Warp 3 with WINOS2

[Mathias]

Dear community,

I am not sure why, or if I am doing things wrongly (obviously..?!), but my Warp 3 installation lacks WINOS2 support for some reason. While in setup I never had the chance to check a button in order to install it.

Now I have read in the OS/2 world WIKI, that in some cases DOS and Windows 3.xx needs to be preinstalled for OS/2 setup to install WINOS2 as well.
I suppose that is the reason here too. - Question is now, can I add WINOS2 to an already running Warp 3?
Trying to use the selective installer of Warp 3 brought up no news, unfortunately. WINOS2 is not there at all.

kind regards,
Mathias

[Olafur Gunnlaugsson]

There were basically 4 versions of Warp 3 released, one with WInOS/2 built in commonly referred to as "Blue Spine" and a cheaper option called "Red Spine" that installed onto a system that already had DOS/Windows 3.x system installed and converted that into a WinOS/2 system, it allowed you to save money by not paying twice for the DOS/Win license fees. Later there was "OS/2 Connect" which usually came bundled with WinOS/2 but could be had in a WinOS/2 less configuration at the least for corporate customers.

It looks like you have installed Red Spine, which simply does not have WinOS/2 ...

It is possible to install WinOS/2 after a fashion by simply getting hold of a Blue Spine CD and installing it from there, it was also possible to install Win 3.x and hook it up to Red Spine after the install of the latter, but as it is a quarter of a century since I last did that, my memory of how that was done is a bit faded ...

[Dave Yeo]

While simplest would be to start over, preferably with blue splined Warp Connect, https://winworldpc.com/product/os-2-3x/os-2-30 which gives networking (can be updated to the latest free 32 bit stack) and a newer build, there is http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/windows/wsetup14.zip that advertises that you can install Win 3.1 on an HPFS drive. I note the readme says to run OS/2's selective install after installing to convert to Win-OS2 so I guess if you installed on FAT with DOS already there, you could just install Windows under DOS and convert it.
I never tried it, as I installed red splined on an existing DOS/Win3.1 system.

[ivan]

Hi Mathias,

Depending on what you are trying to do you either need a copy of OS/2 Warp 3 blue spine which includes winos2 in the install, or if you need networking then you need to install OS/2 Warp 3 Connect, it has winos2 and all the networking that was available at the time (at least my CD does).

I can post the various readme files from the CD if that would help.

[Eugene Tucker]

Or he could buy Arca OS 5.04

[Mathias]

Thanks guys! : )) - I think I'll redo the installation then, start off with a 512 MB FAT16 partition with DOS 6.22 & Win3.11fwg. - I've tried the scenario in VirtualBox, and indeed, it works that way. - Now onto the real hardware..

Eugene, I DO already have bought ArcaOS. - Just running on another machine. This one here is a 486 DX2-66 with 24 MB RAM. I suppose ArcaOS would not be satisfied with that hardware. ; )

[Eugene Tucker]

Sorry Mathias. I see some people from time to time struggle to get the old versions of OS/2 to run.

[Fahrvenugen]

Hi,

If you have Windows 3.1 disks (or the install disks on a CD) it is not all that difficult to make it work after an OS/2 Warp3 red spine install.

First get Warp 3 running on (preferably) an HPFS partition. Install with a standard VGA video driver, do NOT install any video beyond standard VGA or you will have issues (don't worry - you can install a better driver later once you get it up and running)

Second, grab the wsetup utility from Hobbes:

http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/windows/wsetup14.zip

Wsetup will essentially extract all the needed Windows 3.1 files into the appropriate folders on your hard disk.  It runs in a DOS box.  You'll need to tell it where your Windows 3.1 source files are and I think it asks where you want to have it installed on your hard disk (although I admit that it has been a while since I have run this).

Once it has extracted the needed Windows 3.1 source files to your hard disk, exit your dos box and run Selective Install.  You should then have the option to install the WinOS/2 stuff.  Select that option and let Selective Install do its thing - you'll probably need your Windows 3.1 install disks again as it'll probably ask for them.

Next reboot - after reboot you should be able to get into a full screen WinOS/2 session.  Once there in Program Manager (you won't initially see any icons) create the icons - from Program Manager chose File --> Run --> type SETUP /p

That should create your icons in program manager, go ahead and start something up and see if it works.

Exit out of your WinOS/2 session and now you should be able to run the "migrate programs" (or whatever that app is called that searches for stuff and creates icons on your desktop), this should create seamless WinOS/2 icons on your desktop.  Also go ahead and try a seamless session.  It should work.

At this point you'll want to install some updates - Fixpak 40 for Warp 3, after Fixpak 40 you should be able to get SNAP (or another video driver) working (and it'll probably work with WinOS/2), you can also install Win32s version 1.25, plus the Video for Windows update.  Note that Win32s does require a later fixpak.  Be sure to reboot after a fixpak install and / or video driver install.  Also if I recall correctly if you install Win32s 1.25 it won't work properly until after you reboot - it relies on a driver that gets loaded upon boot.

[Mathias]

Thanks for your excellent reply, sounded like it could have worked out, but unfortunately, Selective Install does not recognise my C:\Windows directory. - Not even after rebooting; There still is no option to install WinOS/2. :/

I think I will indeed start over. The OS/2 Warp3 installation was finished though, but can be done again, as I weren't that far "into the game" yet.

[Sigurd Fastenrath]

There was an article in OS/2 Inside Edition September 1996 how to install WINOS2 on a RedSpine Warp 3 with HPFS formatted drive.

So: you do not need DOS nor FAT formatted drive, only the Warp 3 (Red) and Windows 3.1(1) CD or discs.

Have done this serveral times, easy and works.

I answered this question in 2014 here: https://www.os2.org/viewtopic.php?t=444

The original german article is attached.