Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!stanford.edu!leland.Stanford.EDU!elmanad
From: elmanad@leland.Stanford.EDU (Adam Elman)
Subject: Re: Windows 3.0 on a 286
Message-ID: <1991May19.010538.28372@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: AIR, Stanford University
References: <32974@usc>
Date: Sun, 19 May 91 01:05:38 GMT
Lines: 59

In article <32974@usc> sharp@mizar.usc.edu (Malcolm Sharp) writes:
>I'd like to hear your experiences about running Windows on a 286-
>based PC.  Minimum RAM? Desireable RAM? monitor? DOS apps?
>Windows apps?  etc...
>
>My feeling is that the base platform should be a 386SX and the
>price difference between 286 and 386SX tells me to go for the
>latter.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>-- 
>Malcolm Sharp
>Coordinator, Instructional/Technical Support
>University of Southern California
>School of Public Administration

I have been using Windows 3.0 on a 286 with 1 meg of RAM and a 40-meg
HD for about a year now.  I do have a few observations:

I don't notice that much of a speed problem, even when I have five or
six (fairly small) programs running -- for instance, I have the clock,
calculator, File Manager, and Screen Peace as icons, and PM and WinQVT
running in windows, and I have no real speed problems.

I also use a lot of DOS apps that I have installed from the Program
Manager -- the only ones that have a lot of trouble running are a
couple games, notably SimCity.  WordPerfect 5.1 works perfectly, for
instance.

On the other hand, when I recently tried an Excel 3.0 demo, it ran as
slow as I have ever seen anything run on a PC-compatible.  I think it
was because my system was so limited.

Since I already had a 286, there was no reason (and it was MUCH to
expensive) to upgrade all the way when I was just going to use small
programs in Windows and shell out to DOS when I want to run something.
It works as a very nice graphical task-switcher and lets me run a lot
of nice graphical-interface shareware programs, which I like because,
well, I like GUIs.  

But, of course, if you are serious about Windows, and are buying a
platform on which to run it, a 386SX would make FAR more sense, if
only because you can then run in 386 enhanced mode with enough memory,
which adds functionality.

To be honest, the price gap between 286s and 386SXs are dropping, and
I really wouldn't recommend a 286 these days to anyone -- a 386SX
usually only costs one or two hundred dollars more, and the speed and
the fact that it will likely last longer as a standard is probably
worth it.

As for me, though, I find Windows perfectly adequate on my 286.  I do,
however, plan to put in 4 megs over the summer -- That would help in
running the nicer software I plan to pick up eventually.

Adam Elman
elmanad@leland.stanford.edu