Windows 3.00 MDK Version 96

3.00 MDK Version 96
	Build of Windows 3.0
Release name	Beta Version - Release 3
OS family	16-bit Windows
Version number	3.00a
Architecture	x86
Compiled on	1991-06-16
Base build
	Windows 3.00a
About dialog

Windows 3.00 MDK Version 96 is a beta of Windows 3.0 Multimedia Edition. It was first shown in the November 1991 issue of Serbian computer magazine Svet kompjutera (World of Computers).^[1] A screenshot of the build depicts the splash screen (VGALOGO.RLE) inside of BitEdit. It notably has some differences compared to MDK Version 59 and the retail build distributed by Tandy. The text now says "Version 3.0 + Multimedia Extensions 1.0 for the Multimedia PC" with a copyright date of 1991, and the MPC logo is styled differently being in black and white.

The Tandy release of this build was later found on an April 1992 demo CD from RadioShack, which was sold off on a bankruptcy auction and later uploaded to the Internet Archive on 9 June 2022.^[2] This version lacks the newer Windows Help interface and defaults the startup/shutdown sound to none.

The full MDK for this build (CD labeled "Beta Version - Release 3") was uploaded to the Internet Archive on 24 March 2024, alongside the MDK and installation CDs of build 59.^[3] The CDs are in the High Sierra Format and have large amounts of padding with 0x55- and 0xAA-filled sectors before and after the filesystems.

The MDK CD includes both the full installer (of Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions), and the update installer (to update an existing Windows 3.0 installation); interestingly, the boot screen included with the former contains the Multimedia PC logo, whereas the boot screen included with the latter does not.

New features and changes[edit | edit source]

Added HyperGuide, sporting a different icon from the retail build.
Most of the remaining system sound events have been added. SystemStart and SystemExit (the startup/shutdown sound) also now defaults to BELL.WAV (a chiming sound) and WATER.WAV (a water splashing sound) respectively.
Deleted every screensaver except "Lissajous Figures", "Marquee", "Melt/Slime Screen", "Mystify", and "Starfield Simulation".
Removed MMWINVER.EXE.
Removed CLAVIER.MID and added the MIDI files from the final release. Additionally, the default sounds from the final release are included, which also removes DOOR.WAV and TRAIN.WAV.
Setup has been finalized.