How to Download eXoWin9x – BitTorrent Network

This article was written for Western Sydney Publishing and published in Feb 2026. Last week, I talked about eXoWin9x. It’s a ready-to-use collection of 662 classic Windows 95 and 98 games from 1994 to 1996. You can get the bundle from the project’s website: https://www.retro-exo.com/win9x.html. Because it’s 260 GB, you can’t download it directly. Instead, it’s available as a torrent.

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Instead of getting a file from one server, you download small parts from many people at the same time. Your computer also shares the parts you have with others. All these users together are called a “swarm.” It’s like a group project where everyone helps out, so the work goes faster. This makes sharing large files much easier and less demanding on any one connection.

Many legitimate groups use it, including game publishers, Linux projects, academic groups, and eXoWin9x. BitTorrent itself is legal—it’s just a way to transfer data, like email or cloud storage. Problems only come up if you download illegal content. If you stick to legal downloads, you’re fine. Never rely on random search engine results for torrents as these are often dangerous.

Getting started with BitTorrent is easy. You just need two things: a torrent program (called a “client”) and a torrent file or magnet link for what you want to download. First, download a BitTorrent client. Some popular options are qBittorrent, Transmission, and Deluge. I personally use qBittorrent.

After you install a client, you’re ready to try your first torrent. Here, we’ll download eXoWin9x. Click the link on the website above, and it will open qBittorrent and start the download. Depending on your internet speed, this might take a few hours. Faster internet does not mean a faster download as it depends on how many seeders (providers) of the file there are

Keep in mind that while you’re downloading, you’re also uploading to others. After you finish getting eXoWin9x, close the program from the menu to fully exit—just closing the window only minimises it.

If you want to try other torrents, remember your IP address is visible to others in the swarm. Meaning you can be identified. Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) will hide your IP address. Also beware of the files you download as you could be opening your self up to Malware.

Have a lot of fun with the eXoWin9x game bundle. I certainly am.