Go through the Windows 3.1 setup wizard to install Windows 3.1 in DOSBox. (If you named the folder something else, type that instead of install.)įinally, launch the Windows 3.1 setup wizard: Next, enter the folder containing your Windows 3.1 installation files: Switch to the C: drive by typing the following two characters and pressing Enter: (If you named the folder somewhere else or placed it at another location, type that location instead of c:dos.) At the DOS prompt, type the following command and press Enter to mount the folder you created as your C: drive in DOSBox: You can use Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 - whichever you have available. Windows 3.1 is still under Microsoft copyright, and can’t legally be downloaded from the web, although many websites do offer it for download and Microsoft no longer offers it for sale. Make a folder like “C:dos”, for example.Ĭreate a folder inside the “C:dos” folder - for example, “C:dosINSTALL” - and copy all the files from your Windows 3.1 floppy disks to that folder. Don’t use your actual C: drive on Windows for this. This folder will contain the contents of the “C:” drive you’ll provide to DOSBox.
RELATED: How to Make Old Programs Work on Windows 10įirst, you’ll need to create a folder on your computer. Windows 3.1 in DOSBox is an ideal combination for running old Windows 3.1-era applications. Windows 3.1 was actually just an application that ran on DOS, and DOSBox is an emulator designed to run DOS and DOS applications. This is particularly useful as only 32-bit versions of Windows can run those 16-bit applications.
Install Windows 3.1 in DOSBox to run old 16-bit Windows games on 64-bit versions of Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and anywhere else DOSBox runs. We need to install sound and video drivers to get the most out of the Windows 3.1 experience. At this point Windows should load successfully, but without sound. To launch Windows, type cd windows to change to the Windows directory, then type win to start Windows. Once the Windows 3.1 setup is complete, select Reboot, then start DOSBox again. This page provides a setup program that makes it easy to create a Windows 3.11 system that runs under DOSBox. 64-bit Windows can run software written for Windows 3.x only through the use of an emulator such as DOSBox. command to go up a directory.A DOSBox-based Windows 3.1 system. Use the dir command to list the contents of the current directory and the cd command, followed by the name of a directory, to change to a directory. Once you’ve got your game files mounted, you can type C: and press Enter to switch to DOSBox’s C: drive. Mount c D:\ -t cdrom Navigating Around and Running Applications For example, the following command takes the CD-ROM drive at D: on your computer and mounts it as the C: drive in DOSBox: Replace c:\games with the location of the games directory on your computer.Īdd the -t cdrom switch if you’re mounting a CD-ROM. This command mounts the C:\Games directory on your computer as the C: drive in DOSBox. In other words, the C: drive in DOSBox is completely separate from the C: drive on your computer. DOSBox’s environment is separate from your computer’s file system. (As readers have noted, you can also run a program by dragging and dropping its EXE file onto DOSBox’s application icon, so feel free to give that a try.)īefore you run a game, you’ll have to mount its directory.