Installing Windows 1.0 on an '80s Zenith Portable PC!

Back a few weeks ago, I acquired a boxed copy of Windows 1.0. And today, I'm pulling it off the software shelf so that we can install it on a Zenith Portable PC from the 1980s!

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● Music/Credits:
Background Music:
"Ersatz Bossa" and "By the Fireplace" from the YouTube Audio Library

Outro Music: Silent Partner - Bet On It

Some materials in this video are used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, and research.

#MichaelMJD #Windows #80s

[mjdxp]

I think this really puts into perspective why Windows was initially so unsuccessful. When you run Windows 1.0 on a modern emulator with unlimited storage, a mouse, and a full color display, you tend to forget that in the mid 80s when Windows released, most PCs looked more like what Michael showed. They typically had no hard drive, a monochrome display, and were much slower than we'd expect from today's computers. Microsoft was clearly trying to compete with Apple's Macintosh and its operating system when they released Windows, but they didn't take into consideration the limitations of IBM PC compatibles of the time. By the time Windows 3.1 released, the entire computer industry was completely different. The mouse, color displays, hard drives, and faster CPUs were much more commonplace by 1992, so it was much easier for it to gain a large userbase.

[Sevenigma]

I really love the fact he treated this whole vid like a tutorial as if there is another person on this planet doing this exact thing lol

[GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Fun story!
Once upon a time on my dad's old IBM machine back in like 1991ish, he was full screen in an application and didn't know how to close out of it.
He came back to one of us babies standing at the desk and the Restore Menu was open and he was able to close/unmaximize (restore) the window.
He asked himself "What keys are on the bottom of the keyboard that a baby could reach on their tippy toes?" 😂 That's how he discovered Alt+Space.

Which, BTW still works on every version of Windows, including Windows 11 and Universal Windows Apps. Double clocking the "Restore" button (the app icon on the top left) is also a shortcut for closing the application, which works even on applications that don't have an icon there at all. (idk if this one works on UWP Apps).

Alt Space is important because you can always bring up the menu if you have focus on the application, so if it's off screen or inaccessible somehow, you can open the Restore menu, and then the "Move" command will snap the Window to your cursor. Useful for bringing lost apps back to reality. Has never failed me from Windows 3.1 to Windows 11.

[vwestlife]

The Z-138 was the portable version of the Zenith Z-148 desktop PC that I did a video about a while ago. The motherboard and I/O board are identical. It's nice that you have the daughterboard for the ISA slot because those are hard to find.

[KoopaKid]

I've never seen Windows 1.0 installed on era-accurate hardware before!

[interlace]

Our 8088 booting up dos 3.10 and windows 1.0 in an amber monochrome glow just like that.. is a memory I can still vividly recall from over 3 decades ago.

Thanks for lighting up those nostalgic neurons once again 🫶

[luie]

Wow, Zenith. That is a company name I haven't heard in a while. When I was a kid visiting family in Melrose Park, IL, we would drive past a Zenith Factory that only did TV's. As always, excellent work! Video is awesome.

[tiberiud]

5:53 There's something so odd and charming in seeing "West Germany" displayed as a keyboard setting

[justinkochenderfer]

WOW! This was really nice to see! I have never seen an install of Windows 1.03! Thank you!

[firenyth]

First time I've actually seen real use of floppy drives, crazy that you can just plug and play them as you like

[exaltedb]

I love your videos like this, as they’re a great way to look back at technology (and its unique processes) that have existed before my time

[rymuios]

i've been waiting so long for a video like this including windows 1.0. great video mjd !

[DingleRingle]

AWWW YUSS I LOVE WHEN MICHAEL MJD UPLOADSSS best vintage computer historian in my opinion i always find your vids interesting no matter how many of ur vids i watch keep up the good work pal!

[ZetecinsideMotorsport]

I had one of those at work, the field engineers used to take them out on trials. Thanks for the video, brings back so many memories.

[GianmarioScotti]

I appreciate it very much you did the system overview at the beginning. It makes this video ten times better.

[etherlords]

I lived in Pittsburgh and drove through that 3482 William penn hwy and that entire area/place is truly relic! That building along with surrounding ones are empty for decades and I wouldn’t surprise it was only used to sell the computers back in 90s and still the related papers can be found inside!

[odysseythekidd]

Awesome video idea! Also, I love that amber CRT display!

[Soulintent]

I really like that display. Used to seeing them green, this yellow-orange theme looks great.

[MakeLifeExtraordinary]

You truly make me miss the early days of computing. There was just something so special and incredible about it. a feeling you don’t get with modern computing. I guess because everything was new and there were so many leaps coming in technology day after day. Now, it’s kind of stagnated and it’s just not the same.

Thank you for the video. Much appreciated. I have a brand new Vic 20, new Atari 600XL and new TI 99 4A sitting here. Ive been collecting brand new systems since the late 80s, early 90s and you don’t know how tempted I am to bust open the 600 XL. I don’t have any hard drives or disk drives for it, which I imagine I could easily find on eBay. Would be pretty awesome to fire up a brand new system. though, I don’t think I have the heart to do it. There’s too many collectors out there who would love to have it sitting on their shelves. And the prices have gone through the roof. Lol.

[bramvandenbroeck]

Man this takes me WAY back! I had a 286 with an amber display like that, and i love that color! It so soft on the eyes, you could work for days on a monitor like that!