Windows 3.0, a graphical environment, is the third major release of Microsoft Windows,
and was released on May 22, 1990. It became the first widely successful version of Windows
and a rival to Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga on the GUI front. It was followed by
Windows 3.1. Windows 3.0 originated in 1989 when David
Weise and Murray Sargent independently decided to develop a protected mode Windows as an
experiment. They cobbled together a rough prototype and presented it to company executives,
who were impressed enough to approve it as an official project.
Features Windows 3.0 succeeded Windows 2.1x and included
a significantly revamped user interface as well as technical improvements to make better
use of the memory management capabilities of Intel's 80286 and 80386 processors. Text-mode
programs written for MS-DOS could be run within a window, making the system usable as a crude
multitasking base for legacy programs. However, this was of limited use for the home market,
where most games and entertainment programs continued to require raw DOS access.
The MS-DOS Executive file manager/program launcher was replaced with the icon-based
Program Manager and the list-based File Manager, splitting files and programs. The Control
Panel, previously available as a standard-looking applet, was re-modeled after the one in Mac
OS. It centralized system settings, including limited control over the color scheme of the
interface. A number of simple applications were included,
such as the text editor Notepad and the word processor Write, a macro recorder, the paint
program Paintbrush, and a calculator. Also, the earlier Reversi game was complemented
with the card game Solitaire. The Windows icons and graphics support a full
16 colors in EGA and VGA mode while Windows 2.x only had colored menus and window boxes
with in-application graphics being monochrome. 256-color VGA mode was supported for the first
time. Windows 3.0 includes a Protected/Enhanced
mode which allows Windows applications to use more memory in a more painless manner
than their DOS counterparts could. It can run in any of Real, Standard, or 386 Enhanced
modes, and is compatible with any Intel processor from the 8086/8088 up to 80286 and 80386.
Windows 3.0 tries to auto detect which mode to run in, although it can be forced to run
in a specific mode using the switches: /r, /s and /3 respectively. Since Windows 3.0
runs in 16-bit 286 protected mode and not 32-bit 386 protected mode, the default setup
is to use the 64k segmented memory model. However, on 32-bit CPUs, the programmer had
access to larger memory pointers and so it was possible to expand program segments to
whatever size was desired. Since Windows API functions were 16-bit at the time, they could
not use 32-bit pointers and thus it was necessary to place the portion of the program code that
performed OS calls in a 64k segment. like in DOS although 32-bit instructions may be
contained in the code . Because of this, Windows 3.0 can only access 16MB total of RAM even
on 386 CPUs which have the theoretical capability of utilizing 4GB.
This was the first version to run Windows programs in protected mode, although the 386
enhanced mode kernel was an enhanced version of the protected mode kernel for Windows/286.
Windows 3.0 was the last version of Windows to advertise 100% compatibility with older
Windows applications. This only applies to real mode.
System requirements The official system requirements for Windows
3.0: 8086/8088 processor or better
384K of free conventional memory, 1MB, or 2MB
Hard disk with 6-7MB of free space CGAVGA8514XGA graphics and an appropriate
and compatible monitor MS-DOS version 3.1 or higher
Also, a Microsoft-compatible mouse is recommended. Windows 3.0 cannot run in full color on 8086
machines because the EGA and VGA color drivers require a 286, but this could be worked around
by either installing the Windows 2.x EGA/VGA drivers or replacing the CPU with an NEC V20/V30.
Microsoft had dropped support for the Tandy 1000 line by 1990, so a Tandy graphics driver
was not provided for Windows 3.0, however, the Windows 2.x Tandy driver could be copied
into the target system and used. Memory modes
Windows 3.0 was the only version of Windows that could be run in three different memory
modes: Real mode, intended for older computers with
a CPU below Intel 80286, and corresponding to its real mode;
Standard mode, intended for computers with an 80286 processor, and corresponding to its
protected mode; 386 Enhanced mode, intended for newer computers
with an Intel 80386 processor or above, and corresponding to its protected mode and virtual
8086 mode. Real mode primarily existed as a way to run
Windows 2.x applications. It was removed in Windows 3.1x. Almost all applications designed
for Windows 3.0 had to be run in standard or 386 enhanced modes. However, it was necessary
to load Windows 3.0 in real mode to run SWAPFILE.EXE, which allowed users to change virtual memory
settings. Officially, Microsoft stated that an 8Mhz turbo 8086 was the minimum CPU needed
to run Windows 3.0. It can be run on 4.77Mhz 8088 machines, but performance is so slow
as to render the OS almost unusable. Up to 4MB of EMS memory is supported in real mode.
Standard mode was used most often as its requirements were more in-line with an average PC of that
era – a 286 processor with at least 1MB of memory. Since some PCs did not place extended
memory at the 1MB line and instead left a hole between the end of conventional memory
and the start of XMS, Windows could not work on them except in real mode. Standard mode
was still widely used on 386 PCs as many only had 1-2MB of memory and used the 386SX chip,
so they could not run Enhanced mode well. 386 Enhanced mode was a 32-bit virtual machine
that ran a copy of 16-bit Standard mode, and multiple copies of MS-DOS in virtual 8086
mode. In 286 mode, the CPU temporarily switches back into real mode when a DOS application
is run, thus they cannot be windowed or switched into the background, and all Windows processes
are suspended while the DOS application is in use. 386 enhanced mode by comparison uses
virtual 8086 mode to allow multiple DOS programs to run along with being windowed and allowing
multitasking to continue. Virtual memory support allows the user to employ the hard disk as
a temporary storage space if applications use more memory than exists in the system.
Normally, Windows will start in the highest operating mode the computer can use, but the
user may force it into lower modes by typing WIN /R or WIN /S at the DOS command prompt.
If the user selects an operating mode that cannot be used due to lack of RAM or CPU support,
Windows merely boots into the next lowest one.
Multimedia Extensions A "multimedia" version, Windows 3.0 with Multimedia
Extensions, was released in autumn 1991 to support sound cards, as well as CD-ROM drives,
which were then becoming increasingly available. The Multimedia Extensions were released to
Original Equipment Manufacturers, mainly CD-ROM drive and sound card manufacturers, and added
basic multimedia support for audio input and output and a CD audio player application to
Windows 3.0. The Multimedia Extensions also added a few applications, like a new clock
and screen savers. The Multimedia Extensions' new features were not available in Windows
3.0 real mode. Windows 3.1x would later incorporate many of its features. Microsoft developed
the Windows Sound System sound card specification to complement these extensions.
The MME API was the first universal and standardized Windows audio API. Wave sound events played
in Windows and MIDI I/O use MME. The devices listed in the Multimedia/Sounds and Audio
control panel applet represent the MME API of the sound card driver.
MME lacks channel mixing, so only one audio stream can be rendered at a time. MME supports
sharing the audio device for playback between multiple applications starting with Windows
2000, up to two channels of recording, 16-bit audio bit depth and sampling rates of up to
44.1 kHz with all the audio being mixed and sampled to 44.1 kHz.
Marketing Windows 3.0 was the first version to be pre-installed
on hard drives by PC-compatible manufacturers. Zenith Data Systems had previously shipped
all of its computers with Windows 1.0 or later 2.x on diskettes but committed early in the
development of Windows 3.0 to shipping it pre-installed. Indeed, the Zenith division
had pushed Microsoft hard to develop the graphical user interface because of Zenith's direct
competition with Apple in the educational market. However, Zenith PCs had to run a proprietary
OEM version of Windows because they used hard disks with 1024 byte sectors and could not
use the standard SWAPFILE.EXE In December 1990, Microsoft released an updated
Windows 3.0 with bug fixes and improved ability to move pieces of data greater than 64k.
Windows 3.0 was not available as a run-time version, as was the case with its predecessors.
A limited-use version of Windows 2.x was often bundled with other applications due to the
low market penetration of Windows itself. It again was unsupported after December 31,
2001. Standard retail and OEM distributions of Windows
3.0 were on high density 1.2MB and 1.44MB floppy disks. A 720k version was also offered,
and a 360k edition could be ordered from Microsoft. Fully installed, Windows 3.0 used 5MB of hard
disk space. Software support
Windows 3.0 was the first Windows version to see widespread use, although DOS still
remained dominant and freeware and shareware applications for Windows considerably outnumbered
commercial ones. It also significantly spurred sales of new PCs with larger RAM capacities
as many older machines lacked the speed or memory to handle a demanding OS like Windows
properly, and some could not run it in protected mode due to outdated BIOSes or lack of proper
implementation. Since very few applications used protected mode prior to Windows 3.0,
PC manufacturers sometimes did not bother including functional support for it in either
the hardware, BIOS, or both. Windows 3.0 had a software update which was
never released that increased the speed of the floppy disk drive. By the time it was
ready to be launched, a new version of Windows was released.
References
External links GUIdebook: Windows 3.0 Gallery - A website
dedicated to preserving and showcasing Graphical User Interfaces
Windows 3.1 Rocks Mailing List Support, links and freeware downloads for users of Windows
3x. Windows 3.0 Modes and Memory Requirements