Windows 2.11 386 Download
Windows 2 changes from Windows 1.x consist mainly of visual improvements. Windows 2 adds overlapping windows, menu keyboard shortcuts, VGA support, and other user interface changes influenced by IBM standards. Windows 2 is the last version that supports installation to a floppy disk, and to be available as an application run-time. Later editions of Windows 2 added support for 286 high memory, and running applications in a 386 VDM. The versioning is a little confusing. 2.x and 2.x/386 were released side-by-side. When it reached 2.1x, the regular 8088 version was renamed to Windows 2.1x/286. This is all unified in Windows 3.0.
Each DOS application can use as much low memory as is available before Windows is started, minus a few kilobytes of overhead. In March 1989, Windows 2.11 was released in Windows/286 and Windows/386 editions, with some minor changes. Windows 2.11 was superseded by Windows 3.0 in May 1990.
For a brief time during the Windows 2.x era, Microsoft considered dropping Windows in favor of OS/2. After a fallout between Microsoft and IBM, development refocused on Windows 3.0 and what would become Windows NT.
Wanted: Supposedly, Microsoft had a beta program manager and file manager for Windows 2 downloadable from their BBS.
Screenshots
X86: Windows 2.03 386 Edition RTM Fre De; x86: Windows 2.03 386 Edition NEC OEM RTM Fre En; x86-16: Windows 2.10 286 Edition RTM Fre En; x86: Windows 2.10 386 Edition RTM Fre En; x86-16: Windows 2.11 286 Edition RTM Fre En; x86: Windows 2.11 386 Edition RTM Fre En; Windows Version 3.x; Windows 95; Windows NT Version 3.x; Windows 2000; Windows. Download Windows 386 2.11 by Microsoft. Contains 7 720k raw disk images of Microsoft Windows 2.11/386. Use WinImage to extract or write to a floppy.
Release notes
Windows 2.1 came out less than a year after the initial 2.0 release and was released in two variants for the Intel 286 and Intel 386. The 386 version, in addition to the HIMEM.SYS support available for the 80286, Windows/386 could take advantage of the Virtual 8086 mode of the new Intel 386 processor. This allowed for true multi-tasking of MS-DOS applications (along with already cooperatively multi-tasked Windows applications) where as previous behavior was to suspend any application that was not in the foreground.
Installation instructions
Windows/386 requires an existing installation of MS-DOS 3.30 or higher.
To run under DOS 5.0 or later, make sure there is a SETVER entry for 'WIN200.BIN' to report DOS version '3.40'.
Wanted: Microsoft Windows/386 2.02 (one was spotted on eBay)
| A version of the Microsoft Windows operating system | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Source model | Closed source |
| Released to manufacturing | May 27, 1988; 33 years ago |
| Latest release | 2.11 / March 13, 1989; 32 years ago[1] |
| License | Commercial software |
| Preceded by | Windows 2.0 (1987) |
| Succeeded by | Windows 3.0 (1990) |
| Support status | |
| Unsupported as of December 31, 2001 | |
Windows 2.1x (also known as Windows/286 or Windows/386) is a historical version of Windowsgraphical user interface-based operating systems.
Windows/286 2.10 and Windows/386 2.10 were released on May 27, 1988, less than six months after the release of Windows 2.0. This is the first version of Windows to require a hard disk drive.[2]
Editions[edit]
Like Windows 2.0, two editions of Windows 2.1x were released with differing CPU compatibility. However, the naming convention was changed to Windows/286 and Windows/386.
Like Windows 2.0, the 286 edition would run on 8086 hardware, but without HMA support. A few PC vendors shipped Windows/286 with 8086 hardware; one such example was IBM's PS/2 Model 25, which included Windows/286, resulting in some customer confusion.[3]
Windows 2.11[edit]
On March 13, 1989, Windows 2.11 was released in Windows/286 and Windows/386 editions, with some minor changes in memory management, AppleTalk support, and faster printing with updated printer drivers.[4]
Windows 2.11 was superseded by Windows 3.0 in May 1990, but supported by Microsoft for twelve years, until December 31, 2001.[5]
Windows 2.11 386 Download Free
Successor[edit]
A successor to Windows 2.1x, Windows 3.0, was released on May 22, 1990, and the latest release, 3.00a, was released in October 1991. Microsoft had intended to make Windows 3.0 appealing to the general public. The company's 'Entry Team', assigned to that task, was concerned that the public might perceive it to be no more than a tool for large enterprises, due to the software's high system requirements. Major game publishers did not see it as a potential gaming platform, instead sticking to DOS.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Windows Version History'. Support. Microsoft. July 19, 2005.
- ^Seth Sibangan (August 4, 2013). 'Kellys'. SlideShare. Seth Sibangan. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- ^'Microsoft Windows/286'. www.oldcomputermuseum.com. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^'Microsoft Windows/286 v2.11'. Old Computer Museum. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^'Microsoft Support, Obsolete Products'. Microsoft. Archived from the original on August 14, 2005.
Further reading[edit]
- PC Magazine. 20 Years of Windows Solutions – Windows 286 & 386.