floppy drive Archives

Winsage

April 2, 2026

Windows 3.1 On A Modern AM5-Based PC Is Surprisingly Usable

Enthusiasts can install Windows 3.1 on modern x86-compatible PCs, as demonstrated by tech aficionado [Omores]. The installation requires an AMD AM5 system with an Asus Prime X670-P motherboard that has a UEFI BIOS with the 'classic BIOS' Compatibility Support Module (CSM) enabled. Users can install Windows 3.1 using a USB floppy drive with backup floppies from the early 90s. Windows 3.1 features 'enhanced mode' for virtual memory and multitasking on systems with an 80386 CPU or better. The ahcifix.386 fix, developed by [PluMGMK], can resolve boot crashes related to SATA compatibility, and a separate SATA expansion card may also help. For video performance, [PluMGMK] provided the vbesvga.drv driver, which supports all VESA BIOS Extensions modes and works with the RTX 5060 Ti GPU, including DCI support for direct access to GPU VRAM. Audio functionality is robust but has minor driver-related quirks.

Winsage

October 26, 2025

Windows 95, With Just A Floppy Drive

Microsoft's Windows 95 has reached its 30th anniversary, marking its influence on software design and 32-bit computing. A project by Robert’s Retro is creating a full installation of Windows 95 using only a floppy drive, which challenges the original system requirements of a 386 processor, 4 megabytes of memory, and a hard drive. Robert uses a FlashPath device to allow a SmartMedia card to function as a 32-megabyte floppy disk. To install Windows 95, he employs methods such as using a compressed DriveSpace volume, creating a RAM drive, and booting from a conventional floppy disk before switching to the FlashPath. This project aims to run Windows 95 from RAM for improved speed and offers a complete installation rather than a minimalist version.