Frequently Asked Questions About OS/2 for Windows

From:  David Reich  OS/2 Tech Support Lead
                    Boca Raton, Florida

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Question:  How can I set up OS/2 for Windows for HPFS only?

Details of Question:

     User has OS/2 For Windows and would like to set up the system
     for HPFS only.

Answer Summary:

     The issue is that in order to enable Windows application
     support under OS/2 for Windows, real Microsoft Windows 3.1 must
     be installed.  Windows 3.1 will not install under OS/2, only
     DOS.  Since DOS cannot see or access HPFS drives, the problem
     is how to get Windows 3.1 on an HPFS drive.

     The user can install DOS and Windows, back up the Windows code
     to diskettes, install OS/2 for Windows, then restore the
     Windows code from diskettes, then use selective install from
     OS/2 to add the Windows application support.


Detailed Answer:

     1.  Make sure your system has DOS and Windows 3.1 on it.

     2.  Back up to diskette the subdirectory(ies) that contain the
         Windows code only. There is no need to back up the DOS code,
         since you will not need it in this all-HPFS configuration.

     3.  Install OS/2 for Windows, choosing to reformat the partition
         with HPFS.

     4.  Create the appropriate directory on the target drive, and
         restore the Windows 3.1 code from diskettes.

     5.  Open the OS/2 System folder, then the System Setup folder,
         and start Selective Install.

     6.  Follow the steps to install Windows application support.

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Question:  After installing OS/2 for Windows, the mouse does
                 not work at all.

Details of Question:

     User installed OS/2 for Windows. After rebooting the system,
     the mouse does not work. When booting to DOS, the mouse works
     fine.

Answer Summary:

     Sometimes if there is a DOS-based mouse device driver
     installed, the OS/2 mouse device driver does not get copied
     over. The solution is to unpack and copy over the OS/2 mouse
     device driver.


Detailed Answer:

     The OS/2 mouse device driver can be found on diskette 1 of the
     installation package.

     1.  Copy the file MOUSE.SYS from the installation diskette 1 to
         the \OS2 directory on the boot drive.


     2.  The line containing MOUSE.SYS should be in the OS/2
         CONFIG.SYS file.  In any case, you will need to reboot
         the system for the device driver change to take effect.  If
         it is not, use selective install to reinstall the mouse
         device driver support.

         a.  Open the OS/2 System folder, then the System Setup
             folder, then open the Selective Install item.

         b.  The first screen will indicate mouse support. Select
             the one appropriate for the user's hardware and select
             the OK pushbutton, then select the Install pushbutton
             and let the mouse device support reinstall itself.

         c.  You must reboot the system for this change to take
             effect.

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Question:   How can I set up my OS/2 for Windows system for
            OS/2 only, with no DOS and Windows?

Description:    User wants to install OS/2 for Windows, but remove
                DOS from their system and just run OS/2 and Windows
                3.1 applications.

Answer Summary:

     The answer to this is to install OS/2 for Windows, then remove
     DOS and its related files from the hard disk.

Detials of Resolution:

     1.  Assuming you have DOS and Windows 3.1 installed, install
         OS/2 for Windows, choosing the options you wish, and
         choosing to NOT reformat the partition.

     2.  When you are finished, you will have a system that boots DOS
         as well as OS/2. Make sure you are booted to OS/2.

     3.  In the OS/2 subdirectory, there is a file called BOOT.COM.
         Delete it. You have now just remove the ability to boot back
         to DOS. If you want to retain the ability to reenable it,
         you can rename the file to something like BOOT.BAK.

     4.  If you truly do not ever want to boot this machine to
         DOS again, you can remove the \DOS subdirectory and the
         CONFIG.DOS files from your system.

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Question:  Can I use the High Performance File System (HPFS)
           with OS/2 for Windows?

Description:  User would like to use OS/2 for Windows, but still be
              able to use the High Performance File System.

Answer Summary:

     This configuration is fine, but the user will not be able to
     put HPFS on the boot partition. Refer to PDDB 1111111 on how to
     set up this configuration.

Detailed Answer:

     In general, OS/2 for Windows systems are designed to be dual
     boot systems, allowing the user to boot both DOS and OS/2 from
     the same partition. In fact, this is how the default
     installation prepares the system. Since DOS cannot access HPFS
     drives, this boot drive will remain a FAT formatted drive.
     However, this does not preclude a user from formatting other
     HPFS drives on the system. The user must just be aware that
     when they are booted under DOS, those HPFS formatter partitions
     will not be visible.

     The user would:

     1.  Install OS/2 for Windows. In the selection panels, (s)he
         would choose to install HPFS support.

     2.  For any drives to be formatted HPFS, the user would issue
         the command:

         FORMAT X: /fs:HPFS

         There X is the drive to be formatted.

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Question:  Can I install OS/2 for Windows without Windows
           3.1?

Details of Question:

     User would like to use OS/2 for Windows, but without Windows
     application support and they do not have Microsoft Windows 3.1.

Answer Summary:

     No problem. Just install OS/2 for Windows.

Detailed Answer:

     Anyone can use OS/2 for Windows, even without Windows 3.1. The
     user would install OS/2 for Windows, choosing to format or not
     to format the partition as (s)he desires.

     The only caveat to this is that Winsdows applications will not
     run on this system. DOS applications, however will run if the
     user chose to install DOS application support.


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Question:  I want to install OS/2 for Windows but add the
           support for Windows applications later. Can I do
           this?


Details of Question:

     User would like to install OS/2 for Windows, but is unsure if
     they want Windows application support. Can this support be
     installed later?

Answer Summary:

     Yes.

Detailed Answer:

     This configuration is not a problm as long as the user
     understands several basic items.

     1.  Windows support under OS/2 for Windows can only be installed
         if Windows 3.1 is on the hard disk.

     2.  Windows 3.1 will NOT install under OS/2. The system must be
         booted under DOS in order to install Windows 3.1.

     3.  DOS cannot see nor access HPFS partitions.

     The idea here is that WIndows 3.1 must be on the hard disk to
     tell OS/2 for Windows to install Windows support. Therefore,
     DOS is needed to install Windows 3.1 on the hard disk. If the
     OS/2 for Windows system was created HPFS only, then this will
     not be possible, since DOS cannot access HPFS partitions.


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Question: Will Windows VxDs (Virtual Device Drivers) run
          on OS/2 for Windows.

Details of Question:

     The user wants to know that since OS/2 for Windows uses real
     Microsoft Windows 3.1 code, will OS/2 for WIndows allow the use
     of VxDs that are require by some Windows applications?

Answer Summary:

     The answer is no.

Detailed Answer:

     OS/2 for WIndows will not run applications requiring VxDs in
     Windows running under OS/2. However, since OS/2 for Windows
     creates by default, a dual-boot system where users can boot to
     DOS and Windows, these applications requiring VxDs can run in
     that environment is the user has set it up that way.

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Question:  What is OS/2 for WIndows and why should I get it?

Details of Question:

     The user wants to know what the purpose of OS/2 for Windows is
     and why someone would want it instead of a regular OS/2
     package.

Answer Summary:

     OS/2 for Windows is just a repackaged copy of OS/2, without the
     Windows application support built in. It uses a user's existing
     copy of Windows 3.1 to run Windows applications.

Detailed Answer:

     OS/2 for Windows is designed for the users of DOS and Windows
     who would like:

     1.  A lower-cost upgrade to OS/2

     2.  To still be able to run their DOS and Windows applications
         under either OS/2 or DOS and Windows, retaining their
         current copy and configuration of WIndows 3.1

     3.  #2 above, and do it in less disk space then having a full
         copy of OS/2 and Windows on the hard disk.

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Question:  What applications will run under OS/2 for Windows?

Details of Question:

     The user wants to know what applications will run under OS/2
     for Windows as opposed to a standard copy of OS/2.

Answer Summary:

     If a user installs the Windows application support under
     OS/2 for Windows, than any application (DOS, Windows or OS/2)
     that runs under OS/2 2.1 will run on OS/2 2.1 for Windows.


Detailed Answer:

     Assuming the user has a configuration with all the proper
     options selected (and features etc), anything that runs on OS/2
     2.1 will run on OS/2 2.1 for Windows. If it does not, then it
     is considered a bug and an APAR should be opened.

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Question:  I have Windows 3.1. It was installed from a CD-ROM.
           When I install OS/2 for Windows, it tries to find
           disk #7 on the CD. It is not there. How can I fix
           this?

Details of Question:

     User installed Windows from a CD-ROM.  During the installation
     of OS/2 for Windows, OS/2 asks for the Windows diskettes, but
     is treating the images on the CD as 5.25 inch images, where
     there are 7 diskettes.  There is no 7th image on the CD.

Answer Summary:

     The user will either have to obtain a diskette #7, or fake out
     the installation program.


Detailed Answer:

     There are 3 possibilities to fixing this situation:

     1.  Obtain a Windows 5.25 inch diskette #7.

     2.  Install Windows 3.1 from a floppy disk.  Then use the
         floppies during OS/2 for WIndows installation.

     3.  Create a "fake" diskette #7. This can be done by:

        a.  Format a blank 5.25 inch diskette.
        b.  Use the LABEL program to label it DISK7, according to
            the Microsoft Windows diskette labels.
        c.  Copy the files from diskette 6 from the CD to this
            diskette and use it when the installation program asks
            for diskette #7.
