This is Not a Christmas (86Box, Win3.1, GD5446, AWE64)

Not that many people know that there was an MP3 player for Windows 3.1. WinPLay3 allows one to jam out to their favorite tunes on Windows 3.1. In fact, for a couple of years, it was the ONLY MP3 player for Windows, later falling out of favor first due to WinAMP, and then plater on, WMP, and VLC after that. It still is the only MP3 player for Win3.1. To process an MP3, one needs a processor fast enough to decode the MP3 in real-time. That 486 isn't going to cut it. When I tried WARPAMP on OS/2 Warp 3 on a 486, the MP3 played for only 3 seconds before crapping out. One will need a Pentium for this.

Thus, it's time to build that Win31 86Box setup for the Holidays season. I wanted a 86Box setup that is actually quite overkill for a Windows 3.1 setup. Windows 3.1 is already a speed demon on a Intel 486 DX4. Thus, I decided to build a multimedia system based on a Dell Hannibal+ Pentium motherboard, along with a Intel Pentium 133MHz processor to go along with it, along with 32MB's of RAM as ram, which is more than enough for Win3.1. Being a Dell system, I decided to install the Dell OEM version of Win3.1, because why not! For the display, I went with the Cirrus Logic GD5446 as this is (as far as I know), the only adapter that I can pull off 24-bit color mode at 1024 by 768 in Windows 3.1. Even though there are S3 adapter that could pull off such modes as well, not all drivers are created equal, and while Windows 9x could pull off such feats, Win3.1 didn't include such support. However, why cry over spill milk when Cirrus Logic gives us that Holiday joy.

Of course, what good is a multimedia system without sound. I've done SB16 so many times, and why not, it's a very capable card with excellent driver support. It's a safe option, maybe too safe. Thus, I've decided to go with the AWE64, as it includes the ability to load soundfonts as well. There is driver support for Windows 3.1. Thus, with such a system built, it's now time to get into the Christmas holiday in 90's multimedia style!

Songs Used:
This is Not a Christmas
Song By NEFFEX
YouTube Audio Library

Software Used:
Recorded With OBS Studio
Composed In Kdenlive

Hardware Used:
PC equipped with a
AMD Ryzen 5 5500 CPU
6 Cores Running At 4.2GHz
AMD Radeon RX570 GPU
Windows 11