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General => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: CandCPlusPlus on January 02, 2025, 04:58:18 PM

Title: Windows 3.1 and 32-bit
Post by: CandCPlusPlus on January 02, 2025, 04:58:18 PM
This is related to my post about ARM64 and 32-bit. This was an interesting read about the history of Windows. I didn't realize Windows 3.1x could be somewhat 32-bit depending on the configuration. Of course, Windows 3.x and Windows 9x were a mess. Windows 9x was a mixture of 16-bit and 32-bit.

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20100517-00/?p=14013
Title: Re: Windows 3.1 and 32-bit
Post by: TimoVJL on January 02, 2025, 05:12:14 PM
The Win32s compatibility list (http://stephan.win31.de/w32slist.htm)

It was useful with Windows NT 4.0 and MS Visual C++ 4.0 with MS Visual C++ 1.5 package
Title: Re: Windows 3.1 and 32-bit
Post by: CandCPlusPlus on January 15, 2025, 03:14:39 AM
When in Enhanced mode, the kernel of Windows 3.1 was 32-bit even though a normal blank install of Windows 3.1 could only run 16-bit software. However, Win32s can be used for running specifically designed 32-bit software on Windows 3.1. I remember that on Windows for Workgroups 3.11 there are even options for 32-bit file access and 32-bit disk access.

I did read that it was written as 16-bit Windows 3.1 vs 32-bit Windows 95 in the mid-1990s but that wasn't true at all.
Title: Re: Windows 3.1 and 32-bit
Post by: TimoVJL on January 15, 2025, 04:39:17 AM
In Win32s 1.30 there is Freecell game and it still works.
It was useful for long time ago with WFW 3.11, when i started programming for NT4 and some tool programs also worked in it.
Title: Re: Windows 3.1 and 32-bit
Post by: John Z on January 15, 2025, 07:35:47 AM
Microsoft MSWorks released in 1987 through 2009 still runs today in Win 11 23H2, yes I do....
File version 4.0.3.442  7/20/1995


John Z