Windows 3.11 and P4 Mobo

[Fat_Bandit]

I am trying to build a control system based around win3.11 and P4 2ghz and this motherboard.
http://www.dtk.com.tw/product/mb/mb800.html
The o/s will eventually migrate to win2k but for now this is what I have to deal with

I also need to add extra serial 232 ports, and control cards in the ISA slots

and the board runs on ddr ram.
Can anyone tell me if the mobo would be incompatible with win3.11 ie. is ddr gonna work or will it lock up,

Any help at all on the subject would be greatly appreciated
I know it is an expensive package to put together but this is what the customer wants.

[BipolarBill]

Originally posted by Fat_Bandit
I also need to add extra serial 232 ports, and control cards in the ISA slots

What ISA slots? There are none. PCI/AGP only, I'm afraid. Methinks your customer is off his/her rocker.

Welcome to SysOpt!

[paramufay]

Originally posted by Fat_Bandit
I am trying to build a control system based around win3.11 and P4 2ghz and this motherboard.
http://www.dtk.com.tw/product/mb/mb800.html
The o/s will eventually migrate to win2k but for now this is what I have to deal with

I also need to add extra serial 232 ports, and control cards in the ISA slots

and the board runs on ddr ram.
Can anyone tell me if the mobo would be incompatible with win3.11 ie. is ddr gonna work or will it lock up,

Any help at all on the subject would be greatly appreciated
I know it is an expensive package to put together but this is what the customer wants.

You got to be kidding win 3.1 WILL NOT work on this computer.

This is a joke right?

If this is not a joke then this post tells me you know less than nothing about computers.

[sm8000]

No, go thru the link. There are three ISA slots.

Also, don't shoot the messenger. He's just passing on what the customer wants. Yes, we can all see it's most....unusual....????

However, I doubt Windows 3x will work on such new hardware.

[dave-harper]

unless intel has abandoned the 8086 architecture it's been saddled with since for the past 1/4 century

it should sort of work

of course in the real world i wouldn't give it a better than 50/50 chance of being stable - probably because of timing loops like the old dos games

"The o/s will eventually migrate to win2k" ( JUST DO IT ! )

http://www.moxa.com/product/industio/industio.htm
http://www.quatech.com/public/googserial.htm

i'd avoid an 8 port card unless you disable the 2 on the MB or you'll have 10 ( definate no no )

[Swordfish]

i thought there was no ISA slots on any P4 based mobo's...hmm to think of backward compatibility...thats some use for older ISA cards there.

[Midknyte]

I don't see why you need to run win3.11. couldn't you run your app on winxp in compatibility mode or something? Are the drivers for those ISA cards only for Win3.11?

Even if you put win3.11 on, there wouldn't be any drivers for your motherboard, video, etc. Microsoft doesn't support win3.11 anymore. I would tell the customer that you only install OSes that are supported by their manufacturer. You're not him or yourself any favors by trying to install ancient technology.

[ukulele]

I think it could be done with the right hardware. You just need to find ISA and PCI cards that have win3.1 support. Personally I would load w2k and go the emulation route. It sounds like the customers hardware needs must require win3.1. A good example would be expensive CNC equiptment that was designed to interface with win3.1.

[Fat_Bandit]

Hello again and thanks for all your input,
I found the board myself and alas, tis I had the idea, so it is I is off my rocker. :>

The machine needs to run terminal services and data control management on another Industrial piece of machinery.
The machines are very expensive and normally run off p-166mhz computers.
The machine needs 3 x9pin serial232 ports
It takes 2 add in cards similar to one mentioned by 'dave -harper' that adds another 4x232 controllers on a 25pin parellel
The system works fine on 3.11 and development work is ongoing for the move to 2k,but it still doesnt work.- not my job
- they need machines with terminal services now, and they want me to upgrade the boxes to as high a spec as possible.
Those mobo's cost a f$%^ing fortune.
The way I see it is.
3.11 is 'enhanced dos', my p4 2.4 ,pc2100 ddr runs a dos boot disk just fine through an AGP port same as everyone else.
If I had drivers for an ISA card in my machine they depend on the OS not the chip. Its all about drivers- I hope
again thanks for the help

[deadkenny]

Win 3.11 is just software after all. I don't see why it wouldn't run on anything, including the proposed system. Definitely a surprize to see ISA slots on a socket 478 board (one based on the 845G chipset yet!), but there they are. I would have thought the 3 serial ports might also be a problem, yet there they are. It looks like some sort of legacy server P4 setup. The most reliable answer, short of trying it, would likely come from Peter. There might be some issue, like ACPI or something, that might cause a problem. You might have to disable some options in the BIOS, but I can't think of anything definite that would stop you from being able to run it.

[dave-harper]

hmmm - i didn't notice it has 4 serial onboard already - i just ***-u-me-d 2

yeah i'd definately try to keep the board like an old one
no acpi - no plug and pray - no power management
disable the usb
i doubt you could get the onboard sound to work in 3.11
though maybe as a "soundblaster" 8 or 16
the video should work in 640 -16 color to start and maybe a little better with a standard svga 800 type driver

i'd say why not pick up a used 333 but it'd be old used equipment
problem it's old software so let us know how it works out with the Intel 2000 megahertz

makes me think of the 1975 ( leading edge ) or more like 1965 mainframes throughout north america running the gov , banks , insurance - at least they have 997 years till Y3K

[bushmaster]

I'd wonder whats the max amount of memory 3.1 can handle and do they make ddr 2100 sticks that small ?.

[BipolarBill]

Originally posted by bushmaster
do they make ddr 2100 sticks that small ?.

Have you ever seen what E-Machines, Compaq and HP can do to strip hardware?

[bushmaster]

Bill the only HP in my house is covered in Barbie stickers. But id does have 256mb sdram. Figuerd my 7 year old needed the extra resources. LOL

[gjimene2]

lmao bushmaster

just lik I have my sister's pink iMac on the floor after taking out a quater out of the dvd-rom drive because her two year old thought it was a piggy bank, and of how I took off the wax spilled on her keyboard because her two year old thougt that it would be cool to see the wax match the keyboard :P I did her a favor and took out her ram that she had in there and slapped on two sticks of 64mb pc100 sdram

I hate iMac's but I love my sister....... sigh,, the things you'll do for your loved ones