Windows 1.xx

1.xx
	Build of Windows 1.0
OS family	16-bit Windows
Version number	1.01 (1.xx)
Architecture	x86 16-bit
Compiled on	1985-09-03
About dialog

Windows 1.xx is a pre-release build of Windows 1.0 shipped by CompuData (later renamed to Tulip Computers) in early fall of 1985 with their first iteration of the Tulip System PC Compact. It is thus also one of the earliest OEM releases of Windows 1.0. It was found by ultrawindows and uploaded to BetaArchive on 2 March 2019.^[1]

Overview[edit | edit source]

The base of this build was compiled around 3 September 1985, CompuData added additional keyboard layouts around 23 September 1985, and later updated SETUP.EXE (setup version 1.xx is probably from 25 September 1985, while version 1.xy is probably from 30 September 1985). It is unclear if setup version 1.xx was also released before it was updated to 1.xy soon after, but since the Windows Upgrade Kit to version TC 1.00 (from February 1986) explicitly mentions "Windows SETUP, version 1.xx (or 1.xy)", it can be assumed it was.

The included applications are from late August 1985 and early September 1985, and are already branded as "version 1.01" in the About box, though the floppy disk labels say "APPLICATION version 1.xx". The origin of the "1.xx" and "1.xy" designations is still unclear, the original user guide by Compudata never mentioned this designation at all. The Windows Upgrade Kit to version TC 1.00 says the following:

This document describes the way to upgrade your Microsoft Windows version 1.xx program diskettes, supplied with your Tulip pc compact or Tulip pc extend microcomputer.

Although this build contains a WRITE.DAT file on the first disk and setup will ask for the Write disk at the end, CompuData apparently didn't include it with this build. Windows Write was instead included as part of the upgrade to version TC 1.00, which creates an entirely new Write disk.

This build features a unique font, similar to the VGA font used in Windows 2.x. Several applications have been updated since Premiere Edition, and it's now no longer possible to minimize MS-DOS Executive if no other applications are running.

Disk 1 contains two unrecoverable deleted keyboard drivers (KEYBDA.DRV and KEYBNO.DRV), but it is possible to get these files by upgrading to the TC-1.00 release.

Different floppy sets[edit | edit source]

The original disk set from September 1985 that was uploaded to BetaArchive was branded with the CompuData logo and came with a comprehensive user guide featuring a lot of screenshots of an earlier build, most likely from around June 1985. A later set from January 1986, with identical part numbers, was branded with the Tulip Computer logo instead and came with an updated user guide as well.