diff --git a/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs b/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs
index 79091fd3d6b..cd2d5e52462 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ impl<W: io::Write> io::Write for Maybe<W> {
 impl<R: io::Read> io::Read for Maybe<R> {
     fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
         match *self {
-            Maybe::Real(ref mut r) => handle_ebadf(r.read(buf), buf.len()),
+            Maybe::Real(ref mut r) => handle_ebadf(r.read(buf), 0),
             Maybe::Fake => Ok(0)
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/libstd/sys/windows/process.rs b/src/libstd/sys/windows/process.rs
index e0f8d6f9df9..61f73b00265 100644
--- a/src/libstd/sys/windows/process.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/sys/windows/process.rs
@@ -351,10 +351,15 @@ fn make_dirp(d: Option<&OsString>) -> (*const u16, Vec<u16>) {
 impl Stdio {
     fn to_handle(&self, stdio_id: c::DWORD) -> io::Result<Handle> {
         match *self {
+            // If no stdio handle is available, then inherit means that it
+            // should still be unavailable so propagate the
+            // INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE.
             Stdio::Inherit => {
-                stdio::get(stdio_id).and_then(|io| {
-                    io.handle().duplicate(0, true, c::DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS)
-                })
+                match stdio::get(stdio_id) {
+                    Ok(io) => io.handle().duplicate(0, true,
+                                                    c::DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS),
+                    Err(..) => Ok(Handle::new(c::INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)),
+                }
             }
             Stdio::Raw(handle) => {
                 RawHandle::new(handle).duplicate(0, true, c::DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS)
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/no-stdio.rs b/src/test/run-pass/no-stdio.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3658b6a508a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/no-stdio.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+#![feature(libc)]
+
+extern crate libc;
+
+use std::process::{Command, Stdio};
+use std::env;
+use std::io::{self, Read, Write};
+
+#[cfg(unix)]
+unsafe fn without_stdio<R, F: FnOnce() -> R>(f: F) -> R {
+    let doit = |a| {
+        let r = libc::dup(a);
+        assert!(r >= 0);
+        return r
+    };
+    let a = doit(0);
+    let b = doit(1);
+    let c = doit(2);
+
+    assert!(libc::close(0) >= 0);
+    assert!(libc::close(1) >= 0);
+    assert!(libc::close(2) >= 0);
+
+    let r = f();
+
+    assert!(libc::dup2(a, 0) >= 0);
+    assert!(libc::dup2(b, 1) >= 0);
+    assert!(libc::dup2(c, 2) >= 0);
+
+    return r
+}
+
+#[cfg(windows)]
+unsafe fn without_stdio<R, F: FnOnce() -> R>(f: F) -> R {
+    type DWORD = u32;
+    type HANDLE = *mut u8;
+    type BOOL = i32;
+
+    const STD_INPUT_HANDLE: DWORD = -10i32 as DWORD;
+    const STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE: DWORD = -11i32 as DWORD;
+    const STD_ERROR_HANDLE: DWORD = -12i32 as DWORD;
+    const INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE: HANDLE = !0 as HANDLE;
+
+    extern "system" {
+        fn GetStdHandle(which: DWORD) -> HANDLE;
+        fn SetStdHandle(which: DWORD, handle: HANDLE) -> BOOL;
+    }
+
+    let doit = |id| {
+        let handle = GetStdHandle(id);
+        assert!(handle != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE);
+        assert!(SetStdHandle(id, INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) != 0);
+        return handle
+    };
+
+    let a = doit(STD_INPUT_HANDLE);
+    let b = doit(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE);
+    let c = doit(STD_ERROR_HANDLE);
+
+    let r = f();
+
+    let doit = |id, handle| {
+        assert!(SetStdHandle(id, handle) != 0);
+    };
+    doit(STD_INPUT_HANDLE, a);
+    doit(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE, b);
+    doit(STD_ERROR_HANDLE, c);
+
+    return r
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    if env::args().len() > 1 {
+        println!("test");
+        assert!(io::stdout().write(b"test\n").is_ok());
+        assert!(io::stderr().write(b"test\n").is_ok());
+        assert_eq!(io::stdin().read(&mut [0; 10]).unwrap(), 0);
+        return
+    }
+
+    // First, make sure reads/writes without stdio work if stdio itself is
+    // missing.
+    let (a, b, c) = unsafe {
+        without_stdio(|| {
+            let a = io::stdout().write(b"test\n");
+            let b = io::stderr().write(b"test\n");
+            let c = io::stdin().read(&mut [0; 10]);
+
+            (a, b, c)
+        })
+    };
+
+    assert_eq!(a.unwrap(), 5);
+    assert_eq!(b.unwrap(), 5);
+    assert_eq!(c.unwrap(), 0);
+
+    // Second, spawn a child and do some work with "null" descriptors to make
+    // sure it's ok
+    let me = env::current_exe().unwrap();
+    let status = Command::new(&me)
+                        .arg("next")
+                        .stdin(Stdio::null())
+                        .stdout(Stdio::null())
+                        .stderr(Stdio::null())
+                        .status().unwrap();
+    assert!(status.success(), "{:?} isn't a success", status);
+
+    // Finally, close everything then spawn a child to make sure everything is
+    // *still* ok.
+    let status = unsafe {
+        without_stdio(|| Command::new(&me).arg("next").status())
+    }.unwrap();
+    assert!(status.success(), "{:?} isn't a success", status);
+}