Getting Program Manager to run in Windows 7 and Vista

[Floyd]

This has been in the Computer Stuff section of the website for a while, I thought I would re-post it in the forum.



Things you need to download before you do this:
Any 32-bit version of Program Manager (The last working version, 5.1 is in Windows XP Service Pack 1)

Shell32.dll from Windows NT 3.51 Service pack 5, If you cannot find a newer version of Program Manager, this version works (download here)

All of the files available for download on this website. It has you download Window NT Service Pack 6, that version of Program Manager works as well.

Making It all work:
Download all of the files on the site listed above, replace that site's shellwr.dll with the Shell32.dll you got from NT 3.51 Service pack 5. Follow the instructions on that website, and get yourself a functioning version of File Manager. Move you're now functioning winfile.exe to another directory, then rename progman.exe to winfile.exe and run that website's wfrevive.exe again, change Program Manager's name back progman.exe. Copy Winfile.exe, Progman.exe and all of their support DLLs to you're Windows\System32 directory

Congratulations, you should now have a fully functional Program Manager and File Manager. Some icons may not show up properly and if you go to Help>About Program Manager it will use the Windows NT 3.51 about screen and report the copyright date as 1995. You will have to manually create the Program Groups and program items, however, you can drag and drop programs into their groups

More Information:
If you want to use Program Manager as the default shell in Windows, start Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and change the shell variable from explorer.exe to progman.exe  you do this, items in the Startup program group will automatically run when you turn on the computer and you will be able to log off and shutdown from program manager.

NOTE:
I am not using Windows 7 anymore, I am using XP again, this topic is here for instruction only.

[BAITD]

Hello. Can you post link to ready working file without these instructions?

[Floyd]

That would probably violate some copyright or something, but I could email them to you if you want.

[BAITD]

It will be great, if you do this:

my email: baitd@yandex.ru

Thank you very much!

[Floyd]

I don't have a finished working copy right now, I will have to put it together, I can probably get it to you some time tomorrow.

Before I send it and you leave and I never hear from you again, I have a few questions:
You are not a cop right?
The FBI wont be knocking down my door tomorrow if I email this to you will they?

I hate to be suspicious, but you are the first person to ever come to my website for the computer stuff. Fuck, you are the first person to come here at all for three months.

How did you find my little corner of the internet anyway?

[BAITD]

I don't have a finished working copy right now, I will have to put it together, I can probably get it to you some time tomorrow.

Before I send it and you leave and I never hear from you again, I have a few questions:
You are not a cop right?
The FBI wont be knocking down my door tomorrow if I email this to you will they?

I hate to be suspicious, but you are the first person to ever come to my website for the computer stuff. Fuck, you are the first person to come here at all for three months.

How did you find my little corner of the internet anyway?

No im not a cop and im not from USA. Im just guy from Russia who want back PROGMAN (im use it very long time, but in Windows 8 this will not work instead your tutorial).
I found your site via google, when i search answer for how to start PROGMAN in Win7\8. Im already start WINFILE, but PROGMAN still not work, so im really need your help.


Im planned use it for GUI (fuck explorer.exe) bundled with WINFILE.
And im not leave this site because as you, im love old software.

[Floyd]

I sent the files.

Just so you know, in Windows 8 Program Manager's settings won't save unless you minimize the program and then restore it before you close it, I don't know why. You definitely need to run progman as an Administrator, also you may have to mess with the file permissions. This is really untested on Windows 8, but it works, it's just not that easy. Program Manager does not recognize 64-bit programs at all, use a bat file to launch them and extract the icon from the .exe (I recommend icoFX- version 1.6 is free!) so progman can recognize it.

I only have Windows XP on my system right now, because I kept fucking with Windows 8 until I killed it, but I am probably going to reinstall it soon so if you need any help, just ask!

also I have not been able to set it as the default shell in Windows 8 64-bit.

everything should work fine if you are using 32-bit though.

[Beacon]

Hello. Too from Russia 
I made as is written to instructions, but it is impossible to start PROGMAN.EXE on Windows 7 Ultimate х64. My attempts can be downloaded here:http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wcvajg0affyo6a1
 It turns out nothing.
Please send me ready files. My email: mapping.2012@yandex.ru
Thank you very much!

[svin83]

Sorry to revive such an old topic, but I can't get Progman to work in Windows7 Ultimate x64.
It just throws errors.

Do you have a zip file or something you can send me with working progman and necessary files?

I'd love to use this to play some tricks on some of my friends who still remember Win3.1

I'm not posting my mail address here in public, but I'll PM it when you answer this

[Floyd]

yeah sure, in fact, after all these years i think i'll just save everyone the trouble and post the files on the website for everyone to download.


let me find them first.

[Floyd]

SORRY FOR THE SUPER LATE REPY! I'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY WITH STUFF.

anyway here's progman and winfile and their help files all fixed up and ready to go, also that's a custom version of winfile i made with new icons and stuff. if you want the original version of winfile, you'll have to get it from nt 4.0 service pack 6

http://chorusofone.no-ip.org/computerstuff/Floydsoft/downloads/winfile-progman_DONE.zip

run everything as an administrator or it wont work right.

[JB3]

Thank you very much. The tutorial was great but the posted files are a bonus. Thank you again.

[mrgamerface98]

Hello. Could you just E-mail all of this shit to me?  I don't feel like setting up an NT 3.51 Virtual Machine (and I can't even do it without a Bluetooth adaptor because my keyboard broke and I'm using the Tablet Input Panel) and am not a big fan of explorer, I'll use it but progman and winfile are better.
edit:nvm, didn't see that you posted the .zip

[mrgamerface98]

I downloaded the .zip but it just said "Incorrect command line parameter:*"
WTF do I do? (Using Vista, only 1, 2, and 9x were worse.)
Edit: With regedit, it's asking me if I want to make a change, winfile says the file I'm looking for doesn't exist, and  Chrome tries to open a file that doesn't exist.

[Floyd]

i have no idea what your problem might be. this whole place is basically abandoned at this point. run it as an administrator maybe? i literally have no experience with vista and skipped straight from xp to 10.