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Intel Inboard 386 PC - Extremely Rare copy of Windows

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nc_mike

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
473
I know this won't excite many, but I have an Intel InBoard 386/PC in my turbo-charged IBM PC/XT. Today I snagged what I think is an incredible find - a fully boxed, complete copy of Microsoft Windows specifically for the Intel InBoard 386. Intel InBoards were rare to begin with and even more rare today; this special copy of Windows was rare back in '86 (I believe it had to be ordered direct from Intel after purchasing an InBoard.386, not available retail) and, other than this find, this software was otherwise non-existent. I've hunted incessantly for years - I think it might be safe to say that this might be the only copy of Windows for the Intel InBoard 386/PC on earth - it was specially designed by Microsoft and Intel - comes in a black box with an Intel logo. It makes full use of the Inboard's extended memory (mine has the additional 4MB daughter card for a total of 5MB). I'm just giddy about it!

Mike

$_57.JPG$_14.JPG$_58.JPG
 
Very nice find! Where did you get this?

I'm curious to know exactly how this differs from regular Windows 3.0. Does it just bundle additional drivers, or does it have this extra support built in?

The Inboard 386 is a CPU upgrade card, but does regular Windows 3.0 not run in protected mode on it? If there were changes to the Windows core to support this, then it might be considered a platform port.

At 15 disks, that would be 360K disk media, which is also uncommon. Similar to this, you had to special order 360K media from Microsoft for Windows 3.0.
 
bhtooefr said:
This thread is relevant: http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?3203-quot-Windows-3-0-for-Inboard-386-PC-quot

As I understand, it's essentially a version of Windows 3.0 with drivers added to support an XT-class machine in Standard and 386 Enhanced modes. Standard and 386 Enhanced modes typically assume an AT-class system, and an Inboard 386/PC is the only XT-class 386 ever made, AFAIK.
Click to expand...


That is correct, it adds drivers and support needed to run windows on an XT-Class machine (with an Inboard) in standard, and more importantly, in enhanced mode. Ans yes, that is the copy I snagged early this morning; funny, I don't often scan eBay and it got listed early this AM - couldn't have been up very long as it wasn't listed late last night. One of the major showstoppers with using the regular versions of Windows with Inboard is that it disables the keyboard after booting into enhanced mode. What I'd like to also find out is can I also use some of the drivers in this special edition to surf over a copy of Windows 3.1 to overcome the same problem I encountered there...will be interesting.

Regards,
Mike
 
vwestlife said:
Windows 3.1 includes an XT keyboard driver. I don't know if it works with the Inboard 386, though.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/83210
Click to expand...

Windows 3.1 works with the Inboard in standard mode only and locks up in enhanced mode (A20 interrupt I recall). That problem dogged be for a long time - I tried every which way to work around it, but the Intel drivers are needed to do the proper interrupt switching when moving in and out of enhanced mode.

Regards,
Mike
 
Trixter said:
When/where can we see dumps of the diskettes? They would be very helpful to anyone else with an inboard.
Click to expand...

When I get 'em... Praying the 5.25 floppies all read successfully when they arrive. At least they've been boxed.

Mike
 
Arrived today...disks good

Arrived today...disks good

stynx said:
Very cool :-D

-Jonas
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Complete boxed set arrived today, all 15 5.25 floppies read well and copied all 15 to 3.5" disks first...have yet to make disk images.

Regards,
Mike
 
nc_mike said:
Complete boxed set arrived today, all 15 5.25 floppies read well and copied all 15 to 3.5" disks first...have yet to make disk images.

Regards,
Mike
Click to expand...

Have you copied the contents? Im very interested...

-Jonas
 
This release puzzles me... Couldn't they just have added a drivers disk instead? I mean cool release, but I'd have assumed that inboard users would just install win 3.0, run it in real mode, install the drivers and done.

And as i read it Intel did not release this for windows 3.1 - where it would really have made sense, since you can't run win 3.1 in real mode and compared to windows 3.0 I'd claim that 3.1 was really a "good" windows release. I guess inboard customers got kinda scammed. Bought an expensive upgrade that hauled a 386 into their case which they couldn't use with some software like win 3.1 because they didn't get the drivers...
 
kyodai said:
This release puzzles me... Couldn't they just have added a drivers disk instead? I mean cool release, but I'd have assumed that inboard users would just install win 3.0, run it in real mode, install the drivers and done.

And as i read it Intel did not release this for windows 3.1 - where it would really have made sense, since you can't run win 3.1 in real mode and compared to windows 3.0 I'd claim that 3.1 was really a "good" windows release. I guess inboard customers got kinda scammed. Bought an expensive upgrade that hauled a 386 into their case which they couldn't use with some software like win 3.1 because they didn't get the drivers...
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Windows 3.1 works with the inboard 386 even with the additional XMS BUT the "keyboard controller"-logic on the XT doesn't like the A20 gate function very much and does not work anymore until reset. Mice and all the other peripherals work like they should. Microsoft did not bother to include all the other methods to switch higher memory into later releases of windows. If you would replace the onboard "keyboard controller"-logic of the XT with a modern one, you would probably be able to use windows 3.1 and maybe even windows 95 if you had enough XMS memory :) ... 8mb as i recall

-Jonas
 
stynx said:
Windows 3.1 works with the inboard 386 even with the additional XMS BUT the "keyboard controller"-logic on the XT doesn't like the A20 gate function very much and does not work anymore until reset. Mice and all the other peripherals work like they should. Microsoft did not bother to include all the other methods to switch higher memory into later releases of windows. If you would replace the onboard "keyboard controller"-logic of the XT with a modern one, you would probably be able to use windows 3.1 and maybe even windows 95 if you had enough XMS memory :) ... 8mb as i recall

-Jonas
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Right,I run Windows 3.1 with my InBoard and it recognizes all of the XMS memory - 5MB. he only think I can't do is run 3.1 in enhanced mode due to the A20 gate. The one thing I wonder now that I've got the Intel edition is of I can copy any drivers from the 3.0 for the InBoard over to a Windows 3.1 install and get 3.1 around that A20 gate problem?

Regards,
Mike
 
nc_mike said:
Right,I run Windows 3.1 with my InBoard and it recognizes all of the XMS memory - 5MB. he only think I can't do is run 3.1 in enhanced mode due to the A20 gate. The one thing I wonder now that I've got the Intel edition is of I can copy any drivers from the 3.0 for the InBoard over to a Windows 3.1 install and get 3.1 around that A20 gate problem?

Regards,
Mike
Click to expand...

The keyboard logic is integrated directly into the core components of Win 3 (as far as i know). I doubt that you can find a driver (file) that contains the needed modifications. I think i remember to have read somewhere that an intel employee said it would take more than just a bit of copy and past to get win 3.1 to be completely compatible to the inboard. I would be more than happy to be wrong though. If we had access to the data (floppies) we could all work on a solution ... hint hint ;-)

-Jonas
 
stynx said:
The keyboard logic is integrated directly into the core components of Win 3 (as far as i know). I doubt that you can find a driver (file) that contains the needed modifications. I think i remember to have read somewhere that an intel employee said it would take more than just a bit of copy and past to get win 3.1 to be completely compatible to the inboard. I would be more than happy to be wrong though. If we had access to the data (floppies) we could all work on a solution ... hint hint ;-)

-Jonas
Click to expand...

Agreed! Look for PM.
 
nc_mike said:
Agreed! Look for PM.
Click to expand...

comparison between win 3.0 vanilla versus Win 3.0 Inboard (ibwin)
mis=missing in ibwin
new=new in ibwin
size=different size

EMM386 mis
GENDRV.EXE new (generic driver?)
HPEBIOS.386 mis
HPMOUSE.DRV mis
IBKBD.DRV new (inboard keyboard)
IBMOUSE.DRV new
IBSYSTEM.DRV new
IBVDMAD.386 new
IBVFD.386 new
IBVHD.386 new
IBVKD.386 new
IBVMCPD.386 new
IBVMD.386 new
IBVPICD.386 new
KBDHP.DRV mis
KBDMOUSE.DRV mis
KBDOLI.DRV mis
KEYBOARD.DRV mis
MOUSE.DRV mis
MOUSEHP.COM mis
MOUSEHP.SY$ mis
NETWARE.HLP size (14k)
PARTY.BMP mis
PSCRIPT.DRV size (102k)
README.TXT size (15k)
RIBBONS.BMP mis
SETUP.INF size (44k)
SMARTDRV.SY$ size (6k)
SYSTEM.DRV mis
SYSTEM.SRC size (488b)
TOSHWIN.VCD mis
VNETWARE.386 size (4k)
WIN386.EXE size (240k)
XLAT860.BIN mis
XLAT861.BIN mis
XLAT863.BIN mis
XLAT865.BIN mis

Since there seem to be modifications in the WIN386.EXE i doubt a port to win 3.1 is easy...
View attachment SETUP_INF_inbrd.txt
View attachment SETUP_INF_vanilla.txt
 
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