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              How Windows 3.x Works with Inboard 386/PC                   
                                                                          
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 WINDOWS 3.1 FOR THE INBOARD 386/PC

     Even though the Inboard has been discontinued, Intel will continue to
     provide technical support to Inboard 386/PC owners and will honor the
     five year warranty.  However, we will not be releasing a version of
     Windows 3.1 for the Inboard 386/PC.

     Releasing special versions of Windows is something extra Intel has done
     for its customers.  The decision to stop was not made lightly, and we
     have reconsidered it several times.  Each time we did so, we came to
     the same conclusion:  It would be best not to release a special version
     of Windows 3.1 for the Inboard 386/PC.  There are several reasons for
     this decision:

     *   The Inboard 386/PC has been on the market for many years.  It was
         designed to give 8-bit machines (such as the IBM PC/XT) the
         benefits of a 386 CPU.  For a long time, 386 specific software ran
         wonderfully on Inboard 386/PC equipped systems.  While Windows 3.0
         and 3.1 make use of 386 CPUs, they also rely on advanced hardware
         that the Inboard 386/PC cannot provide to the XT motherboard:  two
         programmable interrupt controllers, a 16-bit DMA controller, CMOS
         memory, and a 16-bit bus.

     *   Intel invested a lot of money, time, and effort to modify the
         Windows 3.0 Virtual Device Drivers (VDDs) to support the 8-bit
         architecture of an IBM XT.  Windows 3.1 would require this
         investment be made again.  It's possible that we would have to
         modify every subsequent release of Windows, and there is no
         guarantee that Windows' use of advanced hardware can continue to be
         supported on Inboard 386/PC equipped systems by modifying the
         Virtual Device Drivers.

     *   Other software packages have modified VDDs too.  Any software
         package that substituted its own modified VDD for one of Intel's
         modified VDDs would be incompatible with the Inboard 386/PC release
         of Windows 3.x.

     *   Microsoft has stated publicly that they are moving away from
         supporting 8-bit system architecture in their software products
         (eg. Windows 3.1 has dropped the REAL MODE function that Windows
         3.0 had).  Microsoft could have designed their software to allow
         for 386 based machines with an 8-bit system architecture.  They
         chose not to.  Their position is understandable:  they want to take
         advantage of the performance benefits offered by advanced hardware.
         There is a trade-off, however. With this software design trend,
         older system architectures become obsolete.

     With the decrease in prices for i386cpu motherboards, and the increase
     in software which use the advanced hardware on i386 CPU based systems,
     the Inboard 386/PC is no longer a viable solution.  The Inboard 386/PC
     was marketed as a way to extend the life of a PC or XT system.  It did
     that very well for many years.  But, there are limits to what it can
     do, and Windows makes it clear that those limits have been reached.

 WINDOWS 3.0 FOR THE INBOARD 386/PC

 WHAT IT IS

     When Microsoft shipped the original Windows 3.0, it could only be run
     in the REAL (and rarely the STANDARD) mode on systems with an InBoard
     386/PC. Intel responded to customer requests and hired a programmer to
     port Windows 3.0 into Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC.

     Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC will run in ENHANCED, STANDARD, or
     REAL modes right out of the box. This gives the customer the perfect
     environment for running Windows 3.0 compatible software.

     Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC has under gone extensive testing on
     IBM PCs and XTs, Compaq Portables and Portable Plus, Tandy 1200HDs, and
     Leading Edge Model Ds. Final testing showed any problems existing with
     Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC also exist with Windows 3.0 running
     on a true 386 machine.

     Technical support for this will be provided by Microsoft, Ph: (206)
     454-2030.

 EMM386.SYS FROM WINDOWS

     Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC ships without Microsoft's
     EMM386.SYS. EMM386.SYS is used to supply Expanded Memory for DOS
     applications outside of the Windows environment. EMM386.SYS only
     provides a 64K page frame and does not support loading TSRs out of
     Conventional Memory. Expanded Memory is automatically provided by
     Windows for DOS applications running under the Windows environment.

     A third party Extended Memory Manager must be used to get Expanded
     Memory outside of the Windows environment or load TSRs out of
     Conventional Memory. At this time, the only Extended Memory Managers we
     know of that will work in conjunction with Windows 3.0 for the InBoard
     386/PC are QEMM386 version 5.11 (or newer) by QuarterDeck, and 386^Max
     5.12 (or newer) by Qualitas.

 QEMM 5.1X

     Only QEMM386.SYS ver 5.12 or higher will work with Windows 3.0 for the
     InBoard 386/PC.QEMM386.SYS ver 5.11 will work fine in the REAL or
     ENHANCED mode, but not the STANDARD mode. A customer with QEMM386.SYS
     ver 5.11 can download the upgrade from QOS's BBS (213)396-3904 the file
     name is WIN300.PAT or WIN300.ZIP. The customer will need to have his
     QEMM386 serial number to log onto the BBS.

     *Special Note* To get QEMM386.SYS 5.1X to work, the DEVICE =
     QEMM386.SYS line had to be heavily modified. The video range had to be
     excluded with X=A000-<end of video range>, the High Density Floppy
     Controller ROM should be cached with ROM=<HiDensity ROM address>, the
     RAM switch must be used to provide LOADHI support, the U8 (unusual
     keyboard controller) switch must be used because QEMM386.SYS expects a
     AT keyboard, and IA (ignore A20) switch must be used because there is
     no hardware on the motherboard to support A20 switching. The whole line
     looks like this:

     Device=QEMM386.SYS X=A000-C7FF ROM=C800-CBFF RAM U8 IA

     FEATURES: Replaces HIMEM.SYS

     Allows Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC to come up in REAL, STANDARD,
     or ENHANCED mode.

     Supports loading TSRs out of Conventional Memory (LOADHI).

     Provides Expanded Memory for DOS applications running outside of the
     Windows ENHANCED mode, running under Windows in the STANDARD mode, or
     running under Windows in the REAL mode.

 QEMM 6.0

     QEMM 6.0 has been tested with the InBoard(TM) 386/PC and Windows 3.0
     for the InBoard(TM) 386/PC. There are no compatibility issues, they are
     compatible. The standard installation procedure works flawlessly.
     Before running OPTIMIZE and using the STEALTH capability of QEMM 6.0,
     the user must add the command line DEVICE=<path>HOOKROM.SYS as the
     first line of the CONFIG.SYS (see the README file from QuarterDeck for
     more information).

 386^MAX

     386^MAX ver 5.10 and 5.12 have been tested with the InBoard(TM) 386/PC
     and Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC and they are semi-compatible.
     The standard installation procedure for 386^MAX worked flawlessly, as
     did MAXIMIZE., LOADHI.SYS and LOADHI.COM. Windows came up fine in both
     REAL and ENHANCED modes, but failed to come up at all in the STANDARD
     mode.

     FEATURES: Replaces HIMEM.SYS

     Allows Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC to come up in REAL, or
     ENHANCED mode BUT NOT STANDARD MODE.

     Supports loading TSRs out of Conventional Memory (LOADHI).

     Provides Expanded Memory for DOS applications running outside of the
     Windows ENHANCED mode, or under Windows in the REAL mode.

 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

     1.  MEMORY:  A system with an InBoard 386/PC and no piggy will run
         Windows for the InBoard 386/PC in REAL mode. Windows for the
         InBoard 386/PC follows Microsoft specifications and requires 384K
         Extended memory for the STANDARD mode and as much Extended memory
         as possible for the ENHANCED mode. To get the maximum performance,
         a piggy with at least 1Mb should be added. 2 or 4Mb is better.

     2.  VGA: is almost a must. The screens look better and it is easier on
         the eyes. CGA has the most hard-to-read display. A name brand video
         card is also highly recommended. Clone video cards can cause
         problems.

     3.  MOUSE: A Mouse is almost a requirement. Moving through Windows
         without a Mouse is inconvenient at best, maddening at worst.

     4.  HARD DISK:  Hard Disk capacity is critical. Windows 3.0
         applications are Hard Disk pigs. Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC
         can run just fine on a 10Mb drive, but more memory is very
         desirable.

     5.  HIGH DENSITY DRIVE:  A High Density Drive is going to become very
         important. Nearly all Windows 3.0 applications ship on 1.2M
         floppies. Some High Density Floppy Controllers have a BIOS on them
         that conflicts with the InBoard 386/PC.

     NOTE:
         Try to integrate the Hard Drive and Floppy Drive Controllers. This
         will save a slot and cut down on the number of vendors supplying
         control equipment. Check under High Density Controllers in an XT.

 WINDOWS 3.0 (STORE BOUGHT VERSION)

     Windows 3.0 (the version that was available in stores) is NOT
     compatible with the Inboard 386/PC. This version of Windows assumes the
     system board of the computer has at least 16bit hardware support. In
     8088-based systems that support is not possible.

     To get around this issue, Intel sponsered the development of "Windows
     3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC".  This version translated the 16bit system
     board calls into the 8bit calls 8088-based systems can handle.

     "Windows 3.0 for the InBoard 386/PC" is currently on available WHILE
     SUPPLIES LAST from the Intel Order Department. The cost for this
     version of Windows 3.0 is $79 and is available only in the United
     States and Canada.  Ordering information is available from the FaxBACK
     document 9012.



End of file                 Intel FaxBack # 2558          July 17,1992
