My first Windows Operating System

July 16, 2009

Having just pre-ordered copies of the latest version of Windows, I was reminded of the first version of Windows that I ever encountered.

My fascination with computers started more years ago than I care to remember, with the likes of the Sinclair ZX80 and the BBC Micro. After graduating, I found myself writing COBOL code for mainframe systems, and remembered the first DOS-based PCs arriving in the workplace – I was given the job of installing  software like Lotus-123, writing easy-to-use applications menu systems (using DOS batch files) and figuring out how to get these new-fangled machines to talk to the company mainframe.

Then, sometime in the mid-80s, something called Windows turned up. Not only could you run more than one application at a time, you could switch between those applications without having to exit.

Everyone at the office was blown away; even the hardcore mainframe-curmudgeons had their eyes opened and knew the landscape of  computing was about to change massively.

When the company shut its doors some years later, we had to go through the awful process of clearing the whole place out (if you’ve ever had to close a company down, you’ll know what I mean). In one of the cabinets I found this copy of Windows and was allowed, by the IT Manager, to keep it as a memento.

After all these years, it’s still unopened and in its original shrink-wrap. Reading the system requirements makes me smile:

• 512k memory (yes; that’s kilobytes!)
• two double-sided diskette drives (the media, by the way, is 5.25″ diskette! Remember those?)
• a graphics adapter
• a hard disk (just “a hard disk”; no mention of capacity)

And the version number? (I’m not sure if it’s legible on the bottom line of the label in the picture below, but it reads VERSION 1.03):

It’s not much, I know, but it’s my piece of computing history!

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has kept bits of computing memorabilia from days past, and I’d love to hear about the stuff you’ve accumulated over the years. Leave a comment and let me know.

Posted in Microsoft, Windows