Windows 1.0

Windows 1.0 is the first version of Microsoft Windows that was released on November 20, 1985, and was made available for users of IBM and COMPAQ personal computers running MS-DOS and IBM PC-DOS.

Originally, Microsoft started work on a new graphical environment for MS-DOS-based personal computers, known as "Interface Manager". This environment would include support for existing MS-DOS-based applications, as well as GUI applications that were specifically designed for the new environment.

Later, at COMDEX 1983 in November, Microsoft demonstrated a new upcoming product, "Microsoft Windows", running on a personal computer with monochrome graphics, and with various applications running alongside each other in "windows".

During the course of its development, several pre-release versions of Windows were also made available to testers and developers, including a "Development Release #5" from around November 1984, as well as later pre-release versions such as those from January 1985 (/Alpha Release/) and May 1985 (/Beta Release/).

A final preliminary release, /Premiere Edition/, was released to a group of users for testing Windows prior to its release. Windows 1.01, released on November 20, 1985, was the first version of Windows to be released to general availability, whereas several more versions, /1.02/ and /1.03/, were released as more changes were made to Windows, up to, /1.04/, which was released in April 1987, the latter of which also added support for the newly introduced IBM PS/2 series of personal computers which was released at that same time.

Several versions in other languages were also released, as well as OEM versions for both PC and non-PC compatible models (such as the Zenith Z-100).

Pre-release and development
Early pre-release builds of Windows include the early Interface Manager environment, as well as the demonstration at COMDEX 1983, along with subsequent pre-release versions of Windows that were shipped prior to release.


 * "Window Manager Demonstration Version 0.01" (September 12, 1983)
 * Fall COMDEX 1983 demonstration
 * Development Release #1 (May 1984)
 * Development Release #2 (June 1984)
 * Development Release #3 (July 1984)
 * Development Release #4 (August 1984)
 * Development Release #5 (October 1984) ✔
 * Alpha Release (January 1985) ✔
 * Beta Release (May 1985) ✔
 * Preliminary Version 0.50 (June 1985)
 * Premiere Edition (July 1985) ✔
 * 1.xx/1.xy (September 1985) ✔
 * "PC Magazine" demonstration

1.01

 * Windows 1.01 ✔

1.02

 * Windows 1.02.02 (pre-release)
 * Windows 1.02 ✔

1.03

 * Windows 1.03.04 (pre-release)
 * Windows 1.03 ✔

1.04

 * Windows 1.04 ✔

Press kit
In late 1983 (over two years before Windows 1.0 was actually released), Microsoft sent out press kits which contained a squeegee (window washer) and a washcloth. It also contained an invitation to attend a press conference in New York on November 10, 1983, where the official name of Windows was revealed.