Windows 3.1x

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Windows 3.1x

A typical Windows 3.1x workspace
Website:	Microsoft Support Lifecycle
Company/ developer:	Microsoft
OS family:	Windows 3.x
Source model:	Closed source
Latest stable release:	Windows 3.11 / December 1993
Kernel type:	See article
License:	Microsoft EULA
Working state:	Unsupported as of December 31, 2001

The Windows 3.1x family of Microsoft Windows operating systems were released from 1992 to 1994, succeeding Windows 3.0. This family of Windows could run in either Standard or 386 Enhanced memory modes. The exception was Windows for Workgroups 3.11, which could only run in 386 Enhanced mode.

Contents 1 Windows 3.1 1.1 Base version 1.2 Versions with special font support 1.3 Windows 3.11 1.4 Modular Windows 2 Windows for Workgroups 2.1 Windows for Workgroups 3.1 2.2 Windows for Workgroups 3.11 2.3 Windows 3.2 3 Full OS or MS-DOS shell? 4 External links

[edit] Windows 3.1

[edit] Base version

Windows 3.1 (originally codenamed Janus, of which 2 betas were published), released on March 18, 1992, included a TrueType font system (and a set of highly legible fonts already installed) which effectively made Windows a serious desktop publishing platform for the first time. (Similar functionality was available for Windows 3.0 through the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) font system from Adobe.)

Windows 3.1 was designed to have a large degree of backward compatibility with older Windows platforms. As with Windows 3.0, version 3.1 had File Manager and Program Manager. But unlike all previous versions, Windows 3.1 and later supported 32-bit disk access, couldn't run in real mode, and included Minesweeper instead of Reversi.

[edit] Versions with special font support

A special version named Windows 3.1 for Central and Eastern Europe was released that allowed the use of Cyrillic and had fonts with diacritical marks, characteristic for the Central and Eastern European languages. Microsoft, which introduced its own codepage 'Windows-1250' is supporting its use due to violation of many countries ISO standards (official Polish codepage is ISO-8859-2 which is ignored, however supported by contemporary IE, by Microsoft). There was also Windows 3.1J with support for the Japanese language.

[edit] Windows 3.11

Microsoft also released an update for Windows 3.1 which (aside from installing new files) changed the Windows version displayed in "About" dialog boxes to 3.11. Thus, Windows 3.11 wasn't a standalone version of Windows, but rather an update from Windows 3.1, much like modern Windows service packs. For those who did not own Windows 3.1, full disk sets of Windows 3.11 were available.

[edit] Modular Windows

Modular Windows was a special version of Windows 3.1, designed to run on the Tandy Video Information System.

[edit] Windows for Workgroups

[edit] Windows for Workgroups 3.1

Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (originally codenamed Kato), released in October 1992, featured native networking support. Windows for Workgroups 3.1 is an extended version of Windows 3.1 which came with SMB file sharing support via the NetBEUI and/or IPX network protocols, included the Hearts card game, and introduced VSHARE.386, the Virtual Device Driver version of the SHARE.EXE Terminate and Stay Resident program.

[edit] Windows for Workgroups 3.11

Finally, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (originally codenamed Snowball) was released in December 1993. It supported 32-bit file access, full 32-bit network redirectors, and the VCACHE.386 file cache, shared between them. The standard execution mode of the Windows kernel was discontinued in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

A Winsock package was required to support TCP/IP networking in Windows 3.x. Usually third-party packages were used, but in August 1994 Microsoft released an add-on package (codenamed Wolverine) which provided limited TCP/IP support in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

Limited compatibility with the new 32-bit Windows API used by Windows NT was provided by another add-on package, Win32s. There is the rumor that Microsoft didn't want to increment any mainstream Windows 3.1x version to something like "Windows 3.2" because it could be scrambled with the Win32 API or otherwise distract consumers from upgrading to some 'real 32 bit OS' like the upcoming Windows 95 might be. In fact, only for the limited Chinese market did Microsoft release a true Windows for Workgroups 3.2 version (see below).

Windows 3.x was eventually superseded by Windows 95, Windows 98, and later versions which integrated the MS-DOS and Windows components into a single product.

[edit] Windows 3.2

For the Chinese market Microsoft released a Simplified Chinese version of Windows for Workgroups; the updated system identified itself as Windows 3.2. The update was limited to this language version, as it fixed only issues related to the complex writing system of the Chinese language. [1]

Windows 3.2 was generally sold by computer manufacturers with a ten disk version of MS-DOS that also had Simplified Chinese characters in basic output and some translated utilities.

[edit] Full OS or MS-DOS shell?

Windows 3.x requires pre-installation of MS-DOS, which must be booted on PC startup. Windows is started as an application program, and can be terminated at any time, returning the user to the MS-DOS prompt. MS-DOS also provides device drivers for certain tasks such as CD-ROM or network access, specifically remote disk drive or remote printer access; these drivers run in real mode. In 386 enhanced mode of Windows for Workgroups, the networking drivers are running in protected mode. Windows requires specifically written applications, and has a specific on-disk file format, which is much more complicated than the format of MS-DOS executables. It has many of its own device drivers and for the most part its own memory management system.

Other considerations include the fact that MS-DOS does not isolate applications from the hardware and does not protect itself from applications. The memory-resident part of MS-DOS is akin to a library of routines for dealing with disk-type peripherals and loading applications from them; an MS-DOS program is free to do whatever it desires, notably replacing or bypassing part or all of MS-DOS code, temporarily or permanently. Windows took advantage of this, and the degree to which bypassing was performed increased with every new release. Windows 3.1 and its 32-bit Disk Access superseded the BIOS code for accessing disks, while 32-bit File Access of Windows for Workgroups 3.11 bypassed the native MS-DOS code for accessing files. This opened the way for Windows 95's support for long file names, which made DOS file code and related 8.3 utilities obsolete.

Furthermore, an MS-DOS program running in the Windows environment could take advantage of those features of Windows which were natively unsupported by DOS. An MS-DOS program running on Windows for Workgroups 3.11 would automatically use 32-bit File Access rather than the native MS-DOS file and disk access routines. Similarly, a specially written MS-DOS program running on Windows 95 can access long file names.

Windows NT and its successors represent operating systems completely separate from MS-DOS legacy and their kernel is entirely composed of 32-bit code. MS-DOS (and Windows 3.x) programs run inside virtual DOS machines, which are implemented over the normal system API rather than underlying the system.

[edit] External links

• Technical articles discussing the Windows 3.1 architecture
• GUIdebook: Windows 3.1 Gallery - A website dedicated to preserving and showcasing Graphical User Interfaces
• HPC:Factor Windows 3.1x Patches & Updates Guide
• Calmira XP taskbar for Windows 3.1x