Windows 3.x support...

[alex_farlie]

Hi,

Anyone here know (other than Ebay) where to obtain legal licenses for Windows 3.11?

Apparently Dosbox now has limited support for this anicent OS and I was wanting to test.

However, to do that I still need an appropriate license.

The alternative would be to find some mad hacker willing to write from scratch enough

of Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 to enable the old multimedia application I want to use

to run. This idea has merit, after all ReactOS is trying to implement NT.

HX DOS extender IIRC only supports PE type, not NE type used by Windows 3.11 ?

[idisjunction]

If it's a 3.1 app, it should run fine under 9x.

[thydreamwalker]

hi,try thee pages @<http://www.mywindowspage.com> and thee old dos references ;as these were a huge factor in running older aplications as 5.25disk games and win3.0-3.11,before i got me cd-rom back to running i was using jusy a floppy and older 5.25disk as my boot and system reliable input;stll i believe win3.1 is a better system than 95 ,if add calmira3.3:;thydreamwalker(p.s.always check @www.mdgx.com...too)

Edited January 15, 2008 by thydreamwalker

[alex_farlie]

hi,try thee pages <ABANDONWAREZ LINK REMOVED> and thee old dos references ;as these were a huge factor in running older aplications as 5.25disk games and win3.0-3.11,before i got me cd-rom back to running i was using jusy a floppy and older 5.25disk as my boot and system reliable input;stll i believe win3.1 is a better system than 95 ,if add calmira3.3:;thydreamwalker(p.s.always check @www.mdgx.com...too)

Sorry, First link useless, site claims to host 'abandonwarez' because of this it's not even worth further investigation.

I may even ask the mods here to put it on the blacklist, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

I will try searching around mqdx.com - That site I know to be reasonable

[Linh_My]

If it's a 3.1 app, it should run fine under 9x.

Back when I did tech suport for Compaq computers running Win95 and later Win98, a large number of my calls revolved around getting Win3.x programs working on Win9.x. At a recent VMware Symposia that I attended, one topic of discussion was VMware's ability to run business essentual DOS and Win3.x programs that could not be run in later operating systems including Win9.x

If it is a 3.1 app, it should run fine on a VMware, parallels or MS VirtualPC virtulised Win3.1 computer.

[benxhi]

Abandon Warez ?!?! its abandonware and it isn't illegal at all see abandonware takes the abandoned projects and puts them on the Net so that they wont be forgotten or used no offence please.

[idisjunction]

Abandon Warez ?!?! its abandonware and it isn't illegal at all see abandonware takes the abandoned projects and puts them on the Net so that they wont be forgotten or used no offence please.

Abandonware is software that is no longer sold or supported. That doesn't mean you are free to distribute or sell it. Should the company want to re-release it at some point, you would be taking from their profits.

[jaclaz]

If you have a Windows 95 or 98 (not sure about ME) you can re-build a minimal (Standard mode only) Win3.x, using some base files included in the Win9x release, alternative freeware, and freely available patches from MS.

It is NOT the "real" thing, but enough for some experiments.

Read these:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16754

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=623

jaclaz

[Kelsenellenelvian]

If you end up getting Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (the latest and most powerful of the 3.x series), please note that it will ask for a serial number during setup, but it does not actually require that you enter one.

Even some of the original 95 install setups did not require keys.

The main issue you have is getting the media.

Edited March 24, 2008 by Kelsenellenelvian

[tux linux]

Yes. Back in those days Microsoft cared less about software piracy and more about product uniqueness and registration.

A lot of those programs simply just took a "111-111-1111" format and worked by just entering ones as well.

As far as legalities go with Microsoft:

They don't care about you pirating Windows 98 and below. They no longer profit (or lose profit through pirating) off of these obsolete products. I HIGHLY doubt it will hurt them or anyone else if you didn't acquire a license to Windows 3.1.

[North of Watford]

Sorry, this isn't how to get a valid licence for Win 3.1; and I'm keeping my own for similar exercises in nostalgia. BUT is everyone aware of Gaby's site at http://www.gaby.de/win3x/eindex.htm? It has a great deal of freeware, and links to much more including the Calmira skin.

[jr2]

Hey, I ran across a DOS 7.10 release that claimed to be "free" .. is this true? I didn't think MS-DOS was ever "free". I can give a mod or admin the link if they want to check it out. (I think I still have it somewhere.) Personally, I consider it "abandonware", but I'm curious to know if it's actually free or not.

[jaclaz]

Hey, I ran across a DOS 7.10 release that claimed to be "free" .. is this true? I didn't think MS-DOS was ever "free". I can give a mod or admin the link if they want to check it out. (I think I still have it somewhere.) Personally, I consider it "abandonware", but I'm curious to know if it's actually free or not.

Rest assured, it is NOT.

Abandonware means, from a legal standpoint, NOTHING.

To be picky a product whose maker and copyright holder has defaulted and ceased activities AND did not sell the copyright to anyone else, can be considered "safe" as noone will ever sue you.

A product from a Company that is still alive (and well alive) like MS is, may present more risks of being sued.

Depending on the Laws that apply in your country, you may be prosecuted nonetheless by the Local Authorities, even without any copyright holder suing you.

But there are several "alternate" DOSes that are either freeware or free for personal use.

jaclaz

[bigjet]

Oh I could not resist replying to this thread. FREE! Definitely. I have a FREE copy of Windows 3.0 (and it says FREE copy on the disks.) Microsoft gave them away as promotional items. And when you bought a mouse, Logitech gave you a FREE full copy of Windows that had no serial number. The name on the disk is Logitech, not Microsoft.

best regards all

--bigjet

[darrelljon]

Hey, I ran across a DOS 7.10 release that claimed to be "free" .. is this true? I didn't think MS-DOS was ever "free". I can give a mod or admin the link if they want to check it out. (I think I still have it somewhere.) Personally, I consider it "abandonware", but I'm curious to know if it's actually free or not.

Rest assured, it is NOT.

Abandonware means, from a legal standpoint, NOTHING.

To be picky a product whose maker and copyright holder has defaulted and ceased activities AND did not sell the copyright to anyone else, can be considered "safe" as noone will ever sue you.

A product from a Company that is still alive (and well alive) like MS is, may present more risks of being sued.

Depending on the Laws that apply in your country, you may be prosecuted nonetheless by the Local Authorities, even without any copyright holder suing you.

But there are several "alternate" DOSes that are either freeware or free for personal use.

jaclaz

Actually, FreeDOS is not freeware, it is Free Software. Neither is it just free for personal use, it is free for commercial use or whatever.