USB printer or device in Win 3.1

[acrosteve]

I need to run Windows 3.1 guest on a XP host. There is no way that Win 3.1 can drive the printer directly. So I was wondering how vmware handles the USB. Does it just allow pass through control for the guest OS, or does it use the drivers on the host OS to "emulate" the port in the guest?

Idealy, vmware would capture the LPT2 in Win3.1 and then direct it to the USB printer in XP. Can it do this?

Additionally, how about USB storage devices? Again, it would be ideal if I could get a drive letter in Win3.1 and map it to the USB device in XP.

So far, my only VM experience has been with Microsoft's 2007 product and I know it will not do what I would like it to do.

Thanks

[Texiwill]

Hello,

In order to use a USB device you will need a USB driver within the guest OS. I would setup some form of remote printer between the guest and the host.

Best regards,

Edward

[acrosteve]

Thanks for the answer. I probably saved me some work.

I do not quite understand what you are talking about in regards to a remote printer. Any words of wisdom?

[Texiwill]

Hello,

It has been a while since I used windows 3.1 but you maybe able to specify a print server to use and make the XP host the print server.

Best regards,

Edward

[acrosteve]

ok.

That would involve setting up a "network" between the host and guest, and I have not yet been successful in doing that yet.

I would prefer to use 3.11 if I am going to network, but one of the disks in my set is bad.

Message was edited by:

acrosteve

[msmenne17]

I'm not sure this is going to work at all. In order to setup the "network," win 3.1 or 3.11 needs to be able to understand the network card, which means there has to be a DOS driver for it.

What version of workstation are you using?

[msmenne17]

It looks like Workstation v3.2 was the last version to support anything pre-Windows 95. Windows 3.1/3.11 will likely run, it's a matter of whether or not the drivers will work (video, NIC, etc...).

I'm guessing you'll have to get the driver files from WS 3.2 and install the drivers from there, then see if they work in the newer version of WS.

BTW.. What is it that you're still using Windows 3.1 for? It's 16-bit and has faded from most people's memory, so even community support is going to be difficult at best.