How to install windows 1.0 alpha on 86box
A YouTube tutorial showing how to install Windows 1.0 Alpha on the 86Box PC emulator, walking through DOS setup, disk partitioning, formatting, and finally launching the early Windows environment. The presenter has a casual, self-deprecating style and combines technical steps with comedic commentary. The video ends with the presenter making a thumbnail inside the emulated Windows environment.
Summary
The video is a follow-up to a previously successful tutorial, this time focusing on installing Windows 1.0 Alpha using the 86Box PC emulator. The presenter begins by listing the required software: 86Box, MS-DOS 2.11, and the Windows 1.0 Alpha disk images.
For machine configuration, the presenter specifies a generic XT clone running at 8 MHz with 640KB of RAM (the maximum conventional memory for MS-DOS), a CGA display, a Microsoft serial mouse, a PC/XT floppy controller, and an XT hard disk controller. Two 5.25-inch, 360KB floppy drives are configured alongside a 10MB hard disk.
The installation process begins with booting from MS-DOS 2.11 Disk 1, skipping the date/time prompts, then switching to Disk 2 to access the FDISK (partition) utility. The presenter uses FDISK to partition the 'Winchester' hard drive, then performs a hard reset and reboots. After booting back into DOS from the floppy, the hard drive (C:) is formatted, system files are transferred, and COMMAND.COM is copied over manually.
With DOS installed on the hard drive, the presenter inserts the Windows 1.0 Alpha Disk 1 and runs the installer (SLW). The installation is noted to be extremely slow when run from the floppy, so the files are instead copied directly to the hard disk and Windows is launched from there. Because the machine uses CGA, the presenter selects option 1 during setup for CGA display compatibility.
Windows 1.0 Alpha successfully launches, displaying the iconic 'jail bar' wallpaper pattern and a 'Hello Windows' screen. The presenter explores the environment briefly, noting a 'Reversi' game (losing by 58, compared to losing by 44 last time), a 'Cube' application with a photosensitivity warning, and Notepad, which is used to create the video thumbnail. The video closes with a casual sign-off.
Key Insights
- The presenter specifies that 640KB of RAM is the maximum conventional RAM for MS-DOS, and configures the emulated machine accordingly at 8 MHz to replicate a period-accurate XT clone.
- The presenter notes that the Windows 1.0 Alpha installer (SLW) is extremely slow when run directly from the floppy disk, and resolves this by copying the files to the hard disk first before launching Windows.
- The FDISK utility in MS-DOS 2.11 refers to the hard drive as a 'Winchester disc,' reflecting the historical terminology used for early hard drives in DOS documentation.
- The presenter selects CGA display mode (option 1) during Windows 1.0 Alpha setup, as the emulated machine uses a CGA display adapter rather than a more advanced option.
- Upon successfully launching Windows 1.0 Alpha, the presenter observes the classic 'jail bar' wallpaper and a 'Hello Windows' screen, and notes losing a game of Reversi by 58 points — worse than the 44-point loss in their previous session.
Topics
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