White Paper July 1999 0152-0899-A Prepared by Portables Software Marketing Compaq Computer Corporation Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products ­ July 1999 Abstract: The purpose of this White Paper is to present operating system features supported on Compaq portable computers. Compaq supports Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 95, across all products and Windows 2000 Beta 3, Windows for Workgroups 3.1x, Windows 3.1x, DOS 6.2x, and IBM OS/2 Warp across selected platforms. In addition to features inherently supported in the operating system itself, Compaq also provides software to enhance the user experience and usability of the mobile PC. Features supported through Compaq software are described in this paper. This is the seventh edition of the document. This edition includes information about: · Operating system support for the new Armada E700, M700, and M300, as well as newer models of the Armada 1500c, Armada 1750, Armada 7400 and Armada 7800 families. Support for Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows 2000 Beta 3. Support for the Linux operating system on the Armada 7400 and 7800 families. Contents Highlights..................................... 3 Defining Support ......................... 3 Support Software ........................ 3 Compaq QuickRestore .............. 3 Compaq Software CD................ 4 Compaq Support Software CD ............................................. 4 System Enhancement Diskette...................................... 4 Preinstalled Operating Systems ....................................... 4 Supported Operating Systems ....................................... 6 Compaq Value-Added Features ....................................... 7 Windows 95 ............................... 9 Windows 98 ............................. 10 Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0........................ 12 Windows 2000 Professional .... 14 Linux ........................................ 17 DOS 6.2x & Windows 3.1x ...... 19 Microsoft Windows NT 3.51..... 20 IBM OS/2 Warp 3.0 & 4.0 ........ 20 Frequently Asked Questions.... 21 List of Tables ............................. 22 · · Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products 2 Notice The information in this publication is subject to change without notice and is provided "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS INFORMATION REMAINS WITH RECIPIENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPAQ BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION), EVEN IF COMPAQ HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The limited warranties for Compaq products are exclusively set forth in the documentation accompanying such products. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting a further or additional warranty. This publication does not constitute an endorsement of the product or products that were tested. The configuration or configurations tested or described may or may not be the only available solution. This test is not a determination or product quality or correctness, nor does it ensure compliance with any federal state or local requirements. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Compaq, Compaq Insight Manager, LTE, ROMPaq, DirectPlus, QuickFind, RemotePaq, are registered United States Patent and Trademark Office. Netelligent, Armada, LTE Elite, SoftPaq, MultiLock, QuickBlank, QuickLock, UltraView, and Compaq PC Card Solution logo are trademarks and/or service marks of Compaq Computer Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Windows NT Server and Workstation, Microsoft SQL Server for Windows NT are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. NetWare and Novell are registered trademarks and intraNetWare, NDS, and Novell Directory Services are trademarks of Novell, Inc. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Copyright ©1999 Compaq Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products White Paper prepared by Portables Software Marketing Seventh Edition (July 1999) Document Number 0152-0899-A NA120D/0199 Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products 3 Highlights This is the seventh edition of the document. This edition includes information about: · · · Operating system support for the new Armada E700, M700, and M300, as well as newer models of the Armada 1500c, Armada 1750, Armada 7400 and Armada 7800 families. Support for Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition. and Windows 2000 Beta 3. Support for the Linux operating system on the Armada 7400 and 7800 families. Defining Support Compaq supports all operating systems that are currently factory preinstalled on its portable computers. Today, the preinstalled operating systems are Windows 98, Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0. Refer to Table 1 for information about the specific versions that are preinstalled. These operating systems support most hardware features. Note: In this White Paper, all references to Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 refer to Windows NT Workstation 4.0. Likewise, all references to Windows 2000 refer to Windows 2000 Professional. Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 and Windows 2000 Server are not supported on Compaq Armada portables. For legacy operating systems such as Windows 3.1x, Windows 95 Retail and OSR1, Windows NT 3.51 or IBM OS/2 Warp 3.0 & 4.0, Compaq provides support on selected product families; however, limitations in the operating system may prevent enabling of new hardware functionality included on newer hardware platforms. Support Software Compaq provides BIOS, drivers and applications to enable hardware features, extend functionality help manage your PC, or add functionality not provided by the native operating system. This Compaq software support is available to customers in a number of different ways including various support CD-ROM (CD) disks, individual SoftPaq diskettes and the Compaq Web site. See the white paper titled Alternative Software Delivery for Armada Portables for more information. Compaq QuickRestore The Compaq QuickRestore Kit is provided with models of the Armada 7400 and Armada 7800 announced in 1999 and Armada 1500c, Armada 1750, Armada E700, Armada M700, and Armada M300 families. The QuickRestore Kit consists of a System Recovery CD (SRCD) and an Application Recovery CD (ARCD). The SRCD allows customers to fully restore or refresh the original factory installed image. The ARCD allows customers to selectively refresh drivers, utilities, or applications included on the original factory installed image excluding the operating system. The Compaq QuickRestore CD is provided with models of the Armada 7400 and 7800 announced in 1998 and Armada 15001, 1700, 3500, 42002, 6500, and notebooks. The CD provides an easy to 1 2 On selected models only. On selected models only. NA120D/0199 Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products 4 use and complete restore solution. The solution allows customers to perform a complete restore by reformatting the hard drive and restoring the image to its original pre-install state. Compaq Software CD The Compaq Software CD is made available for each portable product at the time of announcement beginning with products introduced in 1997. The Software CD contains all drivers, utilities and Compaq software for all supported operating systems including those that have been preinstalled. The Software CD does not include the operating system itself. Customers can purchase the Software CD by contacting Compaq Customer Service & Support. The Compaq Software CD is not available for products announced in 2Q98 or later. The Compaq QuickRestore CD includes all software included on the factory installed hard drive image as well as the operating system itself. Together these two aspects provide a more comprehensive recovery solution than was previously provided by the Compaq Software CD. The Armada 6500 ships with the Compaq Software CD. This CD provides additional software not included as part of the factory pre-install. Applications included on the CD are described in the White Paper titled Armada 6500 Software Overview, First Edition, September 1998. Compaq Support Software CD The Compaq Support Software CD set is another way for customers to get access to the latest drivers and software for their computer. This set of CDs is updated monthly with new files that are also made available on the Compaq Web site. This CD contains support files for Compaq commercial portables, desktop and workstation computers. It is the ideal tool for the corporate IS professional responsible for maintaining a number of different types of Compaq personal computers. The Software Support CD set can be purchased via an annual subscription or as a onetime purchase. Customers who do not need the additional convenience of having all drivers and other support software on single CD can download individual software drivers and utilities, called SoftPaqs, from the Compaq Web site at http://www.compaq.com/. System Enhancement Diskette On some platforms, Compaq provides the System Enhancements diskette. This utility is available as a SoftPaq on the Compaq Web site or on the Compaq Support Software CD. This utility features an automated installation and includes all operating system fixes from Microsoft, registry modifications, and INF changes included on the hard drive image pre-installed by Compaq. For customers who create their own hard drive image, it is important that this utility be installed. Preinstalled Operating Systems Compaq currently gives customers the choice of Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT 4.0 as the preinstalled operating system. All three operating systems are provided on select models in select regions. See Table 1 for details by product family. NA120D/0199 Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products 5 Table 1. Pre-Installed Operating Systems DOS Windows 3.1x and Windows 95 OSR 1 Dual Installation NO NO NO NO Armada Product Families Armada E700 Armada M700 Armada M300 Armada 7800 and 7400 Armada 7700 and 7300 Armada 6500 Armada 4200 Armada 4100 Armada 3500 Armada 1750 Armada 1700 Armada 1500c Armada 1500 LTE 5000 Windows NT 4.0 with SP4 YES YES YES NO Windows NT 4.0 with SP33 NO NO NO YES Windows 98 Second Edition4 YES YES NO 7 NO Windows 985 Retail NO NO YES7 NO Windows 95 OSR 2.1 or 2.56 YES YES YES YES Windows 95 OSR1 NO NO NO NO Windows 95 OSR 2.1 and Windows NT 4.0 SP2 Dual Installation NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES NO NO YES YES YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES NO NO YES YES YES YES NO NO YES YES YES YES9 YES YES YES YES YES NO NO NO NO YES10 NO NO NO NO NO NO YES8 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES11 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES 3 4 Windows NT 4 Service Pack 3 is available on selected models in selected regions. Windows 98 Second Edition is recommended to fully utilize Advanced Configuration and Power Management (ACPI). 5 Windows 98 is available on selected models in selected regions. 6 Compaq currently installs OSR2.1 and IE4.01 on the Armada 1500c, 1700 and 3500 providing a consistent preinstall base for customers transitioning from the Armada 1500 family. Compaq currently installs OSR 2.1 and IE4.01 on the Armada 6500, providing a consistent preinstall base for customers transitioning from the Digital Ultra 2000 family. The latest QFEs from Microsoft are always included as part of the preinstall. 7 The Armada M300 will be released with Windows 98 Retail preinstalled and with Advanced Power Management (APM) enabled. A Windows 98 Second Edition CD from Microsoft will be included in Armada M300 product shipments for customers wishing to upgrade to Windows 98 Second Edition. 8 Compaq discontinued dual installations on the Armada 7710MT, 7730MT, 7750MT, 7330MT and 7350MT beginning in 3Q97. 9 Windows 95 OSR 2.1 was installed on the Armada 4150, 4150T, and 4160T. 10 Windows 95 OSR1 was preinstalled on the Armada 4100, 4110, 4115, 4110D, 4120, 4125D, 4120T, 4125T, 4130T, 4136T, 4135T, 4131T only. 11 Compaq discontinued dual installations on the Armada 1530DM, 1550DMT and 1580DMT beginning in 3Q97. NA120D/0199 Operating System Support for Compaq Portable Products 6 Supported Operating Systems In addition to supporting preinstalled operating systems, Compaq offers support for legacy operating systems that are not preinstalled. Table 2 summarizes support offered for each operating system by product family. Table 2. Supported Operating Systems Windows 98 Second Edition YES YES YES YES Windows 95 OSR 2.1 or OSR 2.5 YES YES YES YES Windows NT 3.51 Windows 95 OSR 1 NO NO NO YES NO NO NO NO Armada Product Families Armada E700 Armada M700 Armada M300 Armada 7800 and 7400 Armada 7700 and 7300 ...