In this guide we will see how to install Windows 1.04 in VirtualBox.
Windows 1.04 was marketed in 1985 and was a first step towards a real operating system with a multitasking graphical interface. Release 1.04, used in this guide, was released in 1987 and is the last released version of Windows 1.x.
Prerequisites
Windows 1.x is not configured as a full-fledged operating system but is more of a complement to MS-DOS. Windows 1.x needs MS-DOS to boot.
If you haven’t installed MS-DOS in your virtual machine yet, you can use this simple guide to learn how. It is only a matter of a few minutes.
You can also download Windows 1.x from the WinWorld site.
Windows installation
Start the virtual machine, and only then insert the Windows disk 1 into the virtual floppy drive. Starting the machine immediately with the floppy inserted will cause us to return an error message.
Once MS-DOS5 is started, we select “A”> “setup.exe” and press enter.
Alternatively, you can also start the installation from the command line, by typing:
A:\setup.exeThe installation – very spartan – of Windows 1.04 will then start.
We press “c” to continue. Once asked for confirmation of the Windows installation folder, press “enter” to continue.
The Windows setup will show us the necessary information to indicate. We continue by pressing “c”.
We select the keyboard layout that suits us best by typing the corresponding number and pressing “enter”.
At this point we will be asked to indicate if we have a mouse peripheral.
Warning: Windows 1.x does not natively support PS / 2 mice. Therefore, our mouse emulated by VirtualBox will not be usable.
To solve this problem, I have created a modified package, with which to also install the drivers to support PS / 2 mice. For more information and to download the modified package, read this article.
When prompted, we insert the next Windows floppy disk and continue.
When asked whether to install a printer, we type “n”.
The Windows installation will be finished after inserting the last floppy disk.
Once back in MS-DOS, we can start Windows by simply typing “WIN”.
However, once the computer has restarted, to start Windows again we will have to type:
C:\WINDOWS\WIN
And finally, Windows 1.04 in all its glory. Have fun!
