Q83194: Windows 3.1 Setup Information
Article: Q83194
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): 3.1
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): kbsetup win31
Last Modified: 07-FEB-2002
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 3.1
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SUMMARY
=======
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:
1. 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" (without the
quotation marks). 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.
2. 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" (without the quotation marks) 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.
3. 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" (without the
quotation marks).
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:
1. 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" (without the quotation marks) 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.
2. Inability to correctly detect hardware. Type "setup /i" (without the
quotation marks) 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.
3. 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" (without the quotation marks),
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.
4. 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" (without the quotation marks) 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:
1. 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" (without the
quotation marks) at the beginning of the line. After saving the file and
exiting your editor, restart your system and run Setup again.
2. 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
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Keywords : kbsetup win31
Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin310
Version : :3.1
Issue type : kbinfo
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