Mouse Behavior in MS-DOS Programs That Run in a Window

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

Microsoft Windows version 3.1 changes the way you use your mouse with MS-DOS applications that run within a window. In Windows version 3.0, the mouse selects text to be copied to the Clipboard. Windows version 3.1 instead sends the mouse commands through to the MS-DOS mouse driver. If the driver supports the mouse in an MS-DOS application running in a window, it sends the mouse command to the application. The application interprets these mouse commands as if it were running full-screen. If the MS-DOS mouse driver is not designed to receive mouse instructions from the Windows version 3.1 mouse driver, the mouse does not function in the MS-DOS application.

You can change the mouse behavior with Windows 3.1 to the way it works with Windows version 3.0. This may be helpful if the MS-DOS mouse driver is not capable of communicating with the Windows version 3.1 mouse driver, or if selecting text is more important than mouse functionality in an MS-DOS application running in a window.

MORE INFORMATION

To force Windows version 3.1 to use the mouse to select text and copy it to the Clipboard, add the following line to the SYSTEM.INI file under the [NonWindowsApp] section:

   MouseInDOSBox=0

Removing this line or replacing the zero with a one (1) resets the mouse behavior back to the Windows version 3.1 default.