# WIN 3.1 CD-ROM Drive **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223 "2012-01-21T16:54:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/1 "2012-01-21T16:54:51Z")
My nephews have requested that I pull my 486 PC out of mothballs and configure it such that it can play the ancient DOS games that they cut their teeth on. Regrettably, these games are unplayable on a Pentium I or faster processor (run way too fast) and I am unable to load WIN 95 or better on this dinosaur PC. So, Win 3.1 it is and everything seems to be working right except I cannot get the OS to “see” the CD-ROM drive. It would be nice to have the CD-ROM working in order to load some of the final generation DOS games, too. I have done umpteen web searches for this problem, have tried them all and can’t seem to get anything to make the CD-ROM work. Below are my autoexec.bat and config.sys. Any assistance will be much appreciated. Autoexec.bat SET BLASTER=A220 15 D1 T4 C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE @ECHO OFF C:\CRYSTAL\CS32MIX C=13 L=13 PROMPT $P$G SET PATH=C:\CRYSTAL;C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS SET TEMP=C:\DOS WIN Config.sys DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE DEVICE=C;\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH FILES=30 STACKS=9,256 ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/2 "2012-01-21T16:59:15Z")
You will need an atapi driver for that model cdrom ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/3 "2012-01-21T17:17:08Z")
have you tried DOSBox? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/4 "2012-01-21T17:18:20Z")
Can you maybe just use DOSbox on a more modern machine? [http://www.dosbox.com/](http://www.dosbox.com/) I sometimes play really old abandonware games through this, so it is an option. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/5 "2012-01-21T18:13:26Z")
There’s also [Good Old Games](http://www.gog.com/), which sells these sorts of games for ~$5. They give you a completely DRM-free download that works just fine on modern computers. ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/6 "2012-01-21T18:13:56Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > You will need an atapi driver for that model cdrom This is true, although I seem to remember there being a generic ATAPI driver that would work with just about anything. You’ll also (probably, this was ages ago) need to set up MSCDEX.EXE, which comes with DOS, to get Windows 3.1 to recognize a CD-ROM drive. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/7 "2012-01-21T18:21:39Z")
You need to load MSCDEX and an ATAPI driver. MSCDEX is included with MS-DOS 6.22, and you can find oakcdrom.sys online or on a Windows 95/98 CD, which is the more or less standard generic ATAPI driver. If you are lucky enough to still have the manufacturer-provided ATAPI driver somewhere, then you can use that. But you will need to review the documentation for that driver to find out what type of config switches you need. Put “DEVICEHIGH=\ /D:CDROM” in config.sys and “LH \ /D:CDROM /E” in autoexec.bat The text following /D: is a user-specified label that ties the driver and MSCDEX together. MSCDEX has other switches that control how it uses memory and buffer space, which you can look up to tune performance and memory usage. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/8 "2012-01-21T18:24:40Z")
I concur with **Wheeljack** in toto. Site[del]s[/del] to try: [http://www.mywindowspage.com/](http://www.mywindowspage.com/) [del][oldfiles.org.uk](http://oldfiles.org.uk/powerload/win3x.htm%5B/del%5D) apparently now defunct Mods, I don’t think [del]either of these sites violate[/del] this site violates any file sharing rules, but please accept my apologies if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/9 "2012-01-21T18:26:06Z")
The relevant entries from my startup files, for example: CONFIG.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\CPQIDECD.SYS /D:IDECD001 This is the actual CDROM driver, which comes with the drive. My particular copy has worked with a wide variety of other drives, however; I don’t know what that’s about. AUTOEXEC.BAT C:\WINDOWS\MSCDEX.EXE /S /D:IDECD001 /L:D This is the Microsoft end of the exchange, which allows DOS and Windows to communicate with the above driver. MSCDEX should be in your Windows or DOS directory. I’m not sure where you’d get the driver loaded in CONFIG.SYS. I’d give you mine but my DOS machine has no way to write files to anything my other computers can read. ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/10 "2012-01-21T18:27:32Z")
Dangit, should have previewed. Also, your AUTOEXEC.BAT should be devoid of smilies. That’s the / L : D argument, which designates the drive letter. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/11 "2012-01-21T18:30:04Z")
Note on the above that missed the edit window: scroll down to the DOS section. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/12 "2012-01-22T06:27:19Z")
> [@Wheeljack](#): > > Dangit, should have previewed. Also, your AUTOEXEC.BAT should be devoid of smilies. That’s the / L : D argument, which designates the drive letter. Ah, if only Microsoft had the foresight to include them, we wouldn’t have had generations of disgruntled DOS users. Windows would never have been necessary. If only. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/13 "2012-01-22T11:09:09Z")
This takes me back a bit… > [@Hilary\_Algar](#): > > C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE You want something like SMARTDRV C+ - see [here](http://www.computerhope.com/smartdrv.htm). > [@](#): > > @ECHO OFF This should be the very first line. > [@](#): > > SET TEMP=C:\DOS NO! You don’t want your temporary files going into your DOS directory. SET TEMP=C:\TEMP SET TMP=%TEMP% Make sure you have a C:\TEMP directory, of course. > [@](#): > > DOS=HIGH Should be DOS=HIGH,UMB > [@](#): > > FILES=30 This is on the low side. Try FILES=60. If you’re running DOS games as well, you may need [EMM386](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722864.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-3-1-cd-rom-drive/610223/14 "2012-01-23T14:43:49Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > You need to load MSCDEX and an ATAPI driver. MSCDEX is included with MS-DOS 6.22, and you can find oakcdrom.sys online or on a Windows 95/98 CD, which is the more or less standard generic ATAPI driver. If you are lucky enough to still have the manufacturer-provided ATAPI driver somewhere, then you can use that. But you will need to review the documentation for that driver to find out what type of config switches you need. > > Put “DEVICEHIGH=\ /D:CDROM” in config.sys and “LH \ /D:CDROM /E” in autoexec.bat > > The text following /D: is a user-specified label that ties the driver and MSCDEX together. MSCDEX has other switches that control how it uses memory and buffer space, which you can look up to tune performance and memory usage. If I were her, I’d get a Windows 95/98 [boot floppy](http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm) and boot off it, watching to the screen to see which CD driver works, then I’d copy that file off to the hard drive and use it. The OAK one may work, but it might be another one.