Update: Have now got Windows 3.11 getting an IP address (not sure if it was down to IRQ problem on the NE2000.com command line or the fact I didn't have EMM386.EXE NOEMS loaded) It's not seeing any other computer on the network though and nor is my Windows 7 PC seeing it, despite being in the same workgroup. PING is working between both machines though! So I am confused. Any ideas?

Windows Networking has changed just a teensy bit between Windows 3.x and Windows 7. At the very least, you'll need to explicitly enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP in Windows 7.

You might just want to dispense with Windows Networking entirely and use, say, SSH instead. There are tiny portable SFTP servers you can run on your Windows 7 machine, and there's bound to be a decent SFTP client for Win3.x out there somewhere.

Thanks for the response 😀

As you say, seems things have changed. 99% certain that the NetBIOS over TCP is enabled on Windows 7, but I don't even have the NetBIOS or IPX protocols installed on the DOSBOX machine. Should this matter?? I fired up 3.11 in MS Virtual PC 2007 and the two File Managers can see the shares! So seems networking is working to an extent. However, the net refuses to work in IE5 or Netscape in DOSBOX. Why would this be when the IP configuration all seems to be fully working?? I don't really have a goal, as such by the way right now, but I like to mess around in virtualisation environments, especially seeing how far you can push MS-DOS/Windows 3.11.

Thanks again

I fired up 3.11 in MS Virtual PC 2007 and the two File Managers can see the shares! So seems networking is working to an extent.

Yes, that's a good sign (if I read you correctly).

Are you using Windows for Workgroups with the TCP/IP stack installed?

I've speculated that one quick-and-dirty way to get Internet access in DOSBox is to use tshost in Windows (one way or another) and Twinsock within DOSBox, similar to http://virtuallyfun.superglobalmegacorp.com/?p=376 , but I don't know if anyone ever gave it a shot. That's something of a kludge anyway.

Yes I am using WFWG 3.11 with the latest TCP/IP stack. I am now trying another DOSBOX build with the NE2000 patch, which seems more stable (the other one corrupted the screen when using the DOS prompt so I couldn't accurately use utilities like PING and IPCONFIG) but I still can't really get very far.

I booted WFWG on DOSBOX and then started a Windows 98 VM in Virtual PC 2007 and I was able to play MS Hearts against myself, (ha) and this just over TCP/IP - so the ability is there, I just can't understand why anything more modern, like 7 or 8, can't "see" the DOSBOX VM because TCP/IP is obviously standard across the board, so in theory, there should be no reason why they can't show up. They can PING each other and return results OK, but nothing more. Definitely something on the DOSBOX configuration side, I believe, because the Windows 98 VM in Virtual PC can communicate with Windows 7/8 boxes fine.

alex_ncfc wrote:

I booted WFWG on DOSBOX and then started a Windows 98 VM in Virtual PC 2007 and I was able to play MS Hearts against myself, (ha) and this just over TCP/IP - so the ability is there, I just can't understand why anything more modern, like 7 or 8, can't "see" the DOSBOX VM because TCP/IP is obviously standard across the board, so in theory, there should be no reason why they can't show up.

TCP/IP is standard, but Windows Networking is anything but!

Perhaps someone else with more experience will jump in, but in the meantime I speculate that this might have something to do with the nature of WinPcap. Virtual PC has its own network adapter on the host; if I'm not mistaken, WinPcap does not. Maybe installing a Loopback Adapter will do the trick? This is purely a software thing; you can read an example about how to do it (in relation to an entirely different operation) at http://www.nikhef.nl/~janjust/CifsOverSSH/VistaLoopback.html .

Thanks again for taking the time to respond 😀

I will look at your idea/link shortly, but it seems some progress has been made. I have disabled all other adapters in "Network adapters" in Windows 7 as I believe WinPcap might be getting confused. It seems now Windows 7 can see the file/folder shares made in Windows 3.11 in the DOSBOX. However, Windows 3.11 in DOSBOX cannot access the shares on Windows 7. It says simply, "This server does not support listing of shared resources" - odd!

Also I still can't see why Windows 3.11 in DOSBOX cannot access the internet in browsers. Nothing happens at all, until an eventual "could not connect to host" or "page cannot be found" etc. Maybe the possible solution is in your link above, which I will take a look at.

alex_ncfc wrote:

However, Windows 3.11 in DOSBOX cannot access the shares on Windows 7. It says simply, "This server does not support listing of shared resources" - odd!

Are you running any firewall software? Even with the standard Windows firewall, you may need to manually open the ports that NetBIOS over TCP/IP uses (137, 138, and 139).

I know that to get Win7 talking to 9x/NT4 over domains I had to lower some security in Win7 policies... Been a while tho. Not necessarily related to workgroups.