DOSBOX-X and Windows 3.11 for Workgroup BUG #387. Vandenk opened this issue Dec 19, 2017 26 comments Comments. Copy link Quote reply vandenk commented Dec 19, 2017.

Windows 3.x was the first to gain significant development and commercial traction. It combined the 8086, 286, and 386 modes of Windows 2 in to one package. It replaced the MSDOS Executive with a Program Manager and File Manager similar to those in OS/2 1.x. Much of its success was spurred by the availability and success of Microsoft Office. Although Microsoft would have had you believe otherwise, Windows 3.x was the direct foundation for Chicago/Windows 95.

Windows for Workgroups 3.11 adds a 386-protected mode networking stack. It includes support for NetBUI and IPX protocols, numerous network cards, a client for accessing remote printers and files shares, and a print and file server. TCP/IP is available as a seperate add-on. The use of protected mode networking software frees up more of the conventional 640k for DOS programs, and simplifies configuration.

Windows 3.11a was a minor change released specifically to address a lawsuit over Stacker. Microsoft pulled compression functionality from a number of unrelated products including Windows for Workgroups, Excel, Powerpoint, Windows NT, Visual C++, and Fortran Powerstation.

The only difference between 3.11 for Workgoups and 3.11a for Workgroups is the REMOVAL of compression code in the Remote Access Server (RASMAC.38_ / RASMAC.386). More information can be found in Infoworld, March 7 1994.

What if, for historical reasons, you wanted to test early Windows internet software?

You would do well to run up DOSBox. Better still, the Megabuild version which includes an emulated NE2000 network card.

Then you install DOS and Windows 3.x. Not too difficult if you can find copies of the software.

What next? This is where I wasted a certain amount of time. I found this information:

Run ne2000.com 0x65 3 0x300 and winpkt 0x65 before starting Windows

I found ne2000.com from the above link, but where was winpkt? Eventually I found it in many-other-drivers.zip on crynwr.com.

I still was not up and running. Then it dawned on me that I needed WinPcap on the host PC for the NE2000 emulation to work.

Next, I took a look at the DOSBox configuration file, which for this build is dosbox-SVN_MB6.conf. Nothing will work until you edit this file, since you need to specify which real NIC DOSBox should use. By default it is set to “list”, which means you get a list of candidates when you start up DOSBox.

I use Windows 8 with Hyper-V virtual networking installed, which complicates matters. It was not obvious which NIC to use, since three of mine are distinguished in the list only by GUIDs. I got it right on the second attempt.

Now I was getting somewhere. I had already added the driver initialisation into autoexec.bat. I installed Trumpet winsock which is still for sale though you get 30 days trial. You just have to configure it. No DHCP but not too difficult:

Note that the values here are examples; yours will be different.

IP address: a valid, unused IP address on your internal network

DNS server: the same as used by the host PC

Microkorg xl review. Domain suffix: optional, your internal domain

Vector: this must match the first argument you gave to ne2000.com, without the 0x

Netmask: same as you use on the host PC Waves noise reduction.

Gateway: same as you use on the host PC

The other values I left at the default. Then you can try a ping to check that it works:

Happy retro computing!