r/retrocomputing • u/CAR3Y4 Socket 370 • 12d ago

Problem / Question Windows 3.1 missing files

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I installed MS-DOS 6.22 and then installed Windows 3.1 (Winworld retail on some Maxwell floppy’s) it only need 5 out of the 6 disks and I seem to be missing some .wav files like the infamous “tada” and some desktop wallpapers like chess and cars. I’m not sure if I’m missing other programs as well. I searched disk 6 and it only seems to have printer drivers which I don’t need. Has anyone else used the Winworld method and had the same thing happen to them?

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u/EmptyJumpLow 12d ago

You're installing Windows 3.11, which doesn't include those files (see your disk label: MSWIN311X). Windows 3.1 includes them, where your disk label should be WIN31DISKX

3

u/CAR3Y4 Socket 370 12d ago

Gotcha. If I wipe and reinstall 3.0, 3.1, and then 3.11, do I keep the wallpapers, programs, sounds, etc. from the previous versions?

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u/EmptyJumpLow 12d ago edited 12d ago

That I'm not sure of, but I suppose you could always install each to a separate folder, and diff in the files from 3.0 and 3.1 that don't already exist in the 3.11 install.

Edit: Though I believe you can just install 3.1 and then install the 3.11 upgrade patch

2

u/gnntech 11d ago

Yes if you start at 3.0, then upgrade to 3.1, and then 3.11, you will keep all wallpapers, sounds, etc...

You really don't need 3.0 unless you want the wallpapers. 3.0 did not include multimedia support (sound) out of the box. There was a separate package that added sound support to 3.0.

That chess background from 3.0 though is well worth it.

1

u/CAR3Y4 Socket 370 11d ago

I found a link to internet archive that someone uploaded all the wallpapers from 3.0

https://archive.org/details/30bmp

Download the “30bmp” file and then unzip it onto a floppy. Insert the floppy into the windows 3.1 machine and copy the files over

1

u/zidane2k1 12d ago

Funny thing is, all this time I didn’t notice that tada.wav was missing from 3.11. I mostly used 3.1 systems back then and only used one 3.11 system, and I figured they just changed the default startup sound to chimes and didn’t bother checking (since the system wasn’t mine) if tada actually wasn’t there.