Screensavers, colourful icons and proper fonts. 30 years after its release, Stuart Andrews looks back at the version of Windows that finally put it on the map.

Windows 3.1 is arguably the most crucial Windows ever – the Windows that defined how PC computing looked just as it was beginning to take off. Before version 3.1, Windows was a successful operating system, but one that looked and felt like a GUI shell perched precariously on DOS.

With the launch of Windows 3.1 in April 1992, Windows finally looked and felt like the real deal. What’s more, it was a sales phenomenon, shipping over 3 million copies in its first six weeks on the market and 25 million within the first year. Windows was already big, but 3.1 put Windows in the lead.

How did Windows 3.1 do this? That’s not something you can nail down to any one factor. It was partly a question of stability, partly features and partly look and feel. Believe us – Windows 3.1 looks rough by today’s slick standards, but not half as rough as what came before.