Windows 1.0 Alpha Release

Windows 1.0 Alpha Release is a pre-release build of Windows 1.0 compiled on 31 January 1985. It is the first leaked build to support cooperative MS-DOS applications. Although visually similar to Development Release builds, internally it is closer to the final Windows 1.0. It is the last leaked build (not the last known build) to include SDK components such as source code samples, libraries and development utilities.

Bob Richmond, who in 1984-5 was an employee of RM, wrote on his blog in 2010 that "a beta release of Windows 1[.0]" (a later post revised this to "pre-Beta" after he referenced his surviving notes from the time) for the RM Nimbus PC-186 was compiled for and demonstrated at BETT in January 1985 as part of the system's launch. That build, although most likely no longer in existance, would be close to this one.

This build was uploaded to the BetaArchive FTP on 19 September 2008.

System requirements
lists the hardware and software requirements during installation: The following equipment is required: o IBM XT or AT            o 512 K memory. o Floppy disk configured as DRIVE A:. o Hard disk configured as DRIVE C:. o IBM Color graphics card, Hercules Graphics Card, or EGA graphics card with monochrome monitor o External console connected to COM1: ( debugging ). o Microsoft mouse ( bus or serial ) or mouse with Microsoft compatible mouse driver (mouse.sys) The following software is required: o MS-DOS 2.x or 3.0

Installation
Much like in DR5, installation is done with a batch file,, that must be copied to your hard drive and started there. Follow the on-screen instructions, when you reach the display adapter selection screen, choose the display adapter you're using (either CGA, Hercules or monochrome EGA). The batch file will start Windows for the first time, to start it later you need to run the following commands:

Changes
Alpha Release is more like a new operating environment compared to DR5, as almost all Windows components were rewritten prior to this build. However, visually this build is almost identical to DR5, except some system bitmaps received minor updates. The up-arrow cursor seen in the Fall COMDEX 1983 build also returned for unknown reasons.

Visible changes
This build is the first to support fast boot,  files and the redesigned Windows API. Installation is done via a batch file named, similar to DR5. The only difference is  is launched after the installation to create the main   executable containing all core Windows components and device drivers. Along with fast boot, a new Windows launcher -  was introduced to replace the old. Likely due to the early implementation of fast boot, the Windows Kernel does not accept filenames as arguments, meaning it is not possible to start applications automatically by passing arguments to  or. It is, however, possible to specify a shell other than  by running , assuming slow boot is used.

API changes
Windows API changed to the extent that all applications written for Development Release builds of Windows must be rewritten in order to function properly, or even to compile. Most GDI functions are in alphabetical order when sorted by ordinals, indicating a lot of them were rewritten from scratch, maybe in 8086 assembly for speed improvements.

All discovered changes

 * NE format received a major update
 * MS-DOS stub updated
 * Resources integrated into the executable
 * Window classes and Input Translation Tables no longer used
 * Message queue introduced
 * OEM configuration data and system bitmaps now stored in the display driver
 * Display and Cursor routines combined to become the display driver
 * Bitmap, cursor and icon formats received a minor update
 * Windows Old Application Support Module introduced
 * PIF Editor introduced
 * Error handling improved
 * Microsoft Windows module renamed to Windows User Interface
 * Printer support added
 * Font format updated
 * Fast boot support implemented
 * Monochrome EGA support added
 * DOS mouse driver support added
 * Debug symbol format changed to
 * Microsoft Symbolic Debugger included
 * Segmented Executable Linker (Link4x) introduced
 * Minimal keyboard shortcut support added

Development goals
The earliest information regarding the development of this build currently available is Ray Ozzie's meeting notes with Microsoft. Included with the meeting notes is a copy of the Microsoft Windows Development Goals, from roughly the 13th of January:

Microsoft Windows Development Goals

Fast Boot
According to directory entries found in the slack space of various Windows 1.0 disks,  was last (known to be) modified on the 18th of January. was the Windows loader prior to the implementation of fast boot and. This means fast boot support was added after the 18th of January. The appearance of /  gives an indication that the work on fast boot started before the 23rd of January.

Directory entries ??????? EXE     31238 04-04-85   9:21:00a     3233 ?ELETED          04-27-85   6:05:00a     5137    // deleted ?OMMAND COM     22042 08-14-84   8:00:00a      510    // deleted UPDSMALL BAT      345 01-29-85   1:05:08p     2202 ?INPLAY EXE      2053 01-23-85   6:00:38p     8750    // deleted ?INPLAY MAP      3018 01-23-85   6:00:38p     8752    // deleted ?INPLAY SYM       456 01-23-85   6:00:38p     8755    // deleted ?NSTALL MAP     11285 01-23-85   7:23:58p     8762    // deleted ?AIT    CUR       270 01-15-85  10:02:32a     5187    // deleted ?NSTALL SYM      2540 01-28-85   7:46:00p     6402    // deleted ?EST            21616 01-16-85   4:53:16p     5197    // deleted ?ROSS   CUR       270 01-15-85  10:03:18a     5208    // deleted ?LRBTN  BMP       206 01-14-85   3:07:14a     6216    // deleted COPYPROT BAT       45 01-17-85  10:21:08a      810 ?HAPES  EXE      4288 01-30-85   5:06:24a     3381    // deleted ?CONEDIT MAP    12867 01-24-85   4:37:04a     8842    // deleted ?RINTER PRO       264 01-24-85   9:09:54p     9806    // deleted ?OMM    EXE      6053 03-19-85   5:13:20p     1562    // deleted ?OMM    SYM       821 01-25-85  10:11:08a     6400    // deleted ?OMM    MAP      4812 01-24-85  11:05:44a     9818    // deleted ?UNTITLE            0 01-24-85  11:05:44a        0    // deleted ?OUND   MAP      3016 01-24-85  11:16:54a     9821    // deleted ?OUND   SYM       454 01-25-85  10:15:24a     6401    // deleted ?UMP    EXE      4800 01-24-85  12:41:52p     9834    // deleted ?RACK   EXE      4816 01-30-85   5:03:20a     3395    // deleted ?E      EXE     30358 01-05-85  11:18:38p     3989    // deleted ?OUSER  BAK        33 01-26-85   6:30:10a      849    // deleted ?C      EXE     32563 11-12-84   6:25:22p     4732    // deleted ?EW     SAV     21616 01-24-85   4:33:42p     6322    // deleted ?OKPRO  BAT        40 01-26-85   6:30:40a      850    // deleted ?SWIN   BAK        17 01-18-85   1:29:20p     4405    // deleted

Copy protection
listed above may have something to do with copy protection, and it shows that copy protection for Windows was once considered, in early 1985.

Executable format
appears to be the NE (NEWEXE) program used to generate old Windows executables. This hints that the major NE format update happened after the 5th of January, as executables using the newer NE format must be generated by the Windows/Multitasking MS-DOS 4 Object Linker, not the NE program. Combined with the NE format changelog below, it is safe to assume that the "substantial .EXE format revision" was not used by the Windows team until the 5th of January, and most likely after the "resource definitions" addition by the Windows Lead Architect, Steve Wood.

NE format changelog /* *  Title * *      newexe.h  *      Pete Stewart *     (C) Copyright Microsoft Corp 1984 *     17 August 1984 * *  Description * *      Data structure definitions for the DOS 4.0/Windows 1.0 *     executable file format. * *  Modification History * *      84/08/17        Pete Stewart    Initial version *     84/10/17        Pete Stewart    Changed some constants to match OMF *     84/10/23        Pete Stewart    Updates to match .EXE format revision *     84/11/20        Pete Stewart    Substantial .EXE format revision *     85/01/09        Pete Stewart    Added constants ENEWEXE and ENEWHDR *     85/01/10        Steve Wood      Added resource definitions *     85/03/04        Vic Heller      Reconciled Windows and DOS 4.0 versions *     85/03/07        Pete Stewart    Added movable entry count *     85/04/01        Pete Stewart    Segment alignment field, error bit */

Switching drivers
This build includes a utility for installing different drivers, which runs at the end of installation. Normally you will be asked to choose the display driver to install, and by default you can choose between CGA, Hercules and Monochrome EGA. If you want to change drivers later, go to the  folder and run , then choose the new driver/drivers you wish to install. contains a list of drivers/system files to copy to the  directory, which may be modified to preinstall additional drivers/programs.

Running DOS applications under Windows
To make sure DOS applications work as good as they should under Windows,  must be added to the   system variable as well. This ensures the relevant PIF file in the TEST directory is found and used.

Bugs

 * The screen fails to clear automatically after quitting Windows when the EGA driver is used, most likely caused by the buggy EGA driver. Can be fixed by running the  command after quitting Windows or starting Windows using Beta Release's.
 * Sometimes cooperative MS-DOS applications cannot run in terminal emulation (windowed) mode, due to missing  files. Can be fixed by adding   to.
 * Cursor boundaries do not move with dialog windows. This is most likely a bug and if the dialog window is moved outside of the cursor boundary, dialog buttons will be out of reach. Most dialogs can be closed by pressing the Enter key. Tab key can be used if the dialog contains more than 1 button.
 * Sometimes MS-DOS Executive does not start after booting into Windows, leaving the user with a blank desktop. This is due to wrong DOS version, hardware or incompatible drivers. Running  (slow boot only) may force MS-DOS Executive to load.

Use of the Shift key
To start an application in iconic mode, double-click it in MS-DOS Executive while holding down the ⇧ Shift key. Double-clicking a text file while holding down the key will cause a preview of the text file to be displayed on top of the Notepad icon.


 * To restore and maximize a minimized application at once, double-click the application's icon while holding down the key.
 * To start a new instance of a running application, click and drag the application's window or icon to the desired place on the screen while holding down the key. Clicking the application's window title bar while holding down the key will create a new instance of the application vertically tiled with the previous one. Some applications cannot be started this way.
 * To view a minimized application's window title, hover over the application's icon while holding down the key.
 * To select 2 or more files at once in MS-DOS Executive, click the names of the files while holding down the key.

Drag and drop

 * To move a file from one directory to another, simply drag and drop to another folder using MS-DOS Executive.
 * It is not possible to drop the file anywhere outside of the MS-DOS Executive window. This means files can only be moved into subdirectories so it is not possible to undo the move using drag and drop.

Windows Paint
*	Modification history: *		6/19/84  dhm	Created *		6/26/84  dhm	Moved constants from palette.h *		6/27/84   dhm	Added selection structures *		7/31/84  dhm	Went to single window format *		10/23/84 dhm	Changed mouse input to be above 256
 * associates  files with.
 * The file  from the Windows 2.11 OEM Binary Adaptation Kit suggests that Paint was originally created around June 1984:
 * was present on the second installation disk at some point, but was deleted for unknown reasons. It can be undeleted using the  command in later versions of MS-DOS. It appears to be identical to the version seen in photos from the May 1985 issue of French computer magazine Science & Vie Micro.
 * A photo of Alpha Release or a similar build from the 1985-08 issue of Personal Computer World magazine proves that  was deleted by Microsoft, as 151KB of free space indicates no   on disk 2.

Undocumented argument

 * As mentioned earlier, running  allows the user to use a different shell, and Alpha Release is the only leaked build with this feature.
 * MS-DOS Executive is the only Windows application that can be started as shell.

Cursor inconsistencies

 * The Hercules Graphics Card  cursor is different from the CGA/EGA   cursor.
 * The Enhanced Graphics Adapter  cursor is different from the CGA/HGC   cursor.

Color support
Similarly to earlier releases, the Alpha Release internally supports color but only ships with monochrome drivers for CGA, EGA and Hercules. jb881122 has ported the 16 color VGA/EGA driver from the Windows 2.11 OEM Binary Adaptation Kit to this build, which makes it possible to use this build in color. Currently the ported driver suffers severe bugs, due to driver API changes between Alpha Release and Windows 2.11.