First post, by radiance32
Hello everyone,
For those of us with 8086, 80186 and similar CPUs like the NEC V20/V3o,
such as old PC/XT and compatible machines, late 80's and 90’s era Portables, Luggables, Laptops and Palmtops, and more,
Windows 3.0 in real-mode is the only option to run Windows applications.
As most of you know, running Windows 3.0 in real-mode presents quite a challenge,
as getting hold of Windows 3.0 real-mode compatible software is hard...
Most software will simply refuse to install or run with an error message like "... requires standard or protected mode"...
I created this topic to ask everyone give a hand and to post any software you know will work in real-mode Windows 3.0
Hopefully, my list will grow and we will end up with a fairly complete list of real-mode Windows 3.0 software...
MARKERS
Here is a list of markers that I will add to the entries in the list to mark the entry with a specific requirement or status:
(tested) -> I have personally installed and tested the software to confirm it runs in real-mode on Windows 3.0a,
on a 80186, CGA (640x200 mono), MS-DOS 5.0 machine with 600KB of conventional DOS memory available.
(XMS required)-> Expanded memory is required to run the software.
(XMS optional)-> Expanded memory is not required to run the software, but supported and recommended.
(tweaks required)-> Some tweaks are required to get the software to run. I will explain them when necessary under the entry.
I will add any suggested software in replies to this topic to this main list in this topic, and, if I have the time, test them,
so we have a handy, complete list of all known software in one place...
This is the current list: (last updated on Saturday, 20 February 2021)
____________________________________
Windows 3.0 real-mode compatible software
Graphics:
* CorelDraw! v1.10 (tested)
A fairly capable 2D vector drawing application.
* U-Lead/Aldus PhotoStyler v1.1a (tested)
An early PhotoShop like Image editor with similar features to early versions of PhotoShop.
* Aldus PageMaker v1.0 (tested)
* Aldus PageMaker v1.0a (tested)
* Aldus PageMaker v3.0 (tested)
A very capable DTP application with multi-page editing, import/placing of various text, vector and image formats, and a large selection of high-quality fonts.
* Z-Soft PC Paintbrush v1.05 for Windows (tested)
* Z-Soft PC Paintbrush Plus v1.22 for Windows (tested)
An enhanced version of the classic "Paint" application that came with Windows 3.x
* Micrographx Designer 2.0 for Windows (tested)
A capable 2D vector drawing application comparable to CorelDraw! v1.10 in functionality/features.
* Micrographx Designer 3.1 for Windows (tested)
A very capable, advanced 2D vector drawing application far better than all the others on this list, definately a must try, it has many nice example files
Office/Productivity:
* Microsoft Word for Windows v1.1a (tested)
The first version of Microsoft Word for Windows, capable of reading/editing/writing (early) .doc files.
* Microsoft Excel for Windows v2.1d (tested)
The first version of Microsoft Excel for Windows, capable of reading/editing/writing (early) .xls files
* Lotus Ami Pro v1.2b (tested)
A very capable WYSIWYG word processor with basic DTP functionality. Released one year before Microsoft Word for Windows 1.x.
Utilities/Tools
* BeckerTools Plus 2.0 (tested)
A collection of tools for file managament, disk management, backup / restore, disk/file compression and a screensaver.
Games:
* Pipe Dream for Windows (tested)
The windows version of the popular Pipe Dream 2D puzzle game where you fit different pieces of pipes together to make water flow through them.
* Tut's Tomb for Windows (tested)
A windows card game using the same card graphics as solitaire.
____________________________________
Please feel free to post more software that you know will run on pre-286, real-mode, MS Windows 3.0,
and I will add them to the main list in this post...
Thank you for your contributions,
Terrence (aka radiance32)
Check out my new HP 100/200LX Palmtop YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCVChzZ62a-c4MdJWyRwdCQ