Running Windows 3.x on a SCSI hard disk.

[ppgrainbow]

Hello. Under VMware Player 2.5.5, I've been running into problems trying to run Windows 3.0 or Windows 3.1x on a BusLogic or a LSILogic SCSI adapter with a SCSI virtual hard disk of less than 2 GB.

In one of the VMs that I'm running. Windows 3.0 is currently installed on a 1,000 MB SCSI hard disk with a BusLogic SCSI controller with 16 MB of system RAM. When running Windows 3.0 in 386 Enhanced Mode, attempting to click on the one of the icons in Program Manager throws this error message:

UNRECOVERABLE APPLICATION ERROR

Terminating current application.

After clicking on OK, I get kicked out of Windows 3.0 and into the MS-DOS prompt.

In a MS-DOS 6.22 VM, I'm currently emulating four 2,000 MB SCSI hard disks (8,000 MB total) with the virtual CD-ROM on the primary master with 64 MB of memory allocated. The problem here is that when I try to load a driver into high memory, this error message throws up:

Sector not found reading drive C

Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?

If I press A to abort the second time, this results in a fatal error message:

Memory allocation error

Cannot load COMMAND, system halted

To fix this, I had to press CTRL+ALT+Insert to reset. And when I attempted to run Windows for Workgroups 3.11 on a emulated SCSI hard disk, it will display the splash screen, but when it attempted to run, it just kicked me out and got thrown back to the C prompt. And in some cases, attempting to run WIN at the command prompt and the VMware Player will end up rebooting by itself.

The hard disks are running under the MS-DOS 6.22 VM use the LSILogic Virtual Host Adapter.

I'm sorry if this fails to make sense, but is there a way to fix this to make MS-DOS and Windows 3.x work properly with a SCSI hard drive under VMware?

Edited May 27, 2012 by ppgrainbow

[jaclaz]

Are you using the SCSI drivers?

http://communities.vmware.com/message/83153

Should be these ones:

ftp://pds.tcrc.edu.tw/Hardware/mylex/archive/fpdos302.exe

Earlier versions:

ftp://pds.tcrc.edu.tw/Hardware/mylex/archive/fpdos301.exe

ftp://pds.tcrc.edu.tw/Hardware/mylex/archive/fpdos201.exe

Other drivers (if needed):

http://www.scampers.org/steve/vmware/

jaclaz

[ppgrainbow]

Yes I am.

I will use the FPDOS 3.02, 3.01 and 2.01 drivers and report back verbosely.

Are there any VMWare LSILogic SCSI drivers for MS-DOS as well?

Edited May 27, 2012 by ppgrainbow

[jaclaz]

Are there any VMWare LSILogic SCSI drivers for MS-DOS as well?

Not that I know of, those ARE the LSILogic DOS drivers.

jaclaz

[ppgrainbow]

Okay, I loaded the BusLogic drivers in the MS-DOS 6.22 VM in the first two lines of the CONFIG.SYS by adding the following:

device=c:\buslogic\btdosm.sys

device=c:\buslogic\btmdisk.sys /d

And upon reboot, this is the output of what I got.

Interrupt 13h Re-directed through DOS Manager

Initalizing BTMDisk, BusLogic DOS Disk Driver Version: 4.60e

Copyright© 1993, 1994, 1995 Modular/Protected Mode Model

Adapter: 0, SCSI ID: 1, LUN: 0 => VMware, VMware Virtual S

Adapter: 0, SCSI ID: 2, LUN: 0 => VMware, VMware Virtual S

Adapter: 0, SCSI ID: 3, LUN: 0 => VMware, VMware Virtual S

Devices G: through I: added to the system configuration

BTMDISK MANAGER LOADED SUCCESSFULLY

Instead of having MS-DOS use drives C through F for the SCSI devices, drives G through I get added to the system configuration and I still get a Sector Not Found error message when loading the drivers in high memory using LH or LOADHIGH on boot in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Additionally, I added device=vtdapi.386 in the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 still doesn't even start at all..

How can I get this corrected?

Edited May 27, 2012 by ppgrainbow

[ppgrainbow]

Are there any VMWare LSILogic SCSI drivers for MS-DOS as well?

Not that I know of, those ARE the LSILogic DOS drivers.

jaclaz

Thanks for telling me, you might want to refer to my next reply that I made, because I'm still running into trouble getting the SCSI drivers to work properly under MS-DOS 6.22.

[jaclaz]

How can I get this corrected?

Cannot say specifically, but first thing, simplify your environment (have ONLY one SCSI disk connected).

Then, I cannot see why you don't follow (at least initially) "to the T" the contents of the README.TXT within the given fpdos302 archive.

Particularly WHY you did not set to load FLASHPT.SYS (which AFAICU is the "main" driver).

WHERE does the btdosm.sys come from (it is NOT in the referenced archive)?

Are you using "something else" form what was suggested?

jaclaz

[allen2]

Just a question out of curiosity: why using scsi drives ? As it is virtual drives you could use ide drives.

[ppgrainbow]

How can I get this corrected?

Cannot say specifically, but first thing, simplify your environment (have ONLY one SCSI disk connected).

Then, I cannot see why you don't follow (at least initially) "to the T" the contents of the README.TXT within the given fpdos302 archive.

Particularly WHY you did not set to load FLASHPT.SYS (which AFAICU is the "main" driver).

WHERE does the btdosm.sys come from (it is NOT in the referenced archive)?

Are you using "something else" form what was suggested?

jaclaz

Okay, I disabled the three other SCSI hard disk and get this output:

Interrupt 13h Re-directed through DOS Manager

Initalizing BTMDisk, BusLogic DOS Disk Driver Version: 4.60e

Copyright© 1993, 1994, 1995 Modular/Protected Mode Model

No devices to add to system configuration.

ERROR: BTMDISK MANAGER NOT LOADED

This means that if I disabled three other SCSI hard disk, this means that BusLogic failed to detect the first SCSI hard disk and upon typing WIN at the command prompt, the VM reboots.

And if I load the FLASHPT.SYS as the main driver, I get this output:

Interrupt 13h Re-directed through DOS Manager

Initalizing BTMDisk, BusLogic DOS Disk Driver Version: 4.60e

Copyright© 1993, 1994, 1995 Modular/Protected Mode Model

SCANNING ADAPTERS AND DEVICES...

ERROR: SCSI MANAGER FAILED TO LOAD

I don't know where I got the BTDOSM.SYS but it appearently was required to load removable devices and the virtual hard disks are not removable.

[ppgrainbow]

Just a question out of curiosity: why using scsi drives ? As it is virtual drives you could use ide drives.

allen2, I'm trying to get the SCSI drives to work under MS-DOS and Windows 3.x. The SCSI drives did work under Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 though.

[jaclaz]

@ppgrainbow

We won't go very far this way.

FORGET (tempotrarily) about Windows 3.x, and let's see what happens with "pure" DOS.

HOW exactly are you loading the drivers?

The readme.txt suggests these two lines in config.sys:

DEVICE = C:\FLASHPNT\FLASHPT.SYS /D

DEVICE = C:\FLASHPNT\BTMDISK.SYS /D

are you using them? Or *something else*?

WHAT the heck do you mean "I don't know where I got the BTDOSM.SYS from?" did it matrialize by sheer magic on your hard disk and config.sys?

HOW MANY similar drivers "materialized from thin air" into your config.sys? (in other words, use the plainest possible config.sys when experimenting, disable each and every *other* driver/device in it )

jaclaz

[ppgrainbow]

I tried so hard to add these two lines that you mentioned in the config.sys and both the SCSI manager and the BTMDisk manage failed to load.

Verbose output from device=c:\buslogic\flashpnt.sys /d throws this error message:

SCANNING ADAPTERS AND DEVICES...

ERROR: SCSI MANAGER FAILED TO LOAD

Verbose output from device=c:\buslogic\btmdisk.sys /d:

--> ERROR: DOS ASPI MANAGER NOT LOADED

No devices detected to add to system configuration.

The only driver that worked is the BTDOSM.SYS driver which when using the /D displays verbose information regarding the SCSI disk.

I even REM'd out other drivers and drivers that are loaded with the LH command. Apparently, loading the drivers in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file with the LH (or LOADHIGH) command causes the Sector Not Found error message.

And even if I disabled each and every other device including the BusLogic SCSI drivers in the CONFIG.SYS, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 simply refuses to load. It just sends me back to the DOS prompt. I tried to do some research regarding running MS-DOS and Windows 3.x on a virtual SCSI hard disk under VMware, but it was simply no help.

In short using the BTDOSM.SYS worked under DOS, but Windows for Workgroups 3.11 still fails to load.

Gah, this is frustrating!

We will now have to find some workarounds to get WfW 3.11 working on a virtual SCSI hard disk somehow, otherwise, it would be no use.

[jaclaz]

Gah, this is frustrating!

You cannot imagine HOW MUCH it is for me.

An example of what your posts/reports are NOT like:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/problem-report-standard-litany.html

jaclaz

Edited May 27, 2012 by jaclaz

[ppgrainbow]

Gah, this is frustrating!

You cannot imagine HOW MUCH it is for me.

An example of what your posts/reports are NOT like:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/problem-report-standard-litany.html

jaclaz

I agree. It's really frustrating.

On the other hand, MS-DOS and Windows 3.x will work under Qemu 0.15.1 as it supports LSILogic SCSI, but you can't even boot from SCSI drives yet, because that feature is not even implemented yet.

[bphlpt]

@ppgrainbow, I know it is frustrating to both you and jaclaz, and I sympathize with your frustration and do not mean any offense, but I want you to understand that you are not helping. You are not cooperating. You are not following instructions. You are not providing complete information. How do you expect us to help you? Or do you just want to use this space as a blog to vent your frustrations? If you are not willing to do what is asked I do not know why anyone should bother to reply to you.

Jaclaz asked you:

Do NOT try to load Windows for Workgroups 3.11. ONLY try to boot to DOS.

Remove all but one singe SCSI drive.

Disable each and every *other* driver/device in config.sys.

HOW exactly are you loading the drivers?

The readme.txt suggests these two lines in config.sys:

DEVICE = C:\FLASHPNT\FLASHPT.SYS /D

DEVICE = C:\FLASHPNT\BTMDISK.SYS /D

are you using them? Or *something else*?

WHAT the heck do you mean "I don't know where I got the BTDOSM.SYS from?" did it matrialize by sheer magic on your hard disk and config.sys?

HOW MANY similar drivers "materialized from thin air" into your config.sys?

Please do and answer all the above, report in detail the results of your tests, attach or copy here your stripped down config.sys that you used so that we can get a better idea of what you are doing so that we can better help you. Good luck!

Cheers and Regards