I have been wanting to use Windows 3.1 for a long time. But I don’t know how to install it along side XP. I know you have to make another partition on the hard drive. Thats all I know.
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Instead of partitioning and setting up a dual boot system I suggest you run Windows 3.1 inside a Virtual Machine. In this way you can run Win XP and 3.1 concurrently as Win 3.1 runs in a window much like other XP applications while retaining all functionalities.
The following virtual machines are free to donwload and install
– Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
– Open Source VirtualBox
Choose the one you prefer (MS Virtual PC is the easiest in my opinion), set up and install the guest operating system (Win 3.1). The process is easier to perform than to explain.
This way you avoid harmful partitioning and dual boot and run the legacy environment safely. Obviously you need a legal copy of MS-DOS 6.22 or almost 5.00 as the base for Win 3x.
Stick with IVO’s suggestion. A virtual machine is less risky than trying to manipulate your drive with bootloaders/managers, and if you screw up the DOS/Win3.1 installation, you can always just blow away the old and recreate a new virtual machine with just a few clicks.
mmm To help cpatazek understand the what/why/how of it all…
The core condition for a dual/multi-boot environment that incudes dos (upto 6x) or dos based OS is for the commonly used active Primary partition to be fat16 – and no larger than 2Gig… If no dos 6x/windows 2x-3x present then the primary could be fat32 – unless one is inclduing NT3x/4x; in which case it again has to be fat16 for the active primary (and again max of 2Gig)…
Dos and dos-based OS (windows 2x/3x) have to be in the first (Primary) partition on the hard-drive; that partition can be a maximum of 2Gig (if using dos 5x/6x) and “must” obviously be fat16. And it will be the active Primary… unless using an add-in boot utility.
Presuming not using an add-in boot manager… and yet wishing a dual/multi-boot environment; all other OS can go where you want (within reason). But… their respective boot/start-up files “must” be installed/pressent in the active Primary – in this case the dos (fat16) active Primary…
When one installs any of the NT family it will (if done correctly) install its boot-files into the designated/active Prmary; install a boot-manger (part of NT family OS); and create a boot.ini/menu that has both the NT OS(s) and dos listed; and if windows 2x/3x is there… then that too…
Thus although NT can handle fat16 (to a max of 4Gig) and ntfs, and its its relatives can handle fat32, and variants of ntfs… all boot-files would reside in a fat16 primary… And this if especially if NT is there with ‘9x/ME…
While dos/win2x-3x has to be in the first cative primary on a drive… all other OS can go elsewhere on a drive (within some limits depending on the OS).
In your situation if you were not using a virtual environment (and it is logically the easier way to go here?) then you would have to tweak the drive so as to create a smallish fat16 Primary ahead of the present one… Then do a llittle work to establish XP boot-files therein; then runa wee routine to make XP boot via that new dos Primary… Not hard to do but has to be done carefuly/properly… AFter-whcih yoi would have both OS as options to boot etc…