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I have a modern laptop running Windows 3.1 (with FreeDOS on the hard drive) which I want to connect to the Internet and use Internet Explorer 3, which I heard works with Windows 3.1.

I want to connect using Ethernet, but I’m worried it won’t work with my hardware, as it is so new. I also don't know what network card my laptop is using, as it’s not in the BIOS.

If anyone knows any good ideas, or modern hardware-ish drivers, please tell me, or at least how to do it without a modem.

I do not think this will work because of the hardware I am using, but a lot of things are possible these days, so I thought it might be worth a try.

user3840170
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Windows-'NT'-
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  • What do you intend to connect to with IE3? Your IE3 may or may not even support SSL, depending on what patches you have installed. Even if it does support SSL, the level of support is not sufficient to connect to any https web site today. If you only want to connect to http sites, then it could work for you. – Greg Hewgill Apr 30 '23 at 22:35
  • @GregHewgill just regular google searching, it would be very cool to browse the web on windows 3,1 – Windows-'NT'- Apr 30 '23 at 22:36
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    You need to know what Ethernet adapter you have, and then find drivers for that specific adapter. We can't supply you with a boatload of random drivers. – Justme Apr 30 '23 at 22:42
  • @Justme how can i find it, since its not in the bios, and how do i get internet tools bbtw? – Windows-'NT'- Apr 30 '23 at 22:43
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    @Windows-'NT'- how to find which network adapter a modern computer has is not really retrocomputing. But surely you can find manufacturer specs for a modern computer? – Justme Apr 30 '23 at 22:49
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    Windows 3.1 did not AFAIK come with TCP/IP built in. You needed Windows for Workgroups 3.11 for that, or else you needed a 3rd party product. – dave Apr 30 '23 at 23:58
  • (1) Please edit question and add manufacturer and model of laptop (and while you are at it, use it to google for the hardware specs). (2) As it's a modern laptop, get an USB stick with Linux, boot from it, and use lspci etc. to determine the network adapter. Edit question with results. (3) Use network adapter name to google for WIndows 3.1 drivers for it. – dirkt May 01 '23 at 06:16
  • You should consider installing a modern OS and using virtualisation or emulation : VirtualBox, VMWare, Bochs... – Grabul May 01 '23 at 08:28
  • Radio amateurs had this working on both DOS and 3.1 using KA9Q TCP/IP and an adaptor on the parallel port. I still have one around I used on an early system in my junk pile! http://www.ka9q.net/code/ka9qnos/ – Brian Tompsett - 汤莱恩 May 01 '23 at 08:59
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    SLIP or PPP over serial would probably be easier than Ethernet. Any modern ethernet card (i.e made after 1998) is unlikely to be supported on Win 3.1. – vidarlo May 01 '23 at 09:39
  • @another-dave i tried downloading Windows for workgroups 311. but I just edited my question, as i forgot to add that i am using a Freedos hard drive. and It says "unsupported Dos version" – Windows-'NT'- May 01 '23 at 09:54
  • @Windows-'NT'-: Modern Google redirects http requests to https. You may find that few sites will talk to you without modern TLS software, which I'm pretty sure does not exist for 16-bit Windows. The final version of IE that supported 16-bit was IE5.0. – John Dallman May 01 '23 at 15:32
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    In those daya, I remember using the trumpet winsock driver https://winworldpc.com/product/trumpet-winsock/3x You will also need a dos based packet driver. – camelccc May 01 '23 at 18:57
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    If you read the first comment by @GregHewgill carefully, you could have noticed that almost all websites expect a serious level of security, which your system will not provide. Google is certainly among these websites, and you will not be able to connect to its search service. Your attempt might be a thrilling experiment, but I'm afraid also a quite frustrating one. It is like trying to enter a modern highway with a carriage and horse. – the busybee May 02 '23 at 05:47
  • @Windows-'NT'- if you want a useful answer (including “you can’t do this”), please [edit] your question to include specifics of the hardware you’re trying to use. – Stephen Kitt May 02 '23 at 10:08
  • It might be helpful to also state "to what end" - exploration of the historic Windows 3.x environment, using it in conjunction with other historic software, etc.... ? The question almost suggests an extremely misinformed attempt at trying to make Windows 3.x usable for modern general purpose tasks (because that's the software that happened to be at hand) - which is as feasible and safe as a horse cart on a german motorway (and unnecessary, a modern laptop will run reasonably easy to use linux variants at not cost and be great for web tasks). – rackandboneman May 08 '23 at 08:46
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    Even if you get it to work, Internet Explorer 3 is heavily outdated and will not be able to display modern websites. If i were you, i would install Debian Linux and run FreeDOS inside of a Virtual Machine. That way, you will have Internet access with a modern Browser and FreeDOS and Windows 3.1. – Coder May 09 '23 at 05:11

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