Windows 3.11 Question

[GT98]

Boy I'm rusty when it comes to Win3.1, I currently have a PC that boots 50% of the time into Windows, and the other time it shows the Win3.1 splash screen then goes goes to DOS screen with just a blinking cursor. I'm thinking that the Win386.SWP is screwed up, but I can't find the file for the life of me in DOS. Any suggestions?

[KeiFront]

Try dir *.swp /s (in Dos) to find the swap file.

[SteveC]

add '/a' too incase it's hidden/system/whatever.

You never know you may have win3.1 set up to use a temp swap file which only gets created when you start up windows.

Run a scandisk and check you're not out of space. Also check your sound and graphic drivers.

[RichL]

/a is for files with the Archive bit set.
You want DIR /H /S for Hidden and System files.

Damn, its scary how easy that came back to me

[Sisyfos]

Originally posted by RichL
/a is for files with the Archive bit set.
You want DIR /H /S for Hidden and System files.

Damn, its scary how easy that came back to me

No, Steve had it right, DIR/A is for Attributes.
You may use DIR/AHS to specify only hidden and system files.

But why not let DIR/? do the talking

Kim

[Pace]

Or stick the drive in another box - cheat hehe

[Gurm]

Of course, you're assuming that the swap file is the problem. With the symptoms you describe, I'd be suspicious of the 32-bit HDD controller drivers. Those things went belly-up all the time, especially with later systems.

- Gurm

[GT98]

Some more info...I haven't been able to find the Win386.swp file on this PC, though with the other computers that I messed around with I found it with no problems when I was copying over the Hard drives when their crapped out and it needed to be wiped out so it would boot into Win 3.1.

I messed around with the settings and the 32bit disc access wasnt enabled either and I enabled it and no change with the 50/50 chance of it booting up into Win3.1.


The machines are old DEC Celebrus P90 with a whopping 16M of memory. They are about 10 years old now and The system we use them with (That also use acheint Laser Disc Players) isn't Sechuled to be phased out till 2003/4 time frame if I'm lucky . The upshoot is that I'll have Matrox G450/G550 in the new systems . Gotta love working for the goverment!

[Gurm]

Install Win98.

- Gurm

[DosFreak]

Install NT4.

[Pace]

Install Slackware?

[GT98]

Thanks for the suggestion, but these guys are locked into Win3.11 since we have a custom program that needs to access the LPD that are attached to them and also access the OpenVMS network we have here...