Windows 1.Xx is the first version of Microsoft Windows, released on November 20, 1985. Though it may be a dated piece of software, you may want to install it to learn about the early days of graphical user interfaces or simply for nostalgic reasons. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to install Windows 1.Xx on your computer or virtual machine.

Requirements:

1. A copy of Windows 1.Xx installation media (floppy disk images or physical disks)

2. An MS-DOS compatible computer or an emulator like DOSBox

3. A 360 KB floppy disk drive or an emulator that supports disk images

Step 1: Preparing the Environment

If you’re using a virtual machine such as DOSBox, install it on your computer and ensure you have the latest version.

For real hardware, ensure that your computer is compatible with MS-DOS and has a 360 KB floppy disk drive.

Step 2: Acquiring Installation Media

You will need a copy of the Windows 1.Xx installation disks or disk images. These can be found online from various sources (such as archive websites) or potentially purchased as physical floppy disks.

Step 3: Booting into MS-DOS

For real hardware:

– Insert a bootable MS-DOS floppy disk into the disk drive and turn on the computer.

– The computer should automatically boot into MS-DOS.

For DOSBox:

– Open DOSBox and type in “mount c c:\dosbox” and press Enter.

– Next, type “c:” and press Enter to switch to the mounted C: drive.

Step 4: Copying the Installation Media

For real hardware:

– Create a directory on the hard drive by typing “mkdir win1” and press Enter.

– Insert the first Windows 1.Xx installation disk into the floppy drive.

– Copy the contents of the disk by typing “copy a:*.* c:\win1” and press Enter.

For DOSBox:

– Create a directory on the mounted C: drive by typing “mkdir win1” and press Enter.

– Switch to your floppy drive in DOSBox (usually D:), and copy the contents of the first installation disk image to the newly created directory (mounting the image may be required).

Step 5: Installing Windows 1.Xx

– Navigate to the installation directory by typing “cd win1” and press Enter.

– Type “setup” and press Enter to launch the Windows 1.Xx Setup program.

– Follow the on-screen instructions, swapping disks when prompted during the installation process.

Step 6: Running Windows 1.Xx

Once the installation is complete, you can run Windows 1.Xx by simply typing “win” and pressing Enter while in the installation directory.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Windows 1.Xx on your computer or virtual machine. Enjoy exploring this piece of tech history.