Win3.1 Install: Bad Path to emm386.exe?

[Harry Potter]

Hi! I just installed Windows 3.1 on a DOS laptop via a network. I've had problems but killed all but one for now: a message stating that there was an error locating the EMM386.EXE file and the Enhanced mode of Windows can't run. I didn't know Win3.1 needed to reference the file. Now, the DOS laptop doesn't have a true hard drive and so has to use a Zip100 disk as a simulated hard drive. Also, the startup uses a start-up disk that loads the necessary start-up files, creates a RAM drive, copies some stuff there and later sets up the disk. I recently re-networked the computer to a Win98 computer. Now, what do I do about the missing file? It *is* also in the \DOS directory on the Zip100 disk. I looked through the WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files for the reference and didn't find it. I tried starting Windows with the start-up disk, and Windows doesn't load past the Windows logo. What's wrong?

[Sjouke Burry]

On 07.08.16 23:34, Harry Potter wrote:
> Hi! I just installed Windows 3.1 on a DOS laptop via a network. I've had problems but killed all but one for now: a message stating that there was an error locating the EMM386.EXE file and the Enhanced mode of Windows can't run. I didn't know Win3.1 needed to reference the file. Now, the DOS laptop doesn't have a true hard drive and so has to use a Zip100 disk as a simulated hard drive. Also, the startup uses a start-up disk that loads the necessary start-up files, creates a RAM drive, copies some stuff there and later sets up the disk. I recently re-networked the computer to a Win98 computer. Now, what do I do about the missing file? It *is* also in the \DOS directory on the Zip100 disk. I looked through the WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files for the reference and didn't find it. I tried starting Windows with the start-up disk, and Windows doesn't load past the Windows logo. What's wrong?
>

First you need a proper dos(I use dos 6.22).
then you need a config.sys.
my config.sys:
DEVICE=C:\dos\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS HIGHSCAN frame=d000
buffers=30
FILES=40
dos=HIGH,UMB
LASTDRIVE=m
FCBS=4,0
stacks=8,512
shell=c:\command.com /p /e:1024
rem DEVICEHIGH=C:\dos\RAMDRIVE.SYS 8000 512 256 /E
DEVICEHIGH=C:\dos\ANSI.SYS
rem ------------------------------------SOUNDBLASTER----------------
DEVICE=C:\SB32\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
DEVICE=C:\SB32\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\SB32\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:5 D:0 H:5
DEVICEHIGH=C:\SB32\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS
REM ------------------------------------cdrom------------------------
device=c:\hardware\cdrom\oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
rem -----------------------------------------------------------------
devicehigh=c:\windows\ifshlp.sys

So you see, that file has to be started in your config.sys,
and the path to that file has to be correct.
In my case in c:\dos.
Also note the last line is needed for some help function.

My win311 for workgroups is still running, even
sharing between two machines.

[JJ]

On Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:27:13 +0200, Sjouke Burry wrote:
> DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS HIGHSCAN frame=d000

The FRAME parameter is for the EMS frame buffer address. So IME, it's not
needed since NOEMS is specified.

> FCBS=4,0
> stacks=8,512

If you don't use database program, you can minimize those settings to:

FCBS=1,0
STACKS=0,0

> DEVICE=C:\SB32\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
> DEVICE=C:\SB32\CTCM\CTCM.EXE

Why load it twice? Typo?

[Harry Potter]

On Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 11:27:14 PM UTC-4, Sjouke Burry wrote:
> >
> First you need a proper dos(I use dos 6.22).

I have DOS 6.2. :)

> then you need a config.sys.
> my config.sys:
> DEVICE=C:\dos\HIMEM.SYS
> DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS HIGHSCAN frame=d000
> buffers=30
> FILES=40
> dos=HIGH,UMB
> LASTDRIVE=m
> FCBS=4,0
> stacks=8,512

Well...mine has a bad STACKS value. :( I *should* correct it, but that shouldn't be the problem.

BTW, maybe, when I am at the DOS laptop next, I can share my CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. :)

[Sjouke Burry]

That config.sys came from a backup disk....

It was some years ago, that I wrote that config.sys,
but the end result was about 600k free program space.
Current config.sys:

(let me check....) 629 kb free, 66mb xms memory.
Hm... Not bad.

Current listing:
device=c:\dos\himem.sys /TESTMEM:OFF
device=c:\dos\emm386.exe noems
dos=high,umb
country=031,,c:\dos\country.sys
buffers=40
FILES=40
stacks=8,256

shell=c:\command.com /p /e:1024

REM devicehigh=c:\dos\ramdrive.sys 8192 512 256 /e
devicehigh=c:\dos\ansi.sys
devicehigh=c:\sbcdrom\oakcdrom.sys /D:MSCD001
LASTDRIVE=Z
devicehigh=c:\windows\ifshlp.sys

Last line was to enable network connection between
computers in win3.11.
First line in autoexec.bat:

c:\windows\net start

[Sjouke Burry]

On 08.08.16 13:15, JJ wrote:

That last question:
I almost remember, that once in a while soundblaster startup
failed, and doing it twice solved that.

[Harry Potter]

Okay. Here are the system start-up files for my DOS laptop:

CONFIG.SYS
---------------------------------------
dos=high,umb
device=a:\himem.sys
devicehigh=a:\emm386.exe RAM HIGHSCAN I=b000-b7ff
devicehigh/l:2=a:\2m.sys
rem device=a:\2m.sys
devicehigh /l:2=a:\ramdrive.sys 10240 /e
device=a:\jam.sys /m=4

device=a:\jmount.com a:\jam.jam d: /m
rem devicehigh=a:\interlnk.exe /drives=3 /noprinter /lpt
DEVICEHIGH /l:1=D:\DOSQ\ASPIPPM1.SYS INFO QUIET FILE=NIBBLE.ILM
files=35
lastdrive=n:
stacks=12,1024
shell=a:\command.com /p /e:1024
---------------------------------------
AUTOEXEC.BAT
---------------------------------------
@echo off

c:
cd\
a:xcopy d:\jsize.com
a:jmount d: /d
a:xcopy a:\command.com
a:xcopy a:\jam.jam
a:xcopy a:gammados.ini

a:jsize jam +3072
a:jmount jam d:
set comspec=c:\command.com

lh /l:2 d:\guest\guest

d:
md \q
cd \q

set dircmd=/p/o
set path=c:\;d:\q;d:\

lh /l:2 d:\mouse\mouse
rem d:\mouse\mouse

set jamfloppy=e


lh /l:2 doskey/insert

h:\jam\jmount h:\default g:
h:\jam\jswap g: h:
path %path%;h:\dos;h:\cc65\bin;h:\vbdos;h:\sc083;h:\jam;h:\mel;h:\tc\bin;h:\dn
set cc65_inc=h:\cc65\include
set cc65_lib=h:\cc65\lib
set cc65_cfg=h:\cc65\cfg

d:
cd \q
a:xcopy h:\jam\*.com .
a:xcopy h:\rar\*.exe .

rar32 e g:\ramcont
jmax
c:
cd\

date
time
------------------------------
The WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files are available on request.

BTW, again, the start-up drive is the A: drive, as the system doesn't have a true hard drive.