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Windows 2.x

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Robert de Rooy edited this page Mar 23, 2023 · 7 revisions
Table of index (click to expand)

Introduction

Windows 2.x is a successor to Windows 1.x. It introduced the following new features:

  • Overlapping windows (Windows 1.x only supported tiled windows)
  • Minimization and maximization of windows.
  • Better keyboard shortcuts
  • Improved shell design
  • VGA graphics support
  • LIM EMS 4.0 memory support

The naming convention of Windows 2.x can be confusing.

  • Editions ending in /286 were marketed for 286 (AT) class computers
  • Editions ending in /386 were marketed for 386 class computers
  • Editions without either designation were primarily meant for 8086/8088 (XT) class computers

However, in reality /286 branded versions can also be used on 8086/8088 systems, as the only 286 specific addition was the bundled HIMEM.SYS driver to allow access to the High Memory Area (HMA) of 286 (or later) systems. In addition, it can also be used on 386 class systems, although without benefiting from the 386 CPU enhancements.

Likewise, the /386 branded versions can also be used on 8086/8088 or 286 systems, by starting Windows using WIN86.COM instead of WIN386.EXE. Although without benefiting from the 386 CPU specific enhancements.

NOTE: Although Windows 2.x can be installed in DOSBox, there is little practical use other than curiosity or historical research. Most early 16-bit Windows games and applications run just as well, or better, under the later Windows 3.1x.

Windows 2.01

Released on September 7, 1987 as Windows/386 2.01. It was an early release, specific to the then-new Compaq Deskpro 386.

The /386 suffix means it supports the protected mode of the 386 CPU, and allows DOS applications to run in "virtual 8086" mode.

When running SETUP to install Windows/386 2.01, it is recommended to select the following options for use with DOSBox:

  • Press ENTER to start the installation
  • Confirm to install to C:\WIN386
  • Select "COMPAQ 80386-Based Personal computers"
  • Select "VGA 640x480"
  • Select a keyboard layout from the list
  • Select "Microsoft Bus or Serial Mouse"
  • Confirm selection with "No Change"
  • When asked about a printer, select "Continue Setup"
  • Select appropriate country settings

Windows 2.03

Release on November 16, 1987 as two editions Windows 2.03 (without /286 suffix) and Windows/386 2.03

Adds more drivers, and supports the IBM PC and compatibles. This is the first Windows 2.x release to support PS/2 mice.

When running SETUP to install Windows 2.03, it is recommended to select the following options for use with DOSBox:

  • Select "Install on a hard disk"
  • Confirm to install to C:\WINDOWS
  • Select "IBM Personal System/2 Model 50, 60 or 80"
  • Select "IBM (or 100% compatible) VGA (Video Graphics Array)"
  • Select a keyboard layout from the list
  • Select "Microsoft Mouse connected to PS/2 Mouse Port" (or "IBM Personal Systems/2 Mouse")
  • Confirm selection with "No Change"
  • When asked about a printer, select "Continue Setup"
  • Select appropriate country settings
  • Select "Finish Setup"

When running SETUP to install Windows/386 2.03, it is recommended to select the following options for use with DOSBox:

  • Select "Install on a hard disk"
  • Confirm to install to C:\WIN386
  • Select "IBM Personal System/2 Model 80"
  • Select "VGA Video Graphics Array 640x480"
  • Select a keyboard layout from the list
  • Select "Microsoft Mouse connected to PS/2 Mouse Port" (or "IBM Personal Systems/2 Mouse")
  • Confirm selection with "No Change"
  • When asked about a printer, select "Continue Setup"
  • Select appropriate country settings
  • Select "Finish Setup"

Windows 2.1x

Windows 2.10 was released on May 27, 1988 as two editions: Windows/286 2.10 and Windows/386 2.10. Support was added for HMA (High Memory Area), via the included HIMEM.SYS driver, which requires at least a 286 CPU.

Windows 2.11 was released on March 13, 1989 as two editions: Windows/286 2.11 and Windows/386 2.11. It contains some minor changes to memory management, AppleTalk support, and faster printing with updated printer drivers.

When running SETUP to install Windows/286 2.1x, it is recommended to select the following options:

  • Select "Continue Setup"
  • Confirm to install to C:\WINDOWS
  • Select "IBM Personal System/2 Model 50, 60 or 80"
  • Optionally adjust keyboard, otherwise confirm selection with "No Change"
  • For running from the DOSBox shell, select "No extended memory"
  • When asked about a printer, select "Continue Setup"
  • Select appropriate country settings
  • Select "Finish Setup"
  • Select "No modification to AUTOEXEC.BAT"
  • Select "Continue without running Memset"

When running SETUP to install Windows/386 2.1x, it is recommended to select the following options:

  • Select "Continue Setup"
  • Confirm to install to C:\WIN386
  • Select "IBM Personal System/2 Model 80"
  • Optionally adjust keyboard, otherwise confirm selection with "No Change"
  • When asked about a printer, select "Continue Setup"
  • Select appropriate country settings
  • Select "No modification to AUTOEXEC.BAT"
  • Select "Continue without running Memset"

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DOSBox config

Here is an example dosbox config for use with Windows 2.x. Save this as dosbox.conf in the root of the directory where you will install Windows 2.x. Make sure to adjust the MOUNT path for the C: drive to a suitable location for your host system.

[dos]
ver=4.0
ems=false
xms=false
umb=false
expand_shell_variable=true

[dosbox]
memsize=16

[autoexec]
@ECHO OFF
MOUNT C /home/myuser/winroot
C:
IF EXIST C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM     GOTO WINDOWS
IF EXIST C:\WIN386\HIMEM.SYS    GOTO WIN386
IF EXIST C:\WIN386\CVTPAINT.EXE GOTO WIN386
IF EXIST C:\WIN386\WIN86.COM    GOTO WIN386.201
ECHO No Windows installation found
GOTO END

:WINDOWS
ECHO Starting Windows 2.x
SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WINDOWS;
C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM
GOTO END

:WIN386.201
ECHO Starting Windows/386 2.01 in 8086 mode with serial mouse
CONFIG -SET SERIAL SERIAL1=mouse
SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WIN386
C:\WIN386\WIN86.COM
GOTO END

:WIN386
ECHO Starting Windows/386 2.x in 8086 mode with PS/2 mouse
SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WIN386
C:\WIN386\WIN86.COM
GOTO END

:END

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Installation

The installation steps provided are for installing Windows 2.x in a folder mount. It is also possible to boot real DOS in DOSBox and run Windows 2.x from there, but this is not covered by these instructions.

Start DOSBox with the above config file, and mount the DOSBox virtual C: drive to a folder:

e.g. to mount the current host directory (.) as the virtual DOSBox C: drive, and make it the current drive:

MOUNT C .
C:

Windows 2.x shipped on four to ten floppy disks, depending on edition and media type. It is possible to mount them all and swap between them with the CTRL-F4 hot-key when prompted by the Windows installer to swap the disk. But this is a laborious process, and DOSBox provides no feedback that the disk has been swapped or which disk is the current one (other then looking at the LOG output).

If you want to use this process, it is recommended to use high-density media types such as 1.2MB disk images.

e.g., when using a 4 disk version:

IMGMOUNT A DISK01.IMG DISK02.IMG DISK03.IMG DISK04.IMG
A:
SETUP

Another way is to extract the contents of all the disk images and place it in a single folder, such as INSTALL. This is also useful if in the future you ever need to re-install Windows 2.x. You can use any program that can open the disk image files to extract them, including DOSBox itself!

e.g., from DOSBox when using a 4 disk version:

MKDIR INSTALL
IMGMOUNT -T FLOPPY A DISK01.IMG
COPY A:\*.* C:\INSTALL
IMGMOUNT -U A
IMGMOUNT -T FLOPPY A DISK02.IMG
COPY A:\*.* C:\INSTALL
IMGMOUNT -U A
IMGMOUNT -T FLOPPY A DISK03.IMG
COPY A:\*.* C:\INSTALL
IMGMOUNT -U A
IMGMOUNT -T FLOPPY A DISK04.IMG
COPY A:\*.* C:\INSTALL
IMGMOUNT -U A

What you are doing here, in order is

  1. create an INSTALL directory
  2. mount a floppy disk image on the DOSBox virtual A: drive
  3. copy the contents of the floppy disk to the INSTALL folder
  4. unmount the floppy disk
  5. repeat steps 2-4 until all disks have been copied.

After this, you can start the Windows installation simply from the C:\INSTALL folder, and the installer will not prompt for disk changes.

CD INSTALL
SETUP

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Video

By default, the best possible video option for Windows 2.x is VGA 640x480 in 16 colours.

While there are no Windows 2.x drivers for any of SVGA adapters that DOSBox Staging emulates, there is a patch available that can convert the Windows 2.x VGA or EGA driver to VESA 800x600 in 16 colours.

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Mouse

Windows 2.x does not use the DOS mouse driver that DOSBox provides. Instead it uses its own mouse driver, which must be selected during Windows SETUP. This has the effect that by default you will need to click in the DOSBox window to lock the mouse to the window area.

It is possible to set DOSBox Staging to seamless mouse mode regardless, but this can cause some issues with the mouse cursor positioning, especially around the window borders. To enable this, add the following lines to your DOSBox config file:

[mouse]
mouse_capture=seamless

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Printing

DOSBox-Staging has no support for emulating a printer, or even for emulating a parallel printer port. As such you cannot print directly from Windows 2.x to a real printer.

Also the work-around available in later Windows versions to print to a file does not appear to be supported by Windows 2.x.

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Known issues

Running Windows 2.x SETUP

Some versions of SETUP seems to have a bug, where even if all installation files are on the HDD in a folder (e.g., C:\INSTALL), the installation will fail to find the files from for instance, the "Microsoft Windows Write and VM-Control Disk", and will ask for the disk to be inserted. The work-around here is to use something like SUBST A C:\INSTALL to make the installation directory contents available on the A: drive.

Running Windows 2.x from DOSBox Staging

  • Windows/386 2.x versions can only be run in 8086 mode. This means launching Windows using win86.com. Trying to use win386.exe will result in an "Error: Unsupported DOS version" message.
  • Windows 2.1x versions support HMA, but this does not work as the HMA area is already in use. DOSBox Staging does not support the DOS=LOW config.sys option to allow Windows 2.1x to use the HMA.
  • Windows/386 2.1x versions will complain on Windows startup that the memory configuration has been altered. You will have to confirm this each time by clicking OK.

These issues can be resolved by booting real DOS in DOSBox Staging.

Running Windows 2.x from real DOS

  • Windows 2.x will refuse to run from DOS 5.0 or later. When using such a DOS version, it is necessary to load SETVER to allow Windows 2.x to run.
  • Windows 2.1x versions support HMA, but when using DOS 5.0 or later with the HIMEM.SYS driver from DOS, the HMA area is already in use. To allow Windows 2.1x to use the HMA, add the setting DOS=LOW to config.sys.

Resources

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Website · Discord · Reddit · Latest stable binary releases for Linux, Windows or macOS · Unstable development snapshots also available for testing

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