Frequently Asked Questions About OS/2 for Windows

From OS2World.Com Wiki
Revision as of 22:03, 21 May 2017 by Martini (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

By IBM

From: OS/2 Technical Support, Boca Raton, Florida

“Reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation, © International Business Machines Corporation”

Question: How can I set up OS/2 for Windows for HPFS only?

Details of Question:

User has OS/2 For Windows and would like to set up the system for HPFS only.

Answer Summary:

The issue is that in order to enable Windows application support under OS/2 for Windows, real Microsoft Windows 3.1 must be installed. Windows 3.1 will not install under OS/2, only DOS. Since DOS cannot see or access HPFS drives, the problem is how to get Windows 3.1 on an HPFS drive.

The user can install DOS and Windows, back up the Windows code to diskettes, install OS/2 for Windows, then restore the Windows code from diskettes, then use selective install from OS/2 to add the Windows application support.

NOTE: IBM cannot authorize you to make a backup copy of non-IBM supplied code. If you wish to use this method, you are responsible for ensuring you have the right to make a backup copy of Windows 3.1. If you are unsure, please consult your license agreement for the product or contact the vendor.


Detailed Answer:

  1. Make sure your system has DOS and Windows 3.1 on it.
  1. Back up to diskette the subdirectory(ies) that contain the Windows code only. There is no need to back up the DOS code, since you will not need it in this all-HPFS configuration. PLEASE REFER TO THE NOTE ABOVE.
  1. Install OS/2 for Windows, choosing to reformat the partition with HPFS.
  1. Create the appropriate directory on the target drive, and restore the Windows 3.1 code from diskettes.
  1. Open the OS/2 System folder, then the System Setup folder, and start Selective Install.
  1. Follow the steps to install Windows application support.

Question: After installing OS/2 for Windows, the mouse does not work at all.

Details of Question:

    User installed OS/2 for Windows. After rebooting the system,
    the mouse does not work. When booting to DOS, the mouse works
    fine.

Answer Summary:

    Sometimes if there is a DOS-based mouse device driver
    installed, the OS/2 mouse device driver does not get copied
    over. The solution is to unpack and copy over the OS/2 mouse
    device driver.


Detailed Answer:

    The OS/2 mouse device driver can be found on diskette 1 of the
    installation package.
    1.  Copy the file MOUSE.SYS from the installation diskette 1 to
        the \OS2 directory on the boot drive.


    2.  The line containing MOUSE.SYS should be in the OS/2
        CONFIG.SYS file.  In any case, you will need to reboot
        the system for the device driver change to take effect.  If
        it is not, use selective install to reinstall the mouse
        device driver support.
        a.  Open the OS/2 System folder, then the System Setup
            folder, then open the Selective Install item.
        b.  The first screen will indicate mouse support. Select
            the one appropriate for the user's hardware and select
            the OK pushbutton, then select the Install pushbutton
            and let the mouse device support reinstall itself.
        c.  You must reboot the system for this change to take
            effect.

Question: How can I set up my OS/2 for Windows system for OS/2 only, with no DOS and Windows?

Description: User wants to install OS/2 for Windows, but remove

               DOS from their system and just run OS/2 and Windows
               3.1 applications.

Answer Summary:

    The answer to this is to install OS/2 for Windows, then remove
    DOS and its related files from the hard disk.

Detials of Resolution:

    1.  Assuming you have DOS and Windows 3.1 installed, install
        OS/2 for Windows, choosing the options you wish, and
        choosing to NOT reformat the partition.
    2.  When you are finished, you will have a system that boots DOS
        as well as OS/2. Make sure you are booted to OS/2.
    3.  In the OS/2 subdirectory, there is a file called BOOT.COM.
        Delete it. You have now just remove the ability to boot back
        to DOS. If you want to retain the ability to reenable it,
        you can rename the file to something like BOOT.BAK.
    4.  If you truly do not ever want to boot this machine to
        DOS again, you can remove the \DOS subdirectory and the
        CONFIG.DOS files from your system.

Question: Can I use the High Performance File System (HPFS)with OS/2 for Windows?

Description: User would like to use OS/2 for Windows, but still be

             able to use the High Performance File System.

Answer Summary:

    This configuration is fine, but the user will not be able to
    put HPFS on the boot partition. Refer to PDDB 1111111 on how to
    set up this configuration.

Detailed Answer:

    In general, OS/2 for Windows systems are designed to be dual
    boot systems, allowing the user to boot both DOS and OS/2 from
    the same partition. In fact, this is how the default
    installation prepares the system. Since DOS cannot access HPFS
    drives, this boot drive will remain a FAT formatted drive.
    However, this does not preclude a user from formatting other
    HPFS drives on the system. The user must just be aware that
    when they are booted under DOS, those HPFS formatter partitions
    will not be visible.
    The user would:
    1.  Install OS/2 for Windows. In the selection panels, (s)he
        would choose to install HPFS support.
    2.  For any drives to be formatted HPFS, the user would issue
        the command:
        FORMAT X: /fs:HPFS
        There X is the drive to be formatted.

Question: Can I install OS/2 for Windows without Windows 3.1?

Details of Question:

    User would like to use OS/2 for Windows, but without Windows
    application support and they do not have Microsoft Windows 3.1.

Answer Summary:

    No problem. Just install OS/2 for Windows.

Detailed Answer:

    Anyone can use OS/2 for Windows, even without Windows 3.1. The
    user would install OS/2 for Windows, choosing to format or not
    to format the partition as (s)he desires.
    The only caveat to this is that Winsdows applications will not
    run on this system. DOS applications, however will run if the
    user chose to install DOS application support.


Question: I want to install OS/2 for Windows but add the support for Windows applications later. Can I do this?

Details of Question:

    User would like to install OS/2 for Windows, but is unsure if
    they want Windows application support. Can this support be
    installed later?

Answer Summary:

    Yes.

Detailed Answer:

    This configuration is not a problm as long as the user
    understands several basic items.
    1.  Windows support under OS/2 for Windows can only be installed
        if Windows 3.1 is on the hard disk.
    2.  Windows 3.1 will NOT install under OS/2. The system must be
        booted under DOS in order to install Windows 3.1.
    3.  DOS cannot see nor access HPFS partitions.
    The idea here is that WIndows 3.1 must be on the hard disk to
    tell OS/2 for Windows to install Windows support. Therefore,
    DOS is needed to install Windows 3.1 on the hard disk. If the
    OS/2 for Windows system was created HPFS only, then this will
    not be possible, since DOS cannot access HPFS partitions.


Question: Will Windows VxDs (Virtual Device Drivers) run on OS/2 for Windows.

Details of Question:

    The user wants to know that since OS/2 for Windows uses real
    Microsoft Windows 3.1 code, will OS/2 for WIndows allow the use
    of VxDs that are require by some Windows applications?

Answer Summary:

    The answer is no.

Detailed Answer:

    OS/2 for WIndows will not run applications requiring VxDs in
    Windows running under OS/2. However, since OS/2 for Windows
    creates by default, a dual-boot system where users can boot to
    DOS and Windows, these applications requiring VxDs can run in
    that environment is the user has set it up that way.

Question: What is OS/2 for WIndows and why should I get it?

Details of Question:

    The user wants to know what the purpose of OS/2 for Windows is
    and why someone would want it instead of a regular OS/2
    package.

Answer Summary:

    OS/2 for Windows is just a repackaged copy of OS/2, without the
    Windows application support built in. It uses a user's existing
    copy of Windows 3.1 to run Windows applications.

Detailed Answer:

    OS/2 for Windows is designed for the users of DOS and Windows
    who would like:
    1.  A lower-cost upgrade to OS/2
    2.  To still be able to run their DOS and Windows applications
        under either OS/2 or DOS and Windows, retaining their
        current copy and configuration of WIndows 3.1
    3.  #2 above, and do it in less disk space then having a full
        copy of OS/2 and Windows on the hard disk.

Question: What applications will run under OS/2 for Windows?

Details of Question:

    The user wants to know what applications will run under OS/2
    for Windows as opposed to a standard copy of OS/2.

Answer Summary:

    If a user installs the Windows application support under
    OS/2 for Windows, than any application (DOS, Windows or OS/2)
    that runs under OS/2 2.1 will run on OS/2 2.1 for Windows.


Detailed Answer:

    Assuming the user has a configuration with all the proper
    options selected (and features etc), anything that runs on OS/2
    2.1 will run on OS/2 2.1 for Windows. If it does not, then it
    is considered a bug and an APAR should be opened.

Question: I have Windows 3.1. It was installed from a CD-ROM. When I install OS/2 for Windows, it tries to find disk #7 on the CD. It is not there. How can I fix this?

Details of Question:

    User installed Windows from a CD-ROM.  During the installation
    of OS/2 for Windows, OS/2 asks for the Windows diskettes, but
    is treating the images on the CD as 5.25 inch images, where
    there are 7 diskettes.  There is no 7th image on the CD.

Answer Summary:

    The user will either have to obtain a diskette #7, or fake out
    the installation program.


Detailed Answer:

    There are 3 possibilities to fixing this situation:
    1.  Obtain a Windows 5.25 inch diskette #7.
    2.  Install Windows 3.1 from a floppy disk.  Then use the
        floppies during OS/2 for WIndows installation.
    3.  Create a "fake" diskette #7. This can be done by:
       a.  Format a blank 5.25 inch diskette.
       b.  Use the LABEL program to label it DISK7, according to
           the Microsoft Windows diskette labels.
       c.  Copy the files from diskette 6 from the CD to this
           diskette and use it when the installation program asks
           for diskette #7.

Question: Will OS/2 for Windows work with Windows for Workgroups, or other flavors of Windows 3.1?

Details of Question:

    User would like to use OS/2 for Windows on other than
    "plain vanilla" Windows 3.1

Answer Summary:

    Only the standard Windows 3.1 package has been
    certified to run with OS/2 for Windows.

Detailed Answer:

    While you may be able to get  some, or possibly all functions
    of other "flavors" of Windows 3.1 to work with OS/2 for
    Windows, IBM cannot support those configurations at this
    time.  Only Windows 3.1 is fully supported by IBM.