Guide:Installing Windows 2.x
Back to the Microsoft Windows in DOSBox-X
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Windows/386 2.01 (OEM release)
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Only meant for Compaq 386 computers.
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Introduces 386 extensions (protected mode).
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LIM EMS 4.0 support.
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Supplies EMS emulation.
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Support for overlapping windows.
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Windows 2.03 and Windows/386 2.03
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Adds support for non-Compaq computers.
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Windows/286 2.10 and Windows/386 2.10
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Adds HIMEM.SYS support for HMA (High Memory Area).
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Windows/286 2.11 and Windows/386 2.11
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minor update to memory management.
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AppleTalk Support.
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Faster printing and updated printer drivers.
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Windows 2.x available as both Retail and OEM editions. A runtime edition was also included with some applications.
Naming of Windows 2.x versions can be confusing. Versions ending in /386 are meant for 386 class computers, while the Windows 2.03 release could also run on 8086/8088 and 286 class computers.
But with 2.10 they appended /286 to this version because HIMEM.SYS was included which requires at least a 286 class computer.
Despite the /286 or /386 suffixes, all versions could be run on older computers.
For the /286 editions this meant not using HIMEM.SYS, while for the /386 versions it meant starting windows with win86.com instead of win386.exe.
| Edition | Official Min. CPU | Actual Min. CPU | Min. DOS | HMA driver |
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Windows/386 2.01 |
386 |
8086/8088 |
3.10 |
No |
Windows 2.03 |
8086/8088 |
8086/8088 |
2.0 |
No |
Windows/386 2.03 |
386 |
8086/8088 |
3.10 |
No |
Windows/286 2.10 |
286 |
8086/8088 |
3.00 |
Yes |
Windows/386 2.10 |
386 |
8086/8088 |
3.10 |
Yes |
Windows/286 2.11 |
286 |
8086/8088 |
3.00 |
Yes |
Windows/386 2.11 |
386 |
8086/8088 |
3.10 |
Yes |
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At least 512KB RAM was required
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Officially requires a HDD
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Running Windows 2.03 requires at least DOS 2.0.
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Running a Windows/286 edition requires at least DOS 3.0.
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Running a Windows/386 edition requires at least DOS 3.1.
Windows 2.x has problems starting if the reported DOS version is 5.0 or higher. Therefore, it is necessary to set the reported DOS version to something like 4.0.
As Windows/386 2.01 was the first Windows 2.x release and meant only for Compaq 386 computers, it has a very small selection of drivers, and for instance no driver for a PS/2 mouse.
Therefore, if you want to run this version in DOSBox-X, you should enable serial1=serialmouse support.
If given the option during installation, do not select the "IBM Personal Systems/2 Mouse", as it seems to cause Windows to hang at the title screen. Instead select the "Microsoft Mouse connected to PS/2 Mouse Port".
Windows 2.1x will complain if the High Memory Area (HMA) is used.
This can be resolved by setting DOS=LOW in the [config] section of the DOSBox-X config file.
The Windows/386 editions install by default into C:\WIN386 instead of C:\WINDOWS as all other Windows versions normally do.
And the command to start Windows/386 is win386.exe, instead of the typical win.com of most other Windows versions at the time.
Windows/386 also has a win86.com executable, which is effectively a renamed win.com, and this makes it possible to run Windows/386 on 8086 and 286 computers.
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Important
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Unfortunately, at this moment only Windows 2.03 works in the integrated DOS that DOSBox-X provides. All other Windows/286 and Windows/386 editions need to be run from a real DOS in DOSBox-X. |
It is recommended that you create a custom DOSBox-X config file for running Windows 2.x
[sdl] autolock=true [dosbox] title=Windows 2.x [dos] ver=4.0 [serial] #uncomment if using Windows/386 2.01 which lacks PS/2 mouse support #serial1=serialmouse [parallel] parallel1=printer [printer] multipage=true timeout=5000 [render] scaler=none [config] # this prevents Windows 2.1x from complaining that HMA is in use dos=low [autoexec]
Copy the above config and save it as win2x.conf
This method will only work for Windows 2.03. It will not work for any other Windows 2.x version, including Windows/386 2.03.
For other Windows versions, please see Method 2 below.
The installation will be into a mounted folder, and Windows 2.03 will run from the integrated DOS that DOSBox-X provides. You can optionally install real DOS into DOSBox-X and install Windows 2.03 in that, but there is no known advantage to doing so.
Start by creating a directory on your system that you’re going to use (mount) as your Windows 2.03 C: drive. Valid examples:
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For Windows hosts
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C:\winroot
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C:\users\myuser\win2x
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For Linux hosts
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/home/myuser/winroot
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/home/myuser/windows/win2x
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Note: For Windows users, do NOT mount the root of your C: drive as the DOSBox-X C: drive! (e.g., MOUNT C C:\ should NOT be done)
Windows 2.x versions were shipped on floppies, requiring anywhere between 4 and 10 disks, depending on media-type and windows version. And while it is possible to install Windows 2.x from floppy images in DOSBox-X, the disk-swap process for this is rather tedious for substantial number of disks. As such it is highly recommended to make a directory such as "INSTALL" and copy the contents of ALL the diskettes into this directory. This way there is no need to swap disks during the installation process.
There are several ways to extract the contents of disk images, such as 7zip on Windows or "Disk Image Mounter" on Linux. In this example, DOSBox-X itself is used to mount a disk image, copy its contents into a folder, unmount the disk image and do the next.
MOUNT C /home/myuser/winroot C: MD INSTALL IMGMOUNT A DISK01.IMG -U XCOPY A:\. C:\INSTALL /S /Y IMGMOUNT A DISK02.IMG -U XCOPY A:\. C:\INSTALL /S /Y IMGMOUNT A DISK03.IMG -U XCOPY A:\. C:\INSTALL /S /Y IMGMOUNT A DISK04.IMG -U XCOPY A:\. C:\INSTALL /S /Y IMGMOUNT A DISK05.IMG -U XCOPY A:\. C:\INSTALL /S /Y IMGMOUNT A -U
Your new INSTALL directory now holds the contents of all 5 disks in this example.
You’re now ready to start DOSBox-X from the command-line, using the newly created win2x.conf config file.
This assumes that the dosbox-x program is in your path and win2x.conf is in your current directory.
dosbox-x -conf win2x.conf
You now need to mount your new folder as the C: drive in DOSBox-X and start the installation.
MOUNT C /home/myuser/winroot C: CD INSTALL SETUP
Adjust the path for mounting the C: drive as needed.
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Note
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If your path has spaces in it, you need to enclose it in quotes. e.g., MOUNT C "C:\Users\John Doe\winroot"
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The Windows installation will now take place. See the Windows 2.x setup program section below.
This method is needed for most Windows 2.x versions and requires that you create a DOS HDD image.
But it brings with it a bit of added inconvenience. For instance, you will need to do your own DOS memory management and load DOS drivers for CD-ROM access. You can also not mount a host directory in DOSBox-X when you boot a disk image. Even host directories that you mounted prior to booting the disk image will become unavailable. Everything needs to be done using IMAGE files.
The first step is to create a DOS HDD image, for which you can follow the PC DOS and MS-DOS Installation Guide. It is recommended to use at least DOS 3.1, as it is compatible with all Windows 2.x releases. When using DOS 5.0 or higher however, it will be necessary to use SETVER to make Windows 2.x think your using and older DOS version like 4.0.
Once you have a DOS HDD image, temporarily mount it in DOSBox-X to transfer your INSTALL folder into your DOS HDD image, together with any drivers and add-ons you might need (preferably already unzipped, such that you don’t need to do that in DOS or Windows 3.x, as they lack support for that by default).
Something like:
IMGMOUNT C hdd.img MOUNT D . XCOPY D:\INSTALL C:\INSTALL /I /S XCOPY D:\DRIVERS C:\DRIVERS /I /S XCOPY D:\ADDONS C:\ADDONS /I /S EXIT
Adjust paths in the above example as needed.
Now edit your win2x.conf config file and in the [autoexec] section at the end, add the following lines:
IMGMOUNT C hdd.img BOOT C:
Now start DOSBox-X with your win2x.conf config file from the command-line:
dosbox-x -conf win2x.conf
It should boot to the C: prompt, and you can start the installation process.
CD INSTALL SETUP
After the installation is finished, you can install your drivers and add-ons.
The setup program will ask several question relating to mouse, display, keyboard, region and printer.
Note: the below screenshots are from the retail Windows 2.03 release, other releases can vary. In particular, OEM or Runtime versions may have a different number of disks and present other options.
Simply press Enter to continue as prompted.
Installation drive
This screen is only shown on Windows 2.03. Later versions require a harddisk.
Confirm you want to install onto the hard disk (H) by pressing Enter.
Installation directory
You can optionally specify a different directory to install into.
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Windows 2.03 and Windows/386 2.1x will propose to install into
C:\WINDOWS. -
Windows/386 2.x will propose to install into
C:\WIN386.
Simply press Enter when ready.
Computer Type
The options offered on this screen will vary depending on the version, and edition (retail, OEM).
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For Windows 2.03 select the "IBM Personal System/2 Model 50, 60 or 80" option or alternatively "IBM PC, XT, AT (or 100% compatible)".
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For Windows/286 2.1x select the "IBM Personal System/2 Model 50, 60 or 80" option or alternatively "IBM AT (or 100% compatible)".
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For Windows/386 2.x select the "IBM Personal System/2 Model 80".
It does not seem to matter which you choose; the only difference appears to be the order that video and mouse options are presented on the following screens.
Graphics Adapter selection
Select "IBM (or 100% compatible) VGA (Video Graphics Array)" and press Enter.
Note: depending on the edition, this choice may be labelled slightly differently.
Keyboard selection
Select your keyboard layout, and press Enter.
Mouse selection
Select "Microsoft Mouse connected to PS/2 Mouse Port" and press Enter to continue.
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Note
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Do not use the IBM Personal Systems/2 Mouse option, as it seems to cause Windows to hang at the title screen. |
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Note
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If installing Windows/386 2.01, you will need to select the Microsoft serial mouse instead and activate serial mouse support in your dosbox-x config file. |
Installation confirmation
Confirm that the settings are correct by selecting "No Change", and pressing Enter, and windows will start the first part of the installation process.
Extended Memory Setting
Starting with Windows 2.10 the following screen will be presented.
Simply confirm by pressing Enter that you want EMS to be available.
Printer setup
SETUP now asks if you want to setup a printer. You can press enter to confirm, or select Continue Setup to bypass printer setup.
Printer setup - select model
If you indicated wanting to setup a printer, SETUP now asks you which model.
For this guide, scroll to the "Epson LQ-800 [Epson LQ 2]", and press Enter.
Later releases may have more options, such as a "Generic / Text Only" printer which can also be used.
Printer setup - port select
If you indicated wanting to setup a printer, SETUP now asks you which port the printer is connected to.
Select the "LPT1:" port and press Enter.
Printer setup - another printer
SETUP now asks if you want to setup another printer.
Select the "Continue Setup" option by pressing Enter to continue without setting up another printer.
You can always change the installed printers afterwards by running CONTROL.EXE from within Windows.
Country selection You will be asked for a country for regional settings.
Select a country from the list, and press Enter.
View Readme files
You can now optionally view the README files. Select "F" and press Enter when ready.
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If your following Method 1, you can simply press Enter.
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If your using disk images to install Windows, you must now swap the disk using the menu item "DOS" followed by "Swap floppy". And then press enter.
SETUP completed
The setup program is now finished, and you’re ready to start Windows 2.x.
But first type EXIT to close DOSBox-X.
And then edit your win2x.conf config file and add the following lines into the [autoexec] section at the end of the file:
MOUNT C /home/myuser/winroot C: IF EXIST C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM GOTO WINDOWS IF EXIST C:\WIN386\WIN386.EXE GOTO WIN386 GOTO END :WINDOWS SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WINDOWS; C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM GOTO END :WIN386 SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WIN386 C:\WIN386\WIN386.EXE GOTO END :END EXIT
Adjust the path for mounting the C: drive as needed.
If you don’t want DOSBox-X to close when exiting Windows 2.x, remove the EXIT command.
After the installation is finished, you can start Windows 2.x from the command-prompt with the following command:
You can optionally create a shortcut on your desktop to start Windows 2.x directly.
dosbox-x -conf win2x.conf
