For reasons I can’t explain, I need to maintain a system clock computer that is running on an old 486 DX2 running Windows 3.1. The problem is, we don’t shift to Daylight Savings Time and back on the same dates as in …say 1993.
I cannot find anywhere in the set-up that enables/disables DST.
I have researched inserting the line SET TZ= xxxyyyzzz into the autoexec.bat file but other than waiting for October, I have no way of viewing the result or testing it.
Anyone remember how to get Windows 3.1 to ignore DST or better yet, anyone know how to write the code so it will shift on the correct dates?
Wow! Crazy man! . . that’s all I got. . . bump?
A quick check: is this Windows NT 3.1 or 16-bit Windows 3.1?
This thread indcates you can use TZEDIT to update 16-bit Windows. I’m guessing but you might have to install Win32S.
Alternatively, you could try running the app under OS/2 2.x.
It’s 16-bit Windows 3.1, your link only applies to Win98 and up
If you scroll down, it indicates that you can also use it for Windows 3.1
I honestly don’t remember Windows 3.1 even offering the feature to make the clock change. I don’t even think it ever acknowledged timezones. From what little googling I did, the TZ variable is actually for your web browser or email client, and does nothing in DOS or Windows itself. If your computer is changing the time, I’d check for an installed program that is changing it, or check the BIOS for some odd setting.
Before I try to make a batch file or find a program that can help keep the time accurate, I need you to answer a question: Does your computer have Internet access?
EDIT: Win32s is rather slow. I wouldn’t use it unless there are no other options. I’m pretty sure there are some 16-bit programs out there. I may have even found one, but I need to have time to test it before I recommend it, and I’ll be a bit busy until this evening.
It may be me, but I do not see where it indicates that. I will see if there is a similar file in the Windows 3.1 folder.
See? It was apparently in the Resource Kit.
Okay, so I haven’t had a chance to test this yet (as I have to install a bunch of crap to do it), but I figure you might want to try it out anyways.
This program called Tardis supposedly will use the network to set the time, and they have a Windows 3.1 version.
Thank you. Now I don’t feel so bad. I have to maintain a system running Windows 2000 because the hardware/software used by the system cannot be upgraded. I’m still waiting for authorization to buy a complete new operation.
The computer is a stand-alone and is not connected to a network.
Basically, this computer controls for the PA/intercom system, the internal/external phone system, and the automated synchronized clock system, as well as many other features such as music, automated announcements, chimes, doorbells, etc… for a large complex.
Due to compatability issues, cost, etc. a total retrofit is not possible, or even necessary at this point since the system works quite flawlessly other than it shifts for DST on the former dates, even after I change it manually.
I’m guessing somebody wrote a little program for your Windows box 15 years ago to automatically change the system time based on the DST rules of the time, and it is still running to this day, unmolested and happy. Or they downloaded a piece of free/shareware to do the same.
Like what others have mentioned before, the idea of setting a time zone with automatic DST changes wasn’t introduced in non-NT versions of Windows until 95 was released. But I’m betting that in the pre 95 days, there was plenty of free/share/payware clock management programs out there to handle time zone issues.
Doesn’t someone have DOS or Windows 3.1 virtual machines? I’ve looked and never found one, but these compatibility issues come up enough you’d think someone would have done this. It seems like it would be simpler to make DOS than say Windows XP.
Am I the only one who kept double checking the post dates on this thread to see if it REALLY was from the year 2012? I mean, a computer running windows 3.1 in 1998 or 1999 in the very early days of this message board… maybe. But 2012?
3.x is supported on dosbox, I’m not sure how compatible applications running on 3.x are on dosbox, but I’ve had no troubles with anything I’ve ever tried to run. You could also just install MS-DOS on a normal virtual machine and then install 3.x on that. But that wouldn’t actually solve the OP’s problem.
I checked multiple times and still can’t believe it.
There are a couple of linux distros designed to run on very old hardware. It could make the computer more useful. No idea if that’s an option for you or not though.
I ran Windows 3.1 on DOSBox between the beginning and end of my first post. It does not include any automatic DST changes.
Based on the type of software you are running, I’d say it’s probably an option in the scheduling program(s) it is running. Just hunt around for it, and, if you can’t find it, mention the name of the program(s) and maybe someone here can help.
I mean, I could probably hack a solution that would just undo the changes as they happened (assuming you restart the computer at least once a day or at least shut it off on the weekends), but it’s a suboptimal solution.
If you’re running Windows 3.1, it’s probably running on top of MS-DOS or PC-DOS, neither of which (to my recollection) have good support for time zones and DST, especially modern TZ data. However, I’m pretty sure that FreeDOS, a free, actively maintained, 100% MS-DOS compatible operating system, has modern TZ/DST support. (You might want to check on their mailing list to be sure its functionality is sufficient for your needs, though.) It should be a very simple matter to replace your MS-DOS/PC-DOS with FreeDOS; Windows 3.1 will continue to run as usual.