Installing Windows 95

System Requirements & Setup

Written in January 17, 2026

Launched in August 1995, Windows 95 was a pivotal release that merged Microsoft's MS-DOS and Windows products. It introduced the iconic "Start" button and taskbar, a user interface design that remains the standard for desktop interfaces decades later.

You can watch my YouTube video about a Windows 95 installation using VirtualBox.

Source: YouTube - Windows 95 installation in VirtualBox (lab demo)

Instructions

Windows 95 requires specific "Legacy" settings in VirtualBox to run correctly. You should allocate 32 MB to 64 MB of RAM (giving it more than 512 MB can actually cause errors), 1 CPU core, and a virtual hard disk of 500 MB to 2 GB.

  1. Open VirtualBox and click "New" to create a new virtual machine.
  2. Name the VM something like "Windows 95", set Type to "Microsoft Windows", and choose the closest Windows 95 or legacy Windows version available.
  3. Assign between 32 MB and 64 MB of RAM, staying well below 512 MB to avoid memory-related boot errors.
  4. Create a new virtual hard disk using VDI, dynamically allocated, with a size between 500 MB and 2 GB.
  5. Open the VM's Settings → System and make sure the boot order prefers the optical drive (and/or floppy) so it can boot from your installation media.
  6. In Settings → Storage, attach your Windows 95 ISO (or boot floppy/CD image) to the virtual optical drive.
  7. Click "Start" to boot the VM from the installation media.
  8. Use FDISK (if prompted) to create a primary DOS partition on the virtual disk, then restart the VM when instructed.
  9. Format the new partition (usually as FAT16) and start the Windows 95 setup program from the CD or copied setup files.
  10. Follow the on-screen prompts to copy files, configure regional settings, and complete the installation.
  11. After the final reboot, detach the installation media from the VM so it boots directly from the virtual hard disk.