#Linuxiac » Feed Linuxiac » Comments Feed Linuxiac » Someone Made a Windows 95 Subsystem for Linux Comments Feed oEmbed (JSON) oEmbed (XML) JSON Skip to content (BUTTON) ____________________ (BUTTON) No results (BUTTON) * Home * News (BUTTON) + OS + Software + Hardware + Weekly Wrap-Up * Linux Knowledge (BUTTON) + General + Tutorials + Tips & Tricks * Linux Distributions Linuxiac * Home * News (BUTTON) + OS + Software + Hardware + Weekly Wrap-Up * Linux Knowledge (BUTTON) + General + Tutorials + Tips & Tricks * Linux Distributions (BUTTON) Search Linuxiac (BUTTON) Menu HomeLinux & Open Source NewsSoftware Someone Made a Windows 95 Subsystem for Linux Someone Made a Windows 95 Subsystem for Linux WSL9x is not Microsoft WSL, but a retro Windows 95 and 98 project that makes Linux run where nobody expected it. * ByBobby Borisov * OnApril 24, 2026 * 2 Comments Someone Made a Windows 95 Subsystem for Linux For the past few days, I hesitated to share this news at first, since it might sound like a late April Fools’ joke. But open-source developers always find new ways to surprise me, and this project is a perfect example. A developer created WSL9x, a GPL-3-licensed experimental project that runs a modern Linux kernel inside… the Windows 9x kernel (Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME). To be clear, despite the similar name, it has no connection to Microsoft’s official Windows Subsystem for Linux. It’s an independent retrocomputing hobby project that just borrows the name and focuses on Microsoft’s old Windows 9x family. Right now, the project uses a patched Linux kernel 6.19 that runs alongside the Windows 9x kernel. This setup lets both operating systems run together, so you don’t need to reboot into Linux or use a typical virtual machine. The result is closer to an old-school systems hack than a practical replacement for WSL on modern Windows. Linux running on Windows 95. Linux running on Windows 95. WSL9x has three main parts. First, there’s a patched Linux kernel based on User-Mode Linux, but it calls Windows 9x kernel APIs instead of POSIX APIs. Second, it uses a VxD driver, which is the old virtual device driver format from Windows 9x. Third, there’s a small DOS client called wsl.com that links the Linux side to an MS-DOS prompt window. This design is what makes the project stand out. Windows 95, 98, and ME don’t use the Windows NT architecture found in modern Windows versions. They came out long before Microsoft’s official WSL and don’t have the modern kernel or virtualization tools you’d expect for running Linux on Windows. WSL9x gets around this by loading the patched Linux kernel using methods from the Windows 9x era, instead of today’s WSL approach. Once again, this project is for developers, retrocomputing fans, and anyone comfortable building and testing low-level software from source. It’s not a polished compatibility layer for everyday users. Microsoft isn’t involved, and this doesn’t bring the modern WSL stack to Windows 95 or 98. Even so, WSL9x is an impressive technical experiment. It runs a modern Linux kernel inside an operating system from the 1990s, letting both work together. No matter how you see it, that’s pretty remarkable. Finally, for reference to our younger readers, Windows 9x refers to Microsoft’s old consumer Windows line for 32-bit x86 PCs, including Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME. Depending on the version, the hardware ranges from 386DX and 486 machines to the then-legendary Pentium era, which started with 60 and 66 MHz CPUs. If you’re wondering where to find a computer like that, I honestly don’t know. But I bet if I checked my parents’ basement, I’d find some similar relic from my youth. One thing is certain, however: this news will likely bring back some nostalgic memories and put a smile on your face, which is reason enough to publish it. For those interested, here is a link to the project. Image credits: WSL9x Project Tell others: Share on X (Twitter) Share on Reddit Share on Facebook Share on Threads Share on Bluesky Share on Telegram Share on LinkedIn Share on Hacker News Bobby Borisov Bobby Borisov Bobby, an editor-in-chief at Linuxiac, is a Linux professional with over 20 years of experience. With a strong focus on Linux and open-source software, he has worked as a Senior Linux System Administrator, Software Developer, and DevOps Engineer for small and large multinational companies. 2 Comments 1. Ben E. April 25, 2026 at 2:12 pm Nope, moved away from Microsoft and Windows for damn good reasons, and I won’t be going back, even peeking in for nostalgia purposes. Going, going, gone! Reply 2. middle_pickup April 25, 2026 at 8:57 am I honestly don’t know much about WSL, but this sounds like a cool project. Maybe it would be a helpful tool for retro PC gamers to run Linux tools? Idk if Windows 9x systems have a working git, or ssh release. Maybe this could add that? Both seem helpful for system deployment after Windows 9x implodes after a while of use. Reply Leave a ReplyCancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name ______________________________ Email ______________________________ Add Comment * _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ [ ] Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. 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