MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1x

Be sure to read General Installation Instructions for All VMware Products and this section before installing this operating system.

Requirements for installing MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1.x:

•	A new configured virtual machine.

•	Full version of the Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 installation disks.

•	Windows 3.1x standard installation disks.

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CD-ROM drivers – by default the OAKCDROM.sys driver is provided with MS-DOS startup disks. You can also use other drivers that are available to you, for example AOATAPI.SYS, or else you can download drivers from the web. These drivers are typically loaded at system startup by making a series of entries in the C:\CONFIG.SYS and C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT machine files.

MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1x Installation

You can install MS-DOS 6.22 inside a virtual machine using the Microsoft full-version MS-DOS 6.22 installation disks. If you have the upgrade disks, you must install an earlier version of MS-DOS 6.22 before you upgrade.

 

Note The HIMEM.SYS file is included with MS-DOS and enables upper memory for MSCDEX.EXE.

VMware Workstation, VMware ACE, and GSX Server virtual machines support the networking features found in Windows 3.11 (or Windows for Workgroups). After installation, select the Advanced Micro Devices PCNET Family (NDIS2/NDIS3) Ethernet driver for the networking option.

The following articles provide information for configuring networking in a DOS 6.22 and Win 3.1x environment:

•	Load DOS Network drivers in virtual machine – http://communities.vmware.com/message/109168

•	Create a VMware Workstation Network Boot Disk – http://communities.vmware.com/message/38060

To install MS-DOS 6.22

1	Insert the MS-DOS disk into the disk drive.

2	Power on the virtual machine and begin installing MS-DOS.

3	After the installation is complete, reboot the guest.

The command prompt appears.

To complete the MS-DOS installation

1	Verify that the following files are installed in the root directory of the boot device:

MSCDEX.EXE, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and CONFIG.SYS file in C:\

2	Copy the OAKCDROM.SYS CD-ROM driver file to a disk.

3	Insert the disk with the driver file in the disk drive and connect it to the guest from the VM > Settings menu.

4	From the command prompt, copy the contents from drive A to drive C.

A:\OAKCDROM.SYS C:DOS\

5	Open and edit the MS-DOS AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Add the following line:

LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /l:D

6	Save the file and exit.

7	Open and edit the CONFIG.SYS file. Add the following lines:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001

LAST DRIVE=Z

8	Save the file and exit.

9	Restart the MS-DOS 6.22 virtual machine.

As the installation configures the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, the CD-ROM drive appears in the guest.

To install Windows 3.1x

1	Insert the Windows 3.1x Standard Installation Disks into the disk drive. and connect it to the guest from the VM > Settings menu.

2	Run the SETUP program and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

3	When the installation completes, restart the guest.

Post Installation Considerations for MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1x

After you install MS-DOS 6.22, VMware recommends that you install a CPU idle program within the virtual machine. Most versions of MS-DOS 6.22 do not idle the CPU when they are idle. As a result, when you run MS-DOS 6.22 in a virtual machine, the virtual machine takes up CPU time on the host even when MS-DOS 6.22 is idle. VMware products rely on the guest operating system to use the Halt instruction or advanced power management to unschedule the virtual machine when it is idle.

Run Windows 3.1x in full screen mode to avoid intermittent and erratic mouse behavior.

VMware Tools

No VMware Tools package exists for MS-DOS 6.22 or Windows 3.1x guest operating systems. As a result, Windows 3.1x is limited to VGA mode graphics, and you must always use the Ctrl+Alt key combination to release the mouse from a MS-DOS 6.22 or Windows 3.1x virtual machine.