Minibox rides again.... External links Options

[was_jaclaz]

It appears that Nuno received some requests about minibox.

The topic was started here:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16754

and continued for some time here:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Boot_Land/index.php?showtopic=23

...then it was put aside, mainly due to lack of interested people (and for lack of time, both from me and from Nuno).....

I am attaching the original version from Nuno here, there will hopefully in a short time an update with my "enhanced version".

People willing to try it should REALLY read carefully the above two threads to make the needed changes to make it basically work.

jaclaz

Attached File(s)

 minibox.zip ( 3.25MB ) Number of downloads: 385
 minibox2.zip ( 111.41K ) Number of downloads: 315

 

[was_jaclaz]

While doing some unrelated searches, I stumbled upon this page:
http://www.chez.com/jls/vxdasm.html

Librairy archived VXDs :
somes *.VXD files are not true VXD devices drivers, but rather archived libraries of several VXDs. Main examples are Windows95's VMM32.VXD, and Windows 3.1 's WIN386.EXE;
To extract VXDs contained into these archives, you can use the DEVLIB tool supplied by the Win95 DDK, or the VXDLIB freeware tool (http://www.tbcnet.com/~clive);

The referenced page is now here:
http://www.tbcnet.com/~clive/vcomwinp.html#VXDLIB

Since, as said here:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?s=&...st&p=113581

(click to enlarge)

the present standstill in minibox evolution is mainly to be attributed at the lack of a freely available version of Win386.exe, I am now wondering if it would be possible to re-create a "fake" or however limited version of Win386.exe assembling together files and .VXDs coming from opensource projects (WINE?) or extracted from some win9x files (you know how MS programmers like "recycling" old code).

This is really far outside of my knowledge/field of competence, anyone with this kind of competence willing to have a look at the matter?

jaclaz

[asiekierka]

I have MANY files from Win 3.x patches, but i don't have that ones we need.
But i have ddeml, toolhelp, fonts, and many OTHER Windows 3.x files.

EDIT: Oh, i have VxDLIB output for WIN386.EXE:

Listing WIN386.EXE

vxds:
WIN386 INT13 WDCTRL VMD VNETBIOS DOSNET EBIOS
VDDVGA VKD VPICD VTD REBOOT VDMAD VSD
V86MMGR PAGESWAP DOSMGR VMPOLL WSHELL BLOCKDEV PAGEFILE
VFD PARITY BIOSXLAT VCD VMCPD COMBUFF CDPSCSI
QEMMFIX
29 total vxd(s)

[asiekierka]

I'm replacing miniBox script with MiniBox PRO.

It's batch script.
I also included new, designed for minibox PRO start.bat

MiniBox PRO download

[was_jaclaz]

As a quick reference:
http://cd.textfiles.com/thegreatunsorted/t...isc/windows.txt

CODE

Default "DEVICE=" entries in SYSTEM.INI
=======================================
-> Added on October 30, 1994

For those who are curious, these are the default Virtual Device Drivers
written into the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI during the Windows setup
procedure. Device names beginning with an asterisk are an integral part of
the WIN386.EXE file, while those with an extension of .386 are separate
files placed in the SYSTEM directory.

Windows 3.1 WFWG 3.1 WFWG 3.11 File or Device Description
----------- -------- --------- --------------------------
*biosxlat *biosxlat *biosxlat ROM Bios access for apps & devices
*BLOCKDEV *BLOCKDEV *BLOCKDEV coordinate block I/O services,
FastDisk devices
*cdpscsi *cdpscsi *cdpscsi ---
*combuff *combuff *combuff communications buffer for serial port
*dosmgr *dosmgr *dosmgr manages MS-DOS virtual machines
--- --- ifsmgr.386 installable file system manager
--- --- lpt.386 LPT
*PAGEFILE *PAGEFILE *PAGEFILE virtual memory paging file
*pageswap *pageswap *pageswap supports Windows demand-paging
*parity *parity *parity NMI handler,memory & bus parity
error detection
*reboot *reboot *reboot ---
--- --- serial.386 serial communications
*v86mmgr *v86mmgr *v86mmgr ---
--- --- vcache.386 32-bit cache manager
*vcd vcd.386 *vcd communcations
--- --- vcomm.386 communcations
*vdma vdmad.386 *vdmad virtualizes DMA devices
*vfd *vfd *vfd floppy disk drive device
*vmpcd *vmpcd *vmpcd access to math co-processor
*vmpoll *vmpoll *vmpoll detects virtual machine idle waiting
for keyboard input
--- vpd.386 --- printer
*vpicd vpicd.386 *vpicd programmable interrupt control
--- --- vpmtd.386 fax scheduler
*vsd *vsd *vsd virtual sound device PC speaker
--- vshare.386 vshare.386 file sharing
*vtd *vtd *vtd virtualizes 8253 timer services
vtdapi.386 vtdapi.386 vtdapi.386 multimedia virtual timer
*wshell *wshell *wshell system-level services for other VxDs
*vddvga *vddvga *vddvga video display

original info from MS:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/w...2.mspx?mfr=true

WDCTRL:
http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/win32_driver.html
Though the links are in most cases broken, this appears to be a good list:
http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31820

jaclaz

[Nuno Brito]

Thanks, the links are filled with good resources.

This means that we can use files straight from the MS servers - but wouldn't this be against their EULA?

How many people have a valid win31 license nowadays?

Would ms even mind?

[was_jaclaz]

In times of Vista, probably MS has better things to do (as an example make this huge piece of bloatware work) than to chase the (illegal) users of what can be definitely called "Abandonware".

But still, some form of Legal action against unauthorized users is still possible, as I see it;actually some files have NO EULA at all, so my guess is that they can be used safely, and some are legal for users possessing a 9.x/ME license, remember that the original scope of minibox still remains unchanged:
provide legitimate Win9x/Me users a supertiny win 3.x-alike OS using only their own 9.x/Me files and legally available/redistributable files

There are already a number of (better?) Windows 3.x from floppy projects easily available on the internet, the thing that will (if ever fully released) minibox different from the rest of those project will be that we learned a bit about Windows 3.1 (while having some fun ) and that it will be possible to replicate the mini-OS in a legal way (as said for legitimate Win9.x/Me users ONLY).

jaclaz

[Nuno Brito]

...actually some files have NO EULA at all...

This was a really fun time - nothing to worry about, do you remember?


This is a usage that surely escapes the initial scope of the license, and since this is done without commercial intentions I also think that they wouldn't mind much about it since it should fall under the same category as WinPE in the present days.

Might also be a good introduction to remind people about a time when MS windows fitted on a floppy and could even include solitaire and other "essential" apps inside.