Windows 3.1 Setup Information
ID: Q83194
|
The information in this article applies to:
A NEW SETUP PROGRAM
The Windows 3.1 Setup program has been changed substantially from the
Windows 3.0 Setup program. Setup was changed in order to improve its
ease of use and to give you more control over the setup process.
When upgrading your machine from Windows 3.0 to Windows 3.1, the setup
process will maintain your group files, system drivers and settings,
desktop settings, applications, type managers, and CONFIG.SYS file
settings, including the order in which your device drivers are loaded.
Windows 3.1 Setup will update existing Windows device drivers (if 3.1
has updated versions), add any new entries to your .INI files, and
install TrueType fonts.
The Setup program also has a tutorial that will familiarize you with
the Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1 and show you how to
use the mouse.
When you select the Setup Existing Applications option, Setup will
prompt you to identify applications with identical filenames. This new
feature allows Setup to create program information files (PIFs) for MS-
DOS applications that use the same .EXE filename.
WHAT SETUP DOES
When Setup is first invoked, it searches your system for memory-
resident programs, such as device drivers or terminate-and-stay-
resident (TSR) programs, which are known to cause problems with Setup
or Windows 3.1. If Setup does detect a memory-resident program, it
will advise you to remove that device driver or TSR program from your
CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, restart your system, and then start
Setup again.
Setup will also check the available space on your hard drive. If Setup
detects a lack of space for a full installation, it will provide an
option for a partial installation of Windows. If the setup process
does not complete for some reason (such as a power failure), you can
start Setup again, and it will detect that the setup process has not
been completed. At this point, Setup will offer suggestions on how to
correct the condition that caused the previous setup to fail.
NEW SWITCHES FOR SETUP
The Windows 3.1 Setup program has new command-line switches in
addition to those of the Windows 3.0 Setup program. The following is a
list of the command-line switches that can be used with the Windows
3.1 Setup program:
setup /? -- Displays the Help dialog box and a list of available
command-line switches.
setup /n -- Sets up a shared copy of Windows from a network server.
setup /i -- Disables the hardware detection that the Setup program
normally performs. Using the setup /i option allows you to check
the accuracy of the settings on the System Information screen and
possibly make corrections.
setup /o:<filespec> -- Specifies the SETUP.INF file, where
<filespec> is the name of the SETUP.INF file that will be used by
Setup.
setup /s:<filepath> -- Specifies a path to the Setup disk, where
<filepath> is the full path to the Setup disk.
setup /b -- Forces Setup to run in monochrome mode.
setup /t -- Causes Setup to search the drive for software that is
incompatible and should not be run at the same time as Setup or
Windows 3.1.
setup /c -- Turns off the search for memory-resident programs.
setup /a -- Starts an administrative Setup program that places
Windows onto a network server. Setup expands and copies all the
files on every disk to a given directory and then marks the files
read-only.
setup /h:<filespec> -- Starts Batch Mode Setup, which requires
little or no user interaction. <Filespec> is the name of the system
settings file that contains your configuration settings. If
<filespec> is not in the directory from which Windows is being set
up, the path to it must also be included.
MODES OF WINDOWS SETUP
The Windows 3.1 Setup program has new setup modes, Express and Custom
modes, as well as a new Batch Mode Setup feature that allows for
automation of the setup procedure.
Express Setup
The Express Setup mode is new to Windows 3.1 and is the default
installation mode. It automatically detects the system hardware and
applies standard defaults to all other installation options. When
upgrading from Windows 3.0 using Express Setup, the only entry
requirement is your name. If using Express Setup for a new
installation of Windows 3.1, you will be required to enter your name
and select a printer, printer type, and printer port, if applicable.
Custom Setup
The Custom Setup mode is very similar to the Windows 3.0 Setup
process, with some additional features. A custom installation allows
you to have full control in selecting the Windows directory, system
hardware, optional component installation, changes to the CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, printer installation, and setup of existing
applications. If you are upgrading from an existing 3.0 installation,
some options, such as the Printer Installation dialog box, will not be
selected by default, in order to preserve the existing drivers.
Batch Mode Setup
The Batch Mode Setup process is designed to simplify and speed up the
installation of Windows 3.1 onto multiple machines that will be using the
same or very similar configuration information. Batch Mode Setup uses the
/h:<filespec> switch, as described above. Setup uses the information
provided in the specified file to determine the configuration during the
setup process; minimal user input is required. If hardware or setup options
are not specified in the file, Batch Mode Setup will use defaults for these
options and will perform automatic detection of the system's hardware. The
file containing the configuration information typically has an extension of
.SHH. Windows 3.1 includes a sample file, with explanatory comments, called
SETUP.SHH that can be modified to meet your needs. For more information
about the Batch Mode Setup program for Windows 3.1, see the Microsoft
Windows Resource Kit. For more information, call the Microsoft Sales
Information Center (MSIC) at (800) 426-9400.
Maintaining Windows with Setup
Once you have successfully installed Windows 3.1, you can use the
Windows Setup program to update your installation whenever your
hardware or software configuration changes. To update your Windows 3.1
installation, start Setup either from inside Windows or from the
WINDOWS directory command prompt.
When you start Setup from the command prompt, you can change the
Windows device drivers for your system hardware, change code page and
language options, and install third-party Windows device drivers.
When you start Setup from within Windows, you can change the video,
mouse, keyboard, and network drivers. You can also have Setup search
your hard disk for applications and set up icons for any applications
it finds. You can also use Setup to add or remove, completely or
partially, the optional components that come with Windows 3.1. The
following are the components that can be added or removed through
Setup:
README files
Windows accessories
Games
Screen savers
Wallpaper and sounds
TROUBLESHOOTING SETUP
The MS-DOS Portion of Setup
The first part of the Windows 3.1 setup process runs with MS-DOS. If
the Setup program stops during this part of the installation, it may
be due to one of the following problems:
- Inability to correctly detect the system's hardware (which may
result in your machine stopping).
To correct this problem, run Setup again by typing setup /i.
This command causes Setup to bypass
its hardware detection and run the Custom Setup process. When the
System Information screen comes up, choose the settings that match
the hardware on your system.
- Incompatible hardware or software.
Run Setup again, and it will display a failure detection message,
prompting you to take the necessary steps to continue. Continue the
setup process and specify the correct hardware when the System
Information screen appears. If the System Information selections
appear correct, a memory-resident program may be interfering with
the setup process. In such an instance, exit Setup and restart the
machine with minimal CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Using a
text editor such as Notepad, comment out any entries in these files
that are not absolutely necessary for the operation of the machine.
(To comment out an entry, type rem
at the beginning of the line.)
NOTE: If you do not know the purpose of a line in your CONFIG.SYS
or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, leave that line as is. Also, if the system
has RAM or ROM shadowing, this should be disabled, as it can
interfere with both Setup and Windows 3.1.
- Hard disk problems.
If your hard disk has a number of lost clusters (allocation units),
is excessively fragmented, or has a number of bad sectors, Windows
Setup may not be able to run. In such a case, the best course of
action is to run the MS-DOS command CHKDSK. Note the amount of
available disk space and whether CHKDSK reports any lost allocation
units. If lost allocation units are reported, you can correct this
problem by typing chkdsk /f.
CAUTION: If the number of lost allocation units is excessive
(anything more than 10-20 lost allocation units), there may be a
problem elsewhere in the system. Running CHKDSK /F with an
excessive number of lost allocation units may result in data
corruption on your hard disk. It is best to speak with your
support consultant in such an instance to determine the best
course of action. Bad sectors and fragmented disks can be
corrected by using third-party utility packages such as Norton
Utilities from Symantec, or PC Tools from Central Point.
The Windows Portion of Setup
Partway through the installation, the setup process will switch from
MS-DOS to Windows. Windows Setup will inform you that it is trying to
start Windows. At the point where the Setup program switches from MS-
DOS to Windows, the screen may go black and the machine may stop. The
following are possible causes and their resolutions:
- Conflicts with memory-resident applications (TSR programs and/or
device drivers).
When you started Setup, your system had an program in memory that
writes directly to your video screen, rather than going through the
BIOS--for example, a TSR network messaging program that notifies
you when a print job completes. Other memory-resident programs can
also interfere with Windows Setup. Setup will detect and warn you
about many incompatible memory-resident programs when it first
starts. (The file SETUP.TXT, located on Disk 1, provides additional
information about using these programs with Setup or Windows. The
information about memory-resident programs is listed alphabetically
by program name.) Make sure that any extraneous applications and
device drivers have been closed or commented out of your CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT files before starting Windows 3.1 Setup. To
comment out an entry, type rem at
the beginning of the line.
NOTE: If you do not know the purpose of a line in your CONFIG.SYS
or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, leave that line as is.
- Inability to correctly detect hardware.
Type setup /i at the command
prompt. When the System Information screen comes up, make sure that
the settings displayed match the hardware on the system. If the
settings shown do not match, change them to the correct settings.
- Incompatible hardware or software.
Run Setup again; Setup will display a message indicating which
device is incompatible and prompt you to specify a different
device. On the System Information screen, verify that all the
settings are correct and modify them if they are not. If you are
still unable to proceed through Setup, try installing Windows by
typing setup /i, choosing the
lowest resolution supported by your monitor, and selecting the No
Mouse Or Other Pointing Device option. If the Setup program
proceeds, you can run Setup again after Windows installs to
correctly configure Windows for your machine. Install the proper
configuration components one at a time. If you encounter problems
with one or more of the components, contact the manufacturer of the
component in question for more information.
- Incorrect version of MS-DOS.
Windows 3.1 requires MS-DOS version 3.1 or later. To determine what
version of MS-DOS is present on your system, type ver at the MS-DOS command prompt, and you will
receive a message indicating your MS-DOS version. If necessary,
install a newer version of MS-DOS and then run Setup again. When
you attempt to install Windows 3.1 with a version of MS-DOS prior
to 3.1, Setup will display an error message and terminate. It is
also important that the version of MS-DOS on your machine is
designed for that machine.
CAUTION: Do not run an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
version of MS-DOS on a machine not manufactured by that OEM (for
example, COMPAQ MS-DOS on an IBM machine).
If the Setup program does not detect that you have inserted the disk
that you were prompted for, one of the following conditions may be
true:
- A disk-caching utility may be caching the floppy disk drive.
To remove the disk cache, use a text editor such as Notepad to open
the CONFIG.SYS or the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and comment out the line
pertaining to the disk-caching utility. To comment out a line, type
rem at the beginning of the line.
After saving the file and exiting your editor, restart your system
and run Setup again.
- The system may not have received the message that the floppy disk
has been changed.
Under MS-DOS 3.2 and later, you can try to correct this problem by
adding either DRIVPARM or DRIVER.SYS to your CONFIG.SYS file and
then restarting your computer. For example, if you are setting up
Windows 3.1 from drive A, and it is a high-density 5.25-inch drive,
you would add ONE of the following lines to your CONFIG.SYS file:
drivparm=/d:0 /f:1
-or-
device=c:\dos\driver.sys /d:0 /f:1
NOTE: If your MS-DOS files are located in a directory other than
C:\DOS, make the appropriate change to the path in the above
device= line. For more information on either of these commands,
please refer to your MS-DOS user's guide.
NONSTANDARD WINDOWS 3.0 DRIVERS
If you are using a nonstandard display driver, such as Super VGA, with
Windows 3.0, you may receive an error message or encounter difficulty
while starting Windows 3.1. The following are error messages that can
be caused by an incompatible display driver:
Error loading VGA.DRV
will appear if the driver cannot be loaded.
NOTE: "VGA.DRV" will change to match the name of the currently
installed display driver.
Error loading USER.EXE
or
Error loading GDI.EXE
can be caused
by other nonstandard Windows drivers or components.
If you encounter any of these messages, you may need to exit Setup and
run Setup within Windows 3.0 to return Windows 3.0 to a standard
configuration. Once Windows 3.0 is at a standard configuration, run
Windows 3.1 Setup. Contact your hardware manufacturer to see if there
are any special concerns.
If none of the above steps allows Setup to install Windows 3.1 on your
system, you may need to contact your hardware manufacturer for more
information.
Additional query words:
3.10
Keywords : kbsetup win31
Version : WINDOWS:3.1
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo
|