gec@cscosl.ncsu.edu (Errol Casey) (07/04/90)
Summary of answers and collection of information from Intel's Bulletin
Board System about Windows 3.0 and the Intel/386 PC Inboard.
Bulletin from INTEL BBS:
========================
After extensive negotiations with Microsoft, it appears there isn't any
interest, on their part, to do an OEM version of Windows 3.0. They've just
put a huge effort into releasing the product, spending millions just for
publicity. At this point, there is nothing in it for them to create
another, special, version they'd have to support, especially one which
would probably sell only a few thousand copies.
When Windows 386 was the hottest new product we heard many demands for a
version of it for INBOARD 386/PC. After spending a large amount of money
to create that special version, which would exist in a PC/XT environment,
we sold only a few thousand copies resulting in a pretty big loss. Based
on this past performance, it's virtually impossible to go back to the
Business Managers and get that kind of funding, -even- if Microsoft were
willing.
It would take a very large demand from the customer base to generate enough
interest on the part of Microsoft to change their minds. Send us your
comments, addressed to:
Product Manager, INBOARD 386PC
Intel, PCEO
5200 NE Elam Young Parkway
Mailstop CO3-17
Hillsboro, OR 97124
We'll collect them and stay in communications with Microsoft, but can't be
very optimistic about the chances of getting it to happen. We greatly
appreciate your business and want to support you but it may not be possible
for us to meet this new challenge.
Intel/386 PC Inboard is supported by Desqview/386:
==================================================
>From: nghiem@ut-emx.UUCP (Alex Nghiem)
Subject: Re: Window 3.0: Intel Inboard/386
Date: 30 Jun 90 05:30:38 GMT
Reply-To: nghiem@emx.UUCP (Alex Nghiem)
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 34
In article <32421@ut-emx.UUCP> nghiem@emx.UUCP (Alex Nghiem) writes:
>In article <2915@gmdzi.UUCP> strobl@gmdzi.UUCP (Wolfgang Strobl) writes:
>>
>>No. Real mode is for 8088/86 or any of the other processors
>>in Real Address Mode.
>>Standard mode is running Windows applications in Protected Virtual
>>Address Mode of the 80286, 80386 and 80486 processors. Enhanced mode
>>uses the address mapping (paging) functions of 80386 and above and
>>runs non Windows applications in virtual 8086 mode.
>>
>>Wolfgang Strobl
>
>Ahh..., then owners of the Intel/386PC (me!) have a real gripe with Windows 3.0
>for it appears that Windows 3.0 can run on the Intel/386 PC only in !!8088!!
>mode!
After downloading and reading the technical notes on the Intel Inboard
386/PC, I discovered that Intel has tested Desqview/386 on the Intel Inboard
386/PC has found it COMPATIBLE with the Intel Inboard 386/PC. Intel
and Microsoft do not plan to release either Windows 3.0 or OS/2 for the
Intel 386/PC, although Intel says that the Intel 386/PC does have hardware
support for OS/2 (whatever that means!?!). Intel also advises against
using IBM DOS 4.0 with the Intel Inboard 386/PC because they say
that IBM did NOT adhere to Lotus/Intel/Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification
4.0 . They recommend the use of Microsoft DOS 4.01.
__________________________________________________________________________
This article is posted for discussion only. Any misrepresentation,
if any, is purely unintentional. Any opinion expressed or implicit in
these remarks are solely my own.
nghiem@emx.utexas.edu
!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!nghiem
nghiem@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!ccwf!nghiem
Various users have gotten the different modes of Windows 3.0 to work; below are some
messages I captured from the INTEL BBS.
First the three modes of Windows 3.0 are as follows:
real mode (/r) - 8088/8086 mode, runs Windows 3.x applications
standard mode (/s) - 80286 protected mode, used for running Windows 3.0 compatible applications
386 enhanced modes (/e) - usage of virtual memory (swap space on disk), virtual 8086s, multi-
tasking non-window applications as well as window applications.
Captured messages from INTEL BBS:
=================================
Msg#:12411 *INBOARD 386/PC*
06/16/90 23:33:16
From: TIM APPLEGATE
To: ALL
Subj: WINDOWS 3
IN RESPONSE TO ALL THE QUESTIONS ABOUT SYSTEMS WHICH SEEM TO RUN WINDOWS 3 IN
STANDARD MODE WITH NO PROBLEMS, I OFFER THE FOLLOWING: IBM PC/XT, INBOARD W/ 2
MEG PIGGY, ATI VGAWONDER, SEAGATE ST11R HD CONTROLLER, WD FOX 1002A-FOX FLOPPY
CONTROLLER CONFIG.SYS: FILES=40; BUFFERS=10; DEVICE=INBRDPC.SYS NODIAGS NOPAUSE
FDWAIT=12; DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS; DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.SYS 1024 256;
SHELL=C:\BOSS\COMMAND.COM /E:480 /P; DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS /D:2 AUTOEXEC.BAT: PATH
C:\; C:\BOSS; C:\WINDOWS; C:\TOOLBOOK; C:\DOS; C:\UTIL;
C:\WS6; C:\ NORTON; D:\SYM; D:\PBRUSH; D:\PZP; D:\WP51; D:\MYM;
ASTCLOCK; SET COMSPEC=C:\BOSS\COMMAND.COM; SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP;
MOUSE. That's all there is--the PATH statement takes up most of it. I didn't
have to do anything to win.ini or any other file to get Windows to run in
standard mode, so have nothing to offer in that regard. I tend to go along
with Paul's view that the big difference is in the peripherals one happens to
have. John Fallon and I have very similar hardware and we both have succeeded
in running standard mode. We both have the ATI VGAWonder and the ST11-R.
Incidentally, I have an AST 6-pak with all the memory disabled, which explains
the ASTCLOCK command. In connection with a question someone else asked, the
Inboard does work with other memory sources than the piggybacks. My daughter
runs an Inboard in an IBM PC-2 with an AST RamPage with two megs of expanded
memory. It is not LIM 4.0, but conforms to AST's EEMS protocol and will
multi-task under DESQview. Even for other uses, it works fine as available,
but relatively slow, expanded memory. Owners of AboveBoard which conforms only
to LIM 3.2 are not quite as lucky, as various previous messages indicate, but
they do have expanded memory available to programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 and
TimeLine 3.0. I hope all this is of some help to someone. At least it's the
simplest config.sys and autoexec.bat setup I've seen listed for standard mode.
Msg#:12550 *INBOARD 386/PC*
06/20/90 21:57:20
From: ANDRE BRANTOME
To: ALL
Subj: WINDOWS 3.0
For those of you who cannot get Windows 3.0 to work in standard mode, here is
what i have in my system that got it to work. I have a high density 1.2mg
controler, VGA monitor, and 2mg of memory. I did not have to modify the WIN.INI
file at all. The only problem I had was when I tried to install it. I had to
boot off a virgin DOS disk with no drivers except my Inboard 386/PC driver in
config.sys. Otherwise I kept on getting the message "Cannot write to
SYSTEM.INI delete file WINVER.EXE" after the second disk.After I finished setup
I used my regular config.sys that contained my mouse driver and file and buffer
statements and ran Windows in standard mode.
Msg#:12658 *INBOARD 386/PC*
06/25/90 10:52:17
From: DON TAYLOR
To: SYSOP (Rcvd)
Subj: WINDOWS 3.0
Paul, I have an IBM PC/XT with an inboard 386/PC and a 4 meg piggy back and it
will run windows 3.0 in win /s mode fine. It works a lot better if you set the
swap disk to a ram drive in your autoexec.bat. I haven't had it crash yet
except enhanced mode.
-Don P.S. Thanks for your previous reply.
I read on the INTEL BBS that one user claimed to have gotten Windows 3.0, to
run in enhanced mode but there was not a message posted explaining how
s/he did it.
I personally have ran Windows 3.0 in real mode and decided to stay with
Desqview/386 until Microsoft/Intel come up with a supported version of
Windows 3.0 for the INTEL 386/PC Inboard. (which can support all
versions real, standard, and enhanced 386).
Granville Errol Casey, Jr.
NCSU Computer Science Department
Email Addresses: gec@cscosl.ncsu.edu
gec%cscosl@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu