[OFFER] DEC VAXMATE WINDOWS 1.01.11 and Windows 1.03.04

edited May 2017 in Offers & Requests
DEC VAXMATE WINDOWS 1.01.11 and Windows 1.03.04

This blog have both MS-DOS and Windows for DEC VAXMATE. http://avitech.com.au/?page_id=1068
The VAXMate was DEC's first fully PC-compatible machine and a successor to their previous x86 based but not PC-compatible machine, the Rainbow 100. We do have a copy of Windows 1.01 for that machine as well, but as it turns out, it's a post-install folder dump and mixed together with a VAXMate release, and thus pretty much unusable. To make things more complicated, the Rainbow used a rare floppy disk drive and a format of 400kB in size that's difficult to read and create on a PC. We may obtain a more proper copy in the future, however.

Since the VAXmate shipped without a hard drive, the default installation method is floppy install to A:\Windows, but you can still change the path to install on a hard drive. The file layout on the floppy disks is pretty different too, and some extra DEC apps are included.

d5qx0.png

nesugi.jpg

Download Link for Windows 1.01.11 (July 1986) Build
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3XdbN ... JObTQ/view
Download Link for Windows 1.03.08 (January 1987) Build
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3XdbN ... 1BNjQ/view

Comments

  • Thanks for pointing these out. I suspect there are other uncommon OEM versions of Windows 1.x out there.

    By the way, there was a Wang OEM of Windows 1.03 on eBay the other day: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wang-Co ... 2479189645
    Not sure exactly which Wang machine model that was for.
  • Looks like emmanual just did a copy-paste from the BetaArchive
    https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewt ... 16&t=37056
  • -SokiOff The files are not copy-paste from the BetaArchive
    SokilOff wrote:
    Looks like emmanual just did a copy-paste from the BetaArchive
    https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewt ... 16&t=37056
  • At least, first information is from BA.
    I knew this information before it is posted on WW.

    Interesting thing is that Windows 1.01.11 (July 1986) Build is modified on standard .ima files.
    (.IMD file seems to be untouched but .IMA is modified.)
  • Windows 1.03.04
    1213oeu.png
  • @emmanual,

    Thanks for the post. Makes me feel good to know that these variants are still being found and shared after all these years.
  • BTW, what were are looking at here are basically two sets of system restore/setup disks, plus a word processor.

    The second set is for network installs only, so you can't even try to run Install in an emulator.

    The video display appears to be an odd CGA clone with 640*400 resolution. On emulators or real CGA/EGA/VGA it initializes CGA mode, but every other scan line is missing.
  • SomeGuy wrote:
    BTW, what were are looking at here are basically two sets of system restore/setup disks, plus a word processor.

    The second set is for network installs only, so you can't even try to run Install in an emulator.

    The video display appears to be an odd CGA clone with 640*400 resolution. On emulators or real CGA/EGA/VGA it initializes CGA mode, but every other scan line is missing.

    If by "two sets" you're referring to these two copies of Windows 1.0, then I must disapoint you, but you're wrong. Clearly both can be installed in an emulator and even run perfectly fine on generic AT clones. The setup routine is indeed a bit odd compared to other release of Windows 1.0, but it can still be installed.

    Regarding the display, VAXmate had a monochrome display but the adaptor did support color. It's described in this document on page 167 onwards. The owner of the blog where this was originally upload speculates it may be related to the famous Hercules adaptor.

    Also a note to OP: next time, try not to literally copy the text from BA post.
  • Regarding the display, VAXmate had a monochrome display but the adaptor did support color. It's described in this document on page 167 onwards. The owner of the blog where this was originally upload speculates it may be related to the famous Hercules adaptor.

    It was intentioned (according to DEC) that later models would offer color. Since hardware took months to bake in the design, makes sense to put the capabilities onboard from the git-go. Terminals with floppy drives was the thinking.

    We threw out banks of those that had been used for transcription at U of M - nobody at the shows wanted 'em - even for free.

    vaxmate_color_display.jpg
  • DeFacto wrote:
    If by "two sets" you're referring to these two copies of Windows 1.0, then I must disapoint you, but you're wrong. Clearly both can be installed in an emulator and even run perfectly fine on generic AT clones. The setup routine is indeed a bit odd compared to other release of Windows 1.0, but it can still be installed.
    Well, the installer on the second set attempts to connect to a network share before it will continue installation. If there is a way around that, it is not obvious.

    Sure, if you fiddle with the drivers Windows will run. It is the same core product, but pre-configured for the VAXmate hardware.
  • The only installer there is on these two copies is on disk 2 in the drv folder. And it installs a minimal copy of windows with the drivers you choose (much like regular win 1.0 setup). The applications are located on disk 3 in the pcapp folder.

    So again, I'm not sure what you were doing, but setup works fine.
  • How do I set this up? I couldn't find any VAXmate emulators...

  • @vlad557776 said:
    How do I set this up? I couldn't find any VAXmate emulators...

    It also runs on Pentium.

  • Okay, I'll try installing it on PCem.

  • @vlad557776 said:
    Okay, I'll try installing it on PCem.

    I have it on PCem,

    Machine: [Socket4] Intel Premiere/PCI

    CPU: Intel Pentium60.

  • I was unable to get it to work. It's saying "Diskette Boot Failure". I'm using PCem v15.

  • edited September 2019

    Congrats on the find!

    @jonirob said:

    @vlad557776 said:
    How do I set this up? I couldn't find any VAXmate emulators...

    It also runs on Pentium.

    I wonder how it can do that despite the different architecture. The difference can't be that big.

  • @vlad557776 said:
    I was unable to get it to work. It's saying "Diskette Boot Failure". I'm using PCem v15.

    You need to run SETUP.EXE from the DRV directory on disk 2.

  • I can't even boot from the diskette...

  • edited September 2019

    @vlad557776 said:
    I can't even boot from the diskette...

    I also used PCem v15 and MS DOS 5.00, it installed without any problems, is your floppy set to 5.25" 1.2M?

  • What are you saying by "MS-DOS 5.00"? I'm trying to boot from that MS-DOS 3.10 diskette 1 from the package.

  • @vlad557776 said:
    What are you saying by "MS-DOS 5.00"? I'm trying to boot from that MS-DOS 3.10 diskette 1 from the package.

    I installed MS-DOS 5.00 and ran SETUP.EXE from the DRV directory on disk 2.

  • Oh. That's how you did it.

  • I installed MS-DOS 5.00 from 3.5-720k floppies, then I changed the diskette type to 5.25" 1.2M and it's now saying "General failure reading drive A".

  • edited September 2019

    This is my full config. on Windows 10 PCem v15:

    Machine: [Socket4] Intel Premiere/PCI
    CPU: Intel Pentium60.
    Memory: 16mb
    Video: VGA
    Speed: Default
    Hard Drive: 30mb
    Floppy: 5.25" 1.2M
    Mouse: Microsoft 2 button serial.

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