Operating Systems and Software Abandonware Archive

Friday 14 February 2020

Windows NT 3.1 Installation and Configuration on Oracle VirtualBox

Installing Windows NT 3.1 on a Virtual Machine using Oracle VirtualBox can be hard due to uncompatibility and lack of drivers. I made this video explaining how to avoid the error messaage Setup cannot install on the current processor. Cannot proceed with install. and get Windows NT 3.1 running with all drivers including display to get full experience.

Those are the settings I used on the virtual machine:

System > Acceleration tab > Deactivate the VT-x/AMD-V and Nested Paging
Storage > Add SCSI controller with BusLogic as the type, then attach an optical drive and mount the installation ISO
Storage > Mount the bootdisk floppy image
Storage > Remove the optical drive under the IDE controller
Audio > Audio Controller > Use SoundBlaster 16

On the INITIAL.INF part you'll have to change STF_PROCESSOR = "" ? $(!LIBHANDLE) GetProcessor to STF_PROCESSOR = "" ? $(ProcessorID_I586)

Downloads:

Windows NT 3.1 ISO and Bootdisk Image

MS-DOS 6.22 Bootdisk Image

Display Driver Disk

SP3 Update ISO

Windows NT 3.x

Windows NT 3.1 was the first of the Windows NT series. Sporting the same face as its consumer counterpart Windows 3.1, it was completely different under the hood. A true 32-bit native operating system, Windows NT descended from the work Microsoft did while collaborating with IBM on OS/2 after the great split, and bringing in former DEC employees like Dave Cutler, bringing a VMS influence into the system. It was followed up by Windows NT 4.0.

Downloads:

Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 Workstation (3.51.1057.1)

Thursday 6 February 2020

Windows 3.1

Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bit operating environments produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, released on April 6, 1992. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during April 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were released between 1992 and 1993 until the series was superseded by the Windows 9x series starting in 1995 with Windows 95. During its lifespan, Windows 3.1 introduced several enhancements to the still MS-DOS-based platform, including improved system stability, expanded support for multimedia, TrueType fonts, and workgroup networking.

Official support for Windows 3.1 ended on December 31, 2001. However, OEM licensing for Windows for Workgroups 3.11 on embedded systems continued to be available until November 1, 2008.

Downlaods:

Microsoft Windows 3.1 (3.10.103) (3.5) - Download

Windows 3.0

Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, released in 1990. Like its predecessors, it is not an operating system, but rather a graphical operating environment that runs on top of DOS. It features a new graphical user interface where applications are represented as clickable icons, as opposed to a list of file names seen in its predecessors. Later updates would expand the software's capabilities, one of which added multimedia support for sound recording and playback, as well as support for CD-ROMs.

Unlike the previous versions of Windows, Windows 3.0 performed well critically and commercially. Critics and users considered its graphical user interface to be a challenger to those of Apple Macintosh and Commodore.[2] Other praised features were the improved multitasking, customizability, and especially the utilitarian management of computer memory that troubled the users of Windows 3.0's predecessors. Microsoft was, however, criticized by third-party developers for the bundling of its separate software with the operating environment, which they viewed as anticompetitive. It sold 10 million licenses before it was succeeded by Windows 3.1 in 1992.

Downloads:
Microsoft Windows 3.0 (3.5-720K) 3.0 English x86 3½ Floppy 3.94MB
Microsoft Windows 3.0 (5.25-1.2MB) 3.0 English x86 5¼ Floppy 3.94MB

Windows 2.03

Windows 2 changes from Windows 1.x consist mainly of visual improvements. Windows 2 adds overlapping windows, menu keyboard shortcuts, VGA support, and other user interface changes influenced by IBM standards. Windows 2 is the last version that supports installation to a floppy disk, and to be available as an application run-time. Later editions of Windows 2 added support for 286 high memory, and running applications in a 386 VDM. The versioning is a little confusing. 2.x and 2.x/386 were released side-by-side. When it reached 2.1x, the regular 8088 version was renamed to Windows 2.1x/286. This is all unified in Windows 3.0.

For a brief time during the Windows 2.x era, Microsoft considered dropping Windows in favor of OS/2. After a fallout between Microsoft and IBM, development refocused on Windows 3.0 and what would become Windows NT.

Wanted: Supposedly, Microsoft had a beta program manager and file manager for Windows 2 downloadable from their BBS.

Downloads:

Microsoft Windows 2.03 (3.5-720k) 2.03 English x86 3½ Floppy 901KB - Download
Microsoft Windows 2.03 (5.25-360k) 2.03 English x86 5¼ Floppy 903.94KB - Download

Windows 1.0

Windows 1.0 is a graphical personal computer operating environment developed by Microsoft. Microsoft had worked with Apple Computer to develop applications for Apple's January 1984 original Macintosh, the first mass-produced personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) that enabled users to see user friendly icons on screen. Windows 1.0 was released on November 20, 1985, as the first version of the Microsoft Windows line. It runs as a graphical, 16-bit multi-tasking shell on top of an existing MS-DOS installation. It provides an environment which can run graphical programs designed for Windows, as well as existing MS-DOS software. Its development was spearheaded by the company founder Bill Gates after he saw a demonstration of a similar software suite known as Visi On at COMDEX.