diff --git a/racket/src/cs/c/boot.c b/racket/src/cs/c/boot.c
index dfa8a110d3..13aa0b8e50 100644
--- a/racket/src/cs/c/boot.c
+++ b/racket/src/cs/c/boot.c
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 #ifndef WIN32
 # include <unistd.h>
+#else
+# include <io.h>
+# include <windows.h>
 #endif
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
@@ -28,6 +31,24 @@
 # define BOOT_O_BINARY 0
 #endif
 
+#ifdef WIN32
+int boot_open(const char *path, int flags) {
+  int sz = MultiByteToWideChar(CP_UTF8, 0, path, -1, NULL, 0);
+  wchar_t *w_path = malloc(sz * sizeof(wchar_t));
+  
+  MultiByteToWideChar(CP_UTF8, 0, path, -1, w_path, sz);
+
+  {
+    int r = _wopen(w_path, flags);
+
+    free(w_path);  
+    return r;
+  }
+}
+#else
+# define boot_open open
+#endif
+
 static ptr Sbytevector(char *s)
 {
   iptr len = strlen(s);
@@ -121,13 +142,13 @@ void racket_boot(racket_boot_arguments_t *ba)
     close_fd2 = 1;
 #endif
 
-    fd1 = open(ba->boot1_path, O_RDONLY | BOOT_O_BINARY);
+    fd1 = boot_open(ba->boot1_path, O_RDONLY | BOOT_O_BINARY);
     Sregister_boot_file_fd_region("petite", fd1, ba->boot1_offset, ba->boot1_len, close_fd1);
 
     if (!close_fd1)
       fd2 = fd1;
     else
-      fd2 = open(ba->boot2_path, O_RDONLY | BOOT_O_BINARY);
+      fd2 = boot_open(ba->boot2_path, O_RDONLY | BOOT_O_BINARY);
     Sregister_boot_file_fd_region("scheme", fd2, ba->boot2_offset, ba->boot2_len, close_fd2);
 
 # ifdef RACKET_AS_BOOT
@@ -137,7 +158,7 @@ void racket_boot(racket_boot_arguments_t *ba)
       if (!close_fd2)
         fd3 = fd2;
       else
-        fd3 = open(ba->boot3_path, O_RDONLY | BOOT_O_BINARY);
+        fd3 = boot_open(ba->boot3_path, O_RDONLY | BOOT_O_BINARY);
       Sregister_boot_file_fd_region("racket", fd3, ba->boot3_offset, ba->boot3_len, 1);
     }
 # endif