Win3.1x on bare metal Ryzen 9 9900X & RTX 5060 Ti system (2025) installed by floppy, FullHD etc

[Crispin]

(found it at "Tom's Hardware" - news)
Link to article

Enthusiast installs Win 3.1X on bare metal Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 5060 Ti system using floppy disk drive, OS from 1992 running on 2025 hardware — Asus motherboard’s ‘classic BIOS’ functionality was instrumental to the feat
By Mark Tyson last updated April 4, 2026
Video shows bare-metal setup of Microsoft’s 1992 OS on a 2025 system, straight from its floppy install pack.

There is a YT video in article (I'll put direct link below). There is an explanation of procedure below YT video (description), author said there is a link to ready-made install script for all automatic enhancement over classic Win3.x installation.

Some features:

• VBESVGA driver w/o issues, up to 1920x1080px, SVGA (24-bit colours);

• full working Enhanced Mode (instead Standard Mode - long existing compatibility problem solved), meaning virtual memory working, proper multitasking etc

• AHCIFIX.386 fix, meaning working SATA and PCI:
  Ensoniq ES1370 audio PCI card full working

Calmira is also working, of course.
Direct link to video:
https://youtu.be/0qP3Jy52RuQ

[Crispin]

Archived url:
https://web.archive.org/web/20260405044 ... o-the-feat

[Crispin]

DESCRIPTION (with links!) c&p from YT:

Windows 3.1 on a Ryzen 9 9900X: Bare Metal, Real Floppies, No Compromises.
Can 34-year-old software handle the latest silicon? And if so, can we still install it the old way... using actual floppies? No virtual machines, no emulators, just pure bare metal and a stack of so-called "backup" floppies from 1992.

Links:

All the good stuff is here, including the song:  
Patreon link  
Get VBESVGA and AHCIFIX.386 from here:
PluMGMK github link
Get Windows 3.1 Update Script from here:
Windows 3.1 Update Script - Release 4 (25.1.2025) archive_org

What’s inside:

The Floppy Challenge: Using 3M "backup" disks from 1992 on a USB floppy drive.

Standard vs. Enhanced Mode: Why modern AHCI firmware hates Windows 3.1 (and how to fix it).

The GPU Miracle: Using the updated VBESVGA driver by PlumMGMK to hit 1080p on a 5060 Ti.

Fixing the Crash: Implementing AHCIFIX.386 to bypass SATA controller limitations.

PCI Audio on AM5: How I got the Ensoniq Audio 3000 (ES1370) to provide real sound on a modern motherboard.

Video Playback: Testing DCI support with XING MPEG Player.

Chapters:
0:00 – Can Windows 3.1 run on a brand new Zen 5 PC?
0:12 – Installing from original 1992 floppies
1:25 – Standard vs enhanced mode explained
2:08 – First boot on a Ryzen 9 (and getting full HD working)
3:10 – Why enhanced mode crashes on modern hardware
4:06 – Fixing it with AHCIFIX.386 and running in full 1080p
5:46 – What's new in the latest VBESVGA driver
7:09 – Getting sound: which PCI cards actually work
8:23 – Audio demo + Calmira and the Update Script
9:51 – Final thoughts and how to set this up yourself