Can I install Windows 3.1 on Old 286?

[OldDogNewTrick]

I have a old 286, that I want to give to my 6 yr old. It only has DOS....Can I install Windows 3.1, or another Program, that will make it easier to use?
Any suggestions?

[Bleeding Edge]

No. The machine won't be able to handle Win3.1. Maybe the original Windows 3.0 but where would you find a copy of that.
The floppy drives in there can't read regular 1.44 diskettes and even if Win3.1 could work, I don't think it ever came out on double density diskettes. I'm not certain of other "programs" but there could be.

I don't know.. your intentions are honable and certainly fatherly -but you may be torturing the kid with it.

[Virx]

I have installed couple of windows into 286 and they work fine. If realy flopy drive isn`t 1,44Mb, it may be difficult. You can copy all files to harddisk and manualy locate them(in w3.1 you can do it). One graphical program is DOS shell. Good and easy filemanager is Norton Commander. To install W31 to 286 you need 2MB ram And 20Mb Hdd

[HOTRODk62]

my parents bought an old 286, and I used it awhile, didn't ever try to install windows, but my uncle has done it, but it is VERY slow, and doesn't work real well. And it's certainly not worth upgrading if the system needs more ram, etc. What I would do is buy a cheap 486 based system I have seen dx 33s, 50,s and even 66's go from anywhere between 30 bucks and 50 bucks complete on ebay.com. Then you could run anything from 3.0 to 3.11, or even possibly 95.. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[DavidX]

Virx is correct. I successfully installed Windows 3.1 on a 286 with only a 720K floppy drive. Use another computer (one with a 1.44Mb floppy drive) and transfer files to 720K disks. Then put into a 'temp' directory on 286's hard drive and install from there. It's a real pain http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif but it can be done. A brilliant sense of achievement http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

My 286 has only 2.5Mb RAM but it does run Windows 3.1 perfectly well and not unacceptably slowly. Got fed up with its original 20Mb hard drive though (not much room for programs after DOS and Windows!) and replaced it with a 100Mb one. I used the 286 to 'torture' my kid (Bleeding Edge http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif ) and also did it cause I get some strange kick out of restoring worthless old junk.

As I said, however, it is a real pain and unless you're just doing it for the 'sense of achievement', do as HOTROD said and buy a cheap 486.

[CMonster]

I did it on a unusual 286 (12mhz but has 8MB of ram)and it runs amazingly so-so..hehehe

I guess 32bit anything is out of the question though.

[emcron]

If you can why dont you go to a computer show cause every time I've gone to one someone is selling a 486 for like 20 or 40 bucks and you could probably bring that down.

[OldDogNewTrick]

Thanks to all!....Maybe she deserves a better 486! She's very smart, and I hate to slow her down!

Is there anything in the 286, I can use in the 486 to make it any better?
Or is it just a good paper weight?
Old Dog.

[Bleeding Edge]

Paper weight.