhaps it uses the boot floppy's driver until the first restart.