How to install Windows 3.x on Virtual PC

This article describes how to create a virtual machine that has a Microsoft Windows 3.x operating system.

Note For Windows 3.x, you must install Microsoft DOS (MS-DOS) before you install Windows.

Step 1: Create a virtual machine that has a preloaded Disk Operating System (PC-DOS)

To create a virtual machine that has a preloaded PC-DOS, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Virtual PC installation disk in your host computer’s CD-ROM drive, and then copy the Pcdos2000.vhd file to a separate folder on your hard disk. (When you do so, verify the file name, the file path, the list source, and the destination locations.)
2. Start Connectix virtual PC, click File in the Virtual PC window, and then click New PC.
3. Click Next, type a descriptive name for the Windows 3.x operating system, and then click Next.
4. Make sure that the Guide me option is selected, and then click Next.
5. In the Which operating system do you intend to run on this PC list, click Windows 3.1, and then click Next.
6. Click Next to accept the default memory allocation of 32 MB.
7. Click Next to select an existing hard disk image.
8. Click Browse, click the new PC DOS 2000.vhd file that you copied from your installation media to a separate folder to your hard disk, and then click Open.
9. If you want to be able to undo changes that you make during a session in this guest operating system, click to select the Enable undo support check box. See the "References" section of this article for a reference to an article that explains this feature.
10. Click Next, and then click Finish.

Step 2: Modify the guest operating system settings

To modify the settings for your guest operating system, follow these steps:

1. In the Virtual PC window, click the Windows 3.x guest operating system that you created, and then click Settings.
2. Click Memory, and then type 64 in the Total RAM in PC box.
3. If you want to connect to an external network, click Networking, and then click Virtual Switch to connect to the external network of your host computer.
4. When you finish modifying the guest operating system settings, click OK.

Step 3: Install Windows 3.x

To install Windows 3.x, Insert the Windows 3.x CD in the CD-ROM drive, click the new Virtual PC guest PC that you created, and then click Start Up to use the pre-installed PC DOS 2000 image to start the guest operating system. The guest operating system starts up to a command prompt.

You may receive the following message: If you receive this message, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the CD-ROM icon at the lower left of the YourComputerName - Virtual PC window, and then click Capture Host Drive D.
   
   NoteD is the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Reset to reset the virtual machine.

The Windows 3.x installation program starts. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to install Windows on the Virtual PC.

For additional information about the Undo Drives feature, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: