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Windows 3.1 drivers for newer hardware

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watlers_world

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Although very few people use windows 3.1 at all,
I have been playing with it on some newer hardware.

I have some Windows 3.1 sound drivers for newer sound cards.
They Require more than 65MB of ram. (SETXMSTO.EXE or Himemx )
http://turkeys4me.byethost4.com/programs/index.htm

Win3x can be a difficult system to use. :roll:
I'm curious if these drivers work.

If you try them, let me know what you find.
 
Thanks, really appreciated. Can't try them out now since i don't have any system ready for it, but hopefully i will find time to play with windows 3.1 when the wife is on vacation...
 
65MB for a sound driver? More like 65KB, perhaps?

Unless I had appropriate hardware, I'd probably run Win 3.1 in a virtualized session (e.g. VirtualBox) that abstracts the hardware interface.
 
Well, It so happens that I am just about to attempt to install a sound card into my Win 3.11 system, which I have over there on the back table.

Have you done this before? Normally you focus on non Windows mode anyway, get the driver working in DOS mode first. The trick is to know the best place in memory to load the driver. It is always possible that a separate reference to same driver (PIF or Win 3.11 driver) when in Windows mode.

Have you optimized your memory using DOS 6 tools? It's in the DOS 6 manual. That's vital if you want to push the limits of a Win 3.1 system.

I will document the process I used on my web site, as soon as I get that far.

b
 
I am sorry, Chuck(G).
I don't have VirtualBox setup.
The cards are PCI bus masters and these are concrete drivers.

Thank you, billdeg.
These are my first attempts.
I have not tried DOS drivers and I did not attempt a VXD.
Only windows programs will have sound.

No,I did not try to optimize the computers RAM.
However, I did limit XMS using Himemx(for 386 Enhanced mode).
 
really? MOst of the time people want sound for the DOS games, but it really should not matter. I will report back once I have something that works. I used to do this kind of thing all of the time, but one day I abruptly stopped using Win 3.1 and that was that. (1995)
 
ANyway, for now the show is over, I don't have any compatible sound cards. Iwill have to live with the internal speaker until I can get something.

Can anyone recommend a sound card compatible with a Dell 486 (ISA), or should I just grab any old 16 bit sound blaster card I can find?
b
 
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billdeg said:
Can anyone recommend a sound card compatible with a Dell 486 (ISA), or should I just grab any old 16 bit sound blaster card I can find?
b
Click to expand...

ESS 1868's used to be pretty easy to configure/setup and there's probably a ton of them still around. But if you have ISA S/B's available, then there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to use that. Speakers themselves make a big difference in the quality of the sound...don't scrimp on those either.
 
Sorry, I need to remember that most people don't have a 486 with a PCI bus.
Is is possible to relocate a post?
 
virtualbox.org said:
Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Solaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4, 2.6, 3.x and 4.x), Solaris and OpenSolaris, OS/2, and OpenBSD.
Click to expand...

So I take it that you don't have one of the above?

I run Microsoft Unix under VB periodically, as well as other legacy operating systems on x64 Linux, but VB comes in Windows flavors as well.

For Windows 3.1 see this (or other) video Alternatively, if you'd prefer to read, try this.

You can use all manner of modern equipment (doesn't even have to be x86-based). VB will emulate the legacy hardware.
 
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(This section says 386/486 class systems)
To me, all newer x86 compatible boards are 386 clones and of the 386 class.
The link I posted is for the newer 386 clones.

Thank you for your help Chuck(G).
I have not tested the drivers under VirtualBox.
Could you do me the favor?

I've lots of older equipment to test and not so much of the newer.
If your 386 clone happens have an AMD,Intel or NVIDA chipset it might have the hardware that these drivers were designed for.
 
Although very few people use windows 3.1 at all,
I have been playing with it on some newer hardware.
Click to expand...

I think perhaps we have a mis-communication. "Newer hardware" to me says "Core i5"-type hardware. If you're talking about newer old hardware, such as P1, then I can't help out. I do remember running WFWG 3.11 on a P1 system back in the day, however, but that was, what?, 20 years ago.
 
Newer old hardware?... or older new hardware...? :confused:
Chuck(G), I am Sorry to hear that you can not help. :(

There are drivers to be tested on both older and newer hardware.
ENS1371 you might find in a 486 or pentium PC.
AC'97 you might class with a Pentium 3 or 4 .
High definition Audio you might find with a Core i7.
http://turkeys4me.byethost4.com/programs/index.htm

Well... If you don't have that sort of hardware.
How about a Windows 3.1 USB sound card driver?
http://turkeys4me.byethost4.com/USBAUDIO.zip

I am sorry to have missed your class of computer.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by "my class of computer". I have 5160, 5170, 386, 486, P1, P2, P3, P4, various AMDs, etc. I have DDKs for most versions of Windows past 3.0 if you want to roll your own.

My problem is that you haven't explained exactly what you're trying to do.

Exactly what hardware are you trying to install Win 3. on? VirtualBox will run on relatively modern hardware where the processor has the necessary virtualization features.
 
Chuck(G), That sounds like a great collection of hardware.
I'm glad to hear that you still have a brick and mortar collection.
Thank you for your help and generous offers.

Although I do enjoy programming, I don't smoke or play DND.
If the links which I provided are working, they should explain everything.

After taking the time to write a some drivers for my computers,
I thought I might share them with others who are fluent in DOS/windows 3.1.

Perhaps you could give me your expert opinion on my drivers and their source code.

I also enjoy reading source code.
Are you on a roll?
 
Chuck(G) said:
I have DDKs for most versions of Windows past 3.0 if you want to roll your own..
Click to expand...

I think DDK refers to Driver Development Kit, not dungeons and dragons.

Also I am guessing rolling your own is synonymous with writing your own drivers; although I could be wrong.... :D
 
"Rolling your own" = the act of desperation = writing your own device drivers. Not too awful in Win 3.1--a little more complicated in NT.

DDK = Driver Development Kit. I'm not a gamer, so DND is unknown to me. I did port "Adventure" from a DECsystem 20 back in the day, but that was over 40 years ago.

So, I'm probably not the best one to answer this one. :)
 
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