Man upgrades Windows 1.0 to Windows 7

One man has captured every install of Windows from 1.0 through to 7 and shared it with the world via YouTube.

The video details install processes and the UI for each version of Windows over the past 25 years and most importantly the upgrade process. The only exception is Windows ME, missing as you can only upgrade to ME or 2000 and not both. The video creator, Andrew Tait, used VMWare to install each version and started by installing MS-DOS 5.0 to prepare for the Windows 1.0 installation. Monkey Island and Doom 2 are both installed to test upgrade compatibility throughout the years.

Microsoft first introduced Windows 1.0 on November 20, 1985. Since the introduction of Windows, the operating system has dominated the personal computer market. Microsoft’s market share worldwide for Windows currently sits at 91%, which is significantly higher than its rivals, Apple and Linux. Windows has seen a number of key changes throughout its life and the video (below) demonstrates the majority of these.

However, it hasn’t been all rosy over the past 25 years. Several run-ins with authorities worldwide have forced Microsoft to un-bundle key components of its operating system such as Internet Explorer and more recently Windows Media Player. A notorious court case with the American Department of Justice, which ended in 2001, saw Microsoft forced to share its systems, APIs source code and records with a specially allocated panel of experts. In the years after 2001 it also saw Microsoft un-bundling Internet Explorer from the Windows shell. Microsoft also got into trouble with the European Commission on several occasions. In 2003 the EU ordered Microsoft to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player, labeled Windows N. In January 2009 the EU also forced Microsoft to create a version of Windows without Internet Explorer. The company created the version, known as Windows 7 E, but later scrapped it in favor of a “browser ballot” screen that would allow consumers to pick their preferred browser.

If you’re a Windows fan and have 10 minutes free then check-out the nostalgic video below, thanks to The Next Web for spotting this classic.