19 replies to this topic

[asiekierka]

Oh yes.
It exists.
I'm doing it with help from wendy.
It will be something like Windows 95 rather than NT 3.51...
It is based on Windows 3.1 with 3.11 patch integrated.
Adding:
- Explorer (maybe, Win95 portion idea)
- Win32s (with patches found on the net, makes more software compatible)
- REVERSI! (lol, some more games now.)
- Better COMM.DRV
- Windows 3.11 patches
- Win95 look
- VESA 256-color driver
- Some logon tool (i doubt it will be done, but... who knows)
- Win32c (early Chicago) calls added (any programmer willing to do this?)
- More fonts
- Speedups
- OLE2

Done:
- Reversi
- Better Comm.drv
- Win3.11 patches (some of)
- OLE2
- Partly added VESA 256-color driver

[Brito]

I really like this idea!

[asiekierka]

Ok. More work done.

- Thanks to Nuno Brito, we will probably have a Windows 3.5-hosting server in some country where adding such stuff is legal.
- NO WIN32S. but i want your opinion.
- Moved to WfW 3.11
- Added TCP/IP stack and it's tools.
- Added WFW-specific fixes
- Added IE 2.0 (Maybe i will add 3.0 in 3.5.1 or 3.6)
- Added some misc tools.
- Deleted reversi, added Freecell instead. (and Hearts, but it is default in WfW 3.11)
- Added Z3DC for 3d-ish look of windows, and 95 color scheme added.

To do:
- Explorer (not really know whether to add it or not... Your opinion maybe?)
- Some logon tool
- Some TTFs (problem with setup, it can't install a TTF w/o a .FON, and i don't have .FONs...
- Some logon tool (still, i need your opinion on this too)
So now, the mandatory bugs actually:
- Setup renders SETUP.INF as broken, YET it installs.

The less mandatory bugs.
- Setup shows WfW 3.11 somewhere, but somewhere it shows "Windows 3.50" set up by me. (We need to edit WfW installer FILE for that.)

[Moon Goon]

Sounds like an interesting project!

For me, Win32s is a big plus. Many more applications would be available if Win32s were present.

I'd like to run this with long file name support and NTFS4DOS. With Win32s in place I could try to find a good file manager.

@wendy: That is true. But, at least for me, a practical use for Windows 3.5 would be to facilitate file backup and virus scanning for modern systems. Obviously not the point of such a project but as an alternative to BartPE it could have potential.

[wendy]

There is assorted LFN support around for Windows. The china-dos 7.1 project uses it, for example. But in the main, Windows 3.1 was never meant to run either LFN or 32-bit stuff.

[Ove]

This idea is cool
Are you building this OS from scratch by using system files from different OSes?
Or does it exist somewhere and it needs modifying to run from CD?
If so, can you post a link to it?

[asiekierka]

By using files from different OSes.
The base is Windows for Workgroups 3.11

BTW: I added IE 2 (plans on adding IE 3, the first GOOD version, instead)... added more wallpapers, and more stuff...
...

[MedEvil]

By using files from different OSes.
The base is Windows for Workgroups 3.11

BTW: I added IE 2 (plans on adding IE 3, the first GOOD version, instead)... added more wallpapers, and more stuff...
...

Upgrade a little further. IE 3.3 was the first with proxy settings, if i remember right.

[asiekierka]

If i'll find it... yes.

[M-ko]

This is definitely interesting, I've been tweaking around with 3.11 a bit myself (got a live cd, some other stuff, nothing real big)...it would be interesting to see 3.11 continued.

[asiekierka]

IMPORTANT NEWS:

Project.. is.... canceled.

I still have a HALF-working beta somewhere though... with some of features implemented.

I will work on individual patches though.
Like, i will make a WinBuilder project "WINDOWS 3.11 CUSTOMIZER" and you can select:

( ) Win32s
(X) Internet Explorer 3.3
( ) XP skin
(X) Calmira

and so on...
So, i AM getting to work!

[MedEvil]

IMPORTANT NEWS:

Project.. is.... canceled.

Why was it canceled? Sounded like an interesting project and for sure one that i would have loved to see.

[Brito]

How would the ISO be legally made available?

Why doesn't MS releases it as abandonware?

Surely we'd all have quite some fun with it..

Shall we start a petition?

[wendy]

In practice, it _could_ be done, and distributed, with "some assembly required".

Much of the process of making "new" versions of windows consists of editing one or more of the following files.

• SETUP.INF. This must be less than 64 KB. You can always remove obsolete network drivers and out-of-use video cards (like EGA). You can also fiddle around with the default groups here.
• WIN.SRC, SYSTEM.SRC and CONTROL.SRC: These become the INI files, and are subject to some editing, but setup will overwrite things. You can do things like replace the taskmanager and shell here, although replacing the shell is not reccomended.
• SETUP.REG: The registry first appeared with Word 2.x, (3.0 vintage), and is underused in Windows 3.1
• SETUP.SHH: Automatic setup. I rarely used it.
• CONTROL.INF: Printers + International settings. Here can one activate measurements if these are disabled.

I really struggle to see the point of trying to include things like "win32" etc here, because Windows 95 does a much better job of it. The actual process is documented in the Windows 3.1 resource kit.

In practice, it is much better to do an entirely different thing: a minimal windows install, to which one can add icons by batch file (shelldde).

I have spent a large measure of time doing just this sort of thing back in the 1990's, to some rather interesting results. The main target here was a six-diskette build of Windows 3.11, the result comes to seven disks.

SETUP.INF

[dialog] OS/2 for windows reads this, so if the resulting setup is to be used with OS/2, don't change this. Otherwise, no issues.

[data] Changing the size of upgrades etc, can be safely ignored. You can change both WIN.COM, and C:\WINDOWS here, along with the default keyboard. I only changed C:\WINDOWS here.

[winexec] leave this alone

[disks] You need to add extra lines for extra disks, along with the tag file. For testing, you could replace ". " with "..\disk1" etc

[windows] &c. These are copied for in text-mode setup.

[display] Same format as from the OEM diskette that comes with your display.

[v7vga] &c Copy from OEM diskette.

[VGA.3gr]&c Dos fonts. leave

[keyboard.drivers] You can remove obsolete bits and peices here.

[keyboard.tables] You can remove ones here, too.

[pointing devices] (mouse) ditto

[network] Leave at least nonet and msnet. The cdrom uses msnet.

You can kill off many of the sections, except [nonnet_stuff] and [msnet_stuff].

[sysfonts]&c leave

[win.copy] &c. Destination files. I think adding other sections here works also, but never tried.

[win.devices] DOS stuff.

[delfiles] Delete files. I would lead some here!

[win.apps] &c. These are the sections inside the dialog box of "add + remove components". I usually move the junk stuff to "Games", and the rest to "Apps". You can do things like add File Manager and Write here!

[win.bmps] I use the full set (in 3.10) here, along with a few others.

[new.groups]&c. Default program groups. Icon will be created if the selected item is installed.

[fonts] Non-ttf stuff.

[ttfonts] You can add more, but you need to create the .fot file, too. (install font into a standard Win31, and grab the fot file.

[compatibility]&c Leave.

[installable.drivers] You can add/remove things here. I add the speaker driver, and kill off some other drivers.

[blowaway]: read 'em and weep.

[ini.upd.31] I typically leave this, because it is used by the system, with win30 stuff. I don't know.

[MedEvil]

How would the ISO be legally made available?

Why doesn't MS releases it as abandonware?

Surely we'd all have quite some fun with it..

Shall we start a petition?

If it comes to hosting a Win3.11, i would be more afraid of jaclaz than M$!
Besides, building a new win3.11 isn't rocket sience, if someone gives you a tutorial. If one gets even some preconfigured files along with it, it becomes a simple building blocks game!
The nice part about win3.1 is, that it consists of few enough files to still be able to have an overview over the whole system.

[Brito]

I meant a fully legitimate authorization to use MS files on this case - but this would obviously bring back the old 16bit ghost from the past on a time when we see a big effort to pull onto the 64bit boat..

[asiekierka]

Oh my god... wow. Popular again, eh?

Ok. I'll first try to make something great. A custom-made minimal Windows 3.1 installer. First project is to make a really minimal Windows set and build an installer around it. Since Windows 3.1 can be ran from a floppy, it'll be centrainly possible to make an installer around it! Even PeepHole does something like this, but not exactly. So it's very easy to do. Just give me time.
Maybe i'll do an installer installing Windows 3.1 from itself, ran from a floppy!
Nuno, what are the differences between Delphi 6 or 7 and Delphi 1?

[TheHive]

Just letting you know that you wont see Nuno Around till his semester exams at the end of January - 5.
Please bump the thread at around that time.

http://www.boot-land...-out-t3656.html

[asiekierka]

Oh.
So who knows differences between Delphi 6/7/2005/2006/2007 and 1?

[MedEvil]

Maybe psc can help, he's a Delphi warrior too.