A VirtualBox image with the minimum to run a small collection of applications:
— Windows XP x64 SP2
— All updates till 2019
— Activated
— Removed all unused contents
— Set up to work out of the box without further configuration
— Background system optimizer run every 2 weeks
— All Internet connections blocked by default
— Classic XP look and feel
— Remastered background wallpaper
— Optional Vista like Black theme
— Optimised VirtualBox configuration
— Access to host Linux home folder out of the box
— VirtualBox Guest Additions
💬 Contact: Alberto Salvia Novella
Here is how to use the legendary Windows XP on Windows 10 or Windows 11. You are going to download Windows XP ISO for VirtualBox and then perform the installation. This way, you are going to use Windows XP without losing any files or changing your current OS.
Inside the VirtualBox, you can do all things that are possible on Windows XP. From installing applications, and running games, to checking your newly developed application inside the platform.
Windows XP ISO download for VirtualBox
Windows was released way back in 2001 and was available for 11 years. Later on, the only Windows OS that was capable to beat that record was Windows 7. Windows XP brought tons of new features, amazing tools, and a brand-new interface. It was provided for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. I have provided the x64 ISO file of Windows XP, if you want x86 then you can comment down.
File: Windows_XP_Pro_x86_x64.ISO
Size: 475 MB
Language: English
Developer: Microsoft
Click here to download Windows XP ISO for VirtualBox for free.
Related: Free Download Windows XP SP3 ISO
System Requirement for Windows XP
Most of the current systems can easily run Windows XP. Since the OS was released way back and requires low specs to run, so you won’t need to worry about the system requirements. For running Windows XP, you will need:
Processor: Pentium 4 with 1 GHz or better
Memory: you will need 512 MB RAM or more. It is recommended to have 1 GB for running Windows XP Professional.
Storage: a total of 4 GB of free storage is required.
Hardware: CD/DVD ROM is required in addition to Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, and Super VGA (800×600 screen resolution support).
There is a great chance that you are using Windows XP on Windows 10 or Windows 11. I would recommend you to have at least 1 GB RAM and 5 GB more storage as compared to the required specs for Windows 10 or 11. This way, you could run Windows XP on VirtualBox smoothly.
Overview of Windows XP
The OS was released in 2001 by Microsoft. It was released as the successor of Windows 2000 and Windows ME. Windows XP aka Win XP was released for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
In the new Windows OS, you will find new features like Internet Explorer, Windows Shell elements, TAPI, Remote Assistance, and much more. You would also find a brand new interface that includes a new desktop, taskbar, Start menu, eye-catching icons, and easy navigation throughout the OS.
While using the OS, you will also find Firewall, Windows Defender, and other tools for security. This is also the first Windows OS that supports Microsoft Java Virtual Machine.
Microsoft has released Windows XP into two different editions: Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. They have released a total of three service packs of Windows XP and later other editions of Windows XP were also released.
- Windows XP Home
- Windows XP Professional
- Windows XP Tablet
- Windows XP Stater
- Windows XP Media Center
These were the editions released by Microsoft.
Windows XP Home
This edition of Windows XP was released for home users only. As compared to the Professional edition. The Home edition has fewer features and options.
- The first thing you will notice is the friendly interface of the OS.
- You will also find the process of Startup and Hibernation faster.
- Features such as Windows Media Player are also added.
- A Wireless Network option is also added.
- Multitask Manager is much faster as compared to previous versions of Windows OS.
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Professional was released for professional works. This edition is faster, more efficient, and stable as compared to other editions. Here are some of the features of Win XP Professional.
- For burning files on CD or DVD, there is the CD/DVD burner feature.
- Windows Media Player is also present.
- Big corporates can use the Remote Desktop Access feature.
- For security reasons, there is also the Internet Connection Firewall.
- A wide range of hardware is supported.
- You will find the booting and hibernation process faster.
- All the applications on the Windows XP will be launched faster.
- There is also a wireless connection too.
How to Install Windows XP on VirtualBox?
Installing Windows XP on VirtualBox is the same as installing Windows 10 on VirtualBox. Begin the operation by downloading VirtualBox and then perform the installation on your system.
Once the installation got completed then you will use the direct links above to download Windows XP ISO for VirtualBox. The downloading setup file is around 456 MB in size and will be downloaded within a few minutes.
After the download of Windows XP got completed then you will run VirtualBox.
Create a new VM (virtual machine) on VirtualBox. Now you are going to open Settings and insert the amount of RAM memory, processors, storage space, and graphics power for your VM. When all the settings of the new VM are set, you are going to apply the changes and exit Settings.
Before we continue any further, make sure you have selected the downloaded ISO file of Windows XP in VM settings and the location the new VM will be created.
Begin the installation of Windows XP. From here on, it is the same installation process as installing Windows XP. Here you are going to use the same installation steps that we did in “How to Install Windows XP From ISO Image?”.
After the installation of Windows XP on VirtualBox, you will notice some restrictions. There will be lesser options for the installation of applications. This is because you will need to install the VM VirtualBox Extension on VirtualBox.
The Extension pack will enable tons of features with the option to install an app inside the VM. Here is “Download Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack”. From downloading to installation, all the required things are present. If you want to run multiple Windows OS on a single system then you can also use the Dual boot option.
Click here to learn how to dual boot two Windows OS.
Product key of Windows XP
After the installation of Windows XP, you will see the notification of the product key. Most likely, you will find the product key phase during the installation. Even if you skipped the phase, you will be asked for the product key again in the future.
The product key is essential to activate Windows XP either on VM or any system. Here you can use the product key given to activate your Windows XP.
QW4HD DQCRG HM64M 6GJRK 8K83THow to make bootable CD/DVD or USB for Windows XP?
For creating a bootable CD/DVD or USB, you will need to download Windows XP. Then you are going to insert your blank CD/DVD into your system. If you have a USB then you are going to format the USB and then burn the ISO file.
If you have downloaded it from other sites, then you will find the setup file of Windows XP as zipped. Here you are going to use third-party tools such as 7Zip or WinRAR to extract all the files.
Exacting the files is necessary and once got extracted, you will burn the file.
Now that you have inserted your CD/DVD or USB into your system, you are going to use a third-party tool for burning the setup file. For this kind of task, Rufus is the thing.
Download Rufus and double-click on it. Since Rufus doesn’t require any installation, you are going to use the application directly. Now select all the options accordingly and then you are going to select the CD/DVD that you want to burn the setup file on.
Once all the options are selected, you are going to click on the Start button. The burning of Windows XP will begin, and the system will notify you when the operation got completed.
When the operation got completed then you are going to eject your CD/DVD from your system. Congratulation! That CD/DVD or USB that you are holding is a bootable USB of Windows XP.
The same operation can be performed with other tools. However; we have used Rufus as it is robust, stable, and friendly. Instead of Rufus, you can use any of the tools that you think are better.
Can I run Windows XP on VirtualBox?
Of course, you can run Windows XP on VirtualBox. Not only Windows XP but you can also run Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, and even earlier versions like Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows 95.
VirtualBox is not limited to only Windows OS, but you can also run Linux distros (Ubuntu, Kali, Mint, Red Hat, Fedora), macOS (from macOS 10.0 to macOS Monterey), and Android.
It is a powerful virtualization tool that can be used for virtualization purposes. You can use it to check other OS or to check your developed app on multiple OS without performing any installation. One installation and you have access to that OS any time you want.
For using the Windows OS, you are going to create a new VM. This VM will be configured from Settings and then the setup file will be provided. Then you perform the installation of Windows XP.
After the installation of VirtualBox, it is recommended to install the VM extension pack of VirtualBox. Without an extension pack, you are limited to fewer options of VirtualBox. By installing the extension pack, you have access to tons of other options that were not valid.
Can I Run Windows XP With a 4 GB RAM PC?
For running Windows XP on any system, it is recommended to have 512 MB RAM memory for Windows XP Home and 1 GB for Windows XP Professional. Having 4 GB of RAM is an advantage to run the OS smoothly and efficiently.
Microsoft recommends having a Pentium 4 or better with 1 GB of RAM and 800×600 screen resolution support for running Windows XP. You are only required to have 25 GB of free storage for Windows XP. Increasing the specs will only make things run smoother.
As compared to Windows XP required, 4 GB is more than enough. You can even run Windows 7 with 4 GB of RAM on your PC.
When was Windows XP released?
Windows XP was released way back in the 2000s. The OS was developing under the codename “Neptune” built on Windows NT Kernel. However; later Microsoft changed the direction of the entire project with the codename “Whistler”.
This was not based on Windows 95 or MS-DOS. After some time, on 24 August 2001, the OS was released for Manufacturing. By 25 October 2001, the OS was publicly available.
Microsoft has released a total of 3 service packs for Windows XP. SP3 of Windows XP was released on 21 April 2008. Windows XP was the successor of Windows 2000 and Windows ME. Later on, the Windows OS was succeeded by Windows Vista.
Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on 14 April 2009. Whereas the extended support ended on 8 April 2014.
Windows XP was a legendary OS that is used by users even today. It has been more than 20+ years and still, there are users who are using the OS and still love it. If you have used Windows 2000 or earlier versions of Windows OS, you will notice how good the OS is.
Not only Microsoft has changed the entire interface, navigation, and icons to make things friendly. But there were also major changes in hardware support too. They have removed support for PC-98, i486, and SGI Visual Workstation 320 and 540. Microsoft made sure that Windows will only run on 32-bit x86 CPUs and devices with BIOS Firmware.
If you have further questions related to downloading Windows XP ISO for VirtualBox or installation related then you can comment down. Any kind of question that catches your attention can be a problem experienced by others. So comment down and I will fix that problem as soon as possible.
Though there are several ways to use Windows XP on Windows 10 and 11, using it with the pre-installed image for VirtualBox adds many advantages. We prepared a Windows XP image with VirtualBox guest additions to make things easy. It will allow you to attach and use the latest computer quickly.
You can avoid downloading the correct ISO file, doing every installation step (Unfortunately, the Windows XP installations take a longer time) and additional steps by using this pre-installed image.
You may have unique reasons to have Windows XP on VirtualBox with Windows 11. It could be something you need to check the old legacy applications, play games that support only Windows XP, or open a file that can work only on Win XP. Using Windows XP as a VirtualBox pre-installed image (VDI file) will be handy in any of the above cases.
System Requirements
We believe you have the latest suitable hardware if you are using Windows 11 or 10. It will definitely run Windows XP on it with Oracle VirtualBox.
Download Windows XP Preinstalled VirtualBox Image and use it on Windows 11.
1) Make sure you have the latest Oracle VirtualBox application. It is a desktop virtualization software you can download from the official website here.
2) Download the XP preinstalled image from our website here.
3) You need to have the 7-Zip program to extract this file. You can download 7-Zip from their website here.
4) After the pre-installed image is downloaded, extract it using the 7-Zip program.
5) Open VirtualBox and create a new VM.
6) Give a name for VM and select the version as Windows XP (32bit).
7) Assign RAM size to 512MB.
Select ‘Use an existing virtual hard disk option’ on the hard disk creation screen. This will bring up a box where you can choose the available VDI file. We need to browse the Windows XP preinstalled image file we extracted in the earlier step.
9) Click on the ‘Add’ button and locate the file as shown below.
After attaching the file, complete the VM creation steps.
10) Before switching on the VM, let’s tweak a few settings to make the VM work better.
11) Open the VM settings and tick the ‘Enable I/O APIC’ under ‘System’ settings. This will enable us to allocate more the one processer core for the VM.
12) Then, in the ‘Processor’ tab, increase the processers to 2.
13) Power on the VM now. Since all installation steps are done, and VirtualBox guest additions are installed already, the Windows XP on VirtualBox virtual machine will boot and work smoothly.
Network connectivity (Internet), sound and multiple screen resolutions, including full-screen mode, will work perfectly.
You can change the user or Administrator password.
You should have a working Windows XP virtual machine on your Windows 11/10 physical computer. It is highly recommended to take a snapshot before you make any changes.
Since VirtualBox guest additions are installed on this VM, you can quickly transfer the files/folders between the host and the guest virtual machine. It should be easy to test the legacy applications, games and other activities requiring Windows XP on the latest Windows 11 computer.
Troubleshooting Tips for Windows XP on VirtualBox
Based on the user feedback and findings, here are some troubleshooting tips if your Windows XP virtual machine is not booting or is stuck with the black screen.
- As mentioned in system requirements, if your host computer is Windows 10 or 11, it already has virtualization technology enabled in the BIOS. But, if you are using Windows 8 or 7 without VT-x enabled, you need to enable VT-x in BIOS before trying these steps.
- You can change the chipset under the motherboard settings of the Windows XP virtual machine. It worked for me with PIIX3, but few users reported it worked with ICH9. So, it is better to change the try on your PC.
There are a couple of methods to install Windows XP Virtual machine on Windows 10 using different platforms such as Oracle VirtualBox, Vmware, and Hyper-V.
Windows XP is an old but dominant operating system of the world during its heydays. However, this Windows XP is not supported officially but is available in bootable ISO image form for free to download and use. Yes, we don’t need to pay anything for Windows XP Service Pack 3 Licenses and ISO, both are available on an internet archive website.
Here we will show how to install Windows XP on Oracle VirtualBox as an emulator on Windows 10 step by step using its ISO file. This will allow you to continue to use Windows XP on Emulator without having to install it on your PC.
Windows XP virtual machine on VirtualBox
Here is a glance at the steps we are going to follow for the installation of Windows XP Virtual Machine using ISO file on VirtualBox running on Windows 10. However, the steps will be the same for Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista.
- Download the Windows XP ISO file and copy the license key as well and save it on a notepad. For links see the main step 1 of this article.
- Install Oracle VirtualBox on your Windows 10/8/7 PC
- Run the VirtualBox and click on the NEW button to create a new Virtual Machine.
- Type the name of the OS -Windows XP and the rest will be set by default.
- Create a Virtual Hard disk (VHD) and set RAM.
- Select the created Windows XP virtual Machine appearing on the left side of the VirtualBox main screen.
- Click on the Settings option from the menu.
- Select the Storage Settings
- Click on the empty CD icon and then again from the attributes select the CD icon.
- Navigate and select the downloaded windows XP ISO file.
- Save it and Start the Virtual Machine and the Windows XP boot menu will appear.
- Follow the installation wizard and it will be on your Oracle Virtualbox to experience.
—New VirtualBox version allows unattended installation of Windows XP—-
Here are the steps to follow:
Name your virtual machine – Windows XP or whatever you want. And then click on the Arrow icon given at front of the ISO image option. Select “Other…” and then navigate to your downloaded Windows XP ISO image from Archive.org.
After that simply click on the Next button.
Under Unattended Guest OS Install Setup, the default username (vboxuser) and password (chnageme) will be given. Change them with whatever you want to set for your user account on Windows XP.
Also, paste the product key available on the same page from where you have downloaded the Win XP ISO image. Also, Change the hostname to whatever you would like to use. Once done click on the Next button.
Windows XP can run perfectly fine at 512MB, for better performance use 1GB where the CPU core can be one or two.
Let’s the default 10GB select because it is enough.
Soon the setup will start copying the files.
Once the installation is done, click on the Devices -> optical and select VBoxGuestAdditions.ISO file.
Open My Computer and double-click on the Virtual Box Guest Additions drive. This will start the installation.
Once the installation is done, just reboot your system.
——old VirtualBox versions method—-
Step 1: Download Windows XP ISO and License
The first step towards the Virtual installation is to get an ISO image of this old operating system. As I mentioned above that it is free and avail by Microsoft itself officially along with the License key. Thus, use this link which will open the page of Archive.org, where click on the ISO image link given on the right side under the Download section, this will allow you to download the Windows XP Professional SP3 x86 ISO image. Just on the same page, the free but official professional key for the same will have been given. Copy that and jot down somewhere like NotePad.
Step 2: Install VirtualBox on Windows 10/8/7
So, we have now the ISO file of Windows XP professional 32-bit service pack 3, it’s time to get the Oracle VirtualBox. Here is the link to Download VBox. In case you already have the Vbox on your system then simply move to next.
The installation of the VBox is like any other executable software meant for Windows nothing will be complicated at all.
Step 3: Create a Virtual Machine for Windows XP
Run VirtualBox and click on the New button given on the Menu of it. Now in the Name box, type- Windows XP, and its corresponding options will automatically get set up. Then click on the Next button.
Step 4: Set memory size (Virtual RAM)
Although Windows XP perfectly works under 512 MB RAM, however, here we are assigning 1GB for better working and smooth performance.
Step 5: Create a Virtual Hard disk (VHD) for XP virtual machine
To store the installation file we need to attach a Virtual Hard drive to our Virtual Machine. The VirtualBox will automatically set it to 10GB which is enough. Thus, leave the default settings and click on the NEXT.
On the Next window, it will ask you to select the type of Virtual Hardrive, by default it will be VDI, however, here we are selecting VHD. It is because in case, tomorrow we want to run it under Windows Hyper-V, we can easily use the Windows XP VHD image.
Next, Select Dynamically allocated option.
File allocation and Size: By default, the VirtualBox will save all files of the machine on C: drive, if you want to change click on the folder icon and select the place.
Finally, click on the Create button.
Step 6: Set ISO image for boot
Select the created VirtualMachine and click on the Settings button given on the top menu of VBox.
From Settings -> click on the Storage-> Empty CD icon under storage device-> again on CD icon of Attributes and then “Choose Virtual Optical Disk File“.
An explorer will open and select the downloaded Windows XP ISO image.
Click on the OK button.
Step 7: Start Windows XP Virtual Machine
Now, our XP Virtual Machine is ready, time to boot it up. For that select the created virtual machine from the left side of the VBox panel and click on the Start button given in the menu of the same.
Step 8: Installing Windows XP
Windows XP Professional Setup will open, press the Enter button to continue.
Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.
As we are installing Windows XP on VirtualBox, thus, a single partition will appear, simply press the enter button to format the whole partition.
By default, a slow formatting option will be selected, use the arrow key of the keyboard and select “ Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick)”.
After some time, it will ask you to enter the license key for Windows XP. Type this official serial key: MRX3F-47B9T-2487J-KWKMF-RPWBY and click on the NEXT button to complete the installation.
Once it will be done, you will get the old but very familiar interface of Windows XP with a familiar startup sound.
Thus, in this way, we can install our old Windows XP system on VirtualBox Virtual Machine for testing legacy software or learning purpose.
Other Articles to read:
- How to boot VirtualBox from USB?
- Best Free Virtualbox Alternative for Linux
- How to install CentOS 7 on a PC via bootable USB
- Qemu Ubuntu Tutorial to install & setup virtual machines
Добрый день!
Я подготовил готовый образ windows XP для VirtualBox для скачивания. Это по сути готовая виртуальная машина WindowsXPSP3 [x86] на базе бесплатной виртуальной среды Oracle VM VirtualBox. Причем, контейнер содержит всю виртуальную машину целиком, включая настройки и установленные программы внутри виртуальной машины.
Вам останется только скачать этот файл (это .ova — файл). И импортировать его в программе «Oracle VM VirtualBox». Которую вы должны скачать на официальном сайте, и установить прежде чем приступите к скачиваю и импорту моего образа. В этой публикации вы сможете скачать образ, а в следующей публикации я показываю как импортировать скачанный образ в «боевое положение» за 3 минуты.
На самом деле, это не сложно. Но пользователи разные бывают, и часто случается так, что без инструкций с иллюстрациями, не получается разобраться что и как делать. Потому я и написал инструкцию как импортировать образ в VirtualBox. Но это в следующей статье. А сейчас…
Скачать готовый образ windows XP для VirtualBox
Подразумевается, что вы уже скачали и установили бесплатную программу управления и настройки виртуальными машинами или как их сейчас называют «контейнерами» Oracle VM VirtualBox . Запустите её. Откроется вот такое окно:
Как видите, всё готово к импорту, загрузке контейнера виртуальной машины, которую я подготовил и экспортировал в этой программе, чтобы вы смогли быстро (примерно за 3-5 мин.) развернуть в данном случае образ windows XP SP3. Но сначала вам нужно его (образ), файл .ova скачать, и распаковать. Образ запакован в rar — архив, и весит около 5 Гбайт.
Скачать образ WindowsXP для VirtualBox
Зеркало
Если у кого-то не видно нашей красивой кнопочки, то можете скачать его по прямой ссылке. Ещё раз: это будет архив winrar без пароля, в котором готовая конфигурация в виде одного файла с расширением .ova Который по сути и является файлом импорта для VirtualBox. (Контейнер виртуальной машины со всеми настройками).
*** При скачивании образов с нашего сайта браузер может ругаться в стиле » переход на недоверенный сайт-предупреждение, ля-ля, тополя». Не обращайте внимания, нажимайте смело «продолжить». Файлы — образы занимают много места на хостинге, и я залил их на личное сетевое хранилище (NAS-сервер) для обеспечения высокой скорости загрузки и решения проблемы с местом на хостинге. Я гарантирую, что мои файлы безопасны!
Качаем, распаковываем, и следуя несложной инструкции, буквально за 3-4 минуты импортируем в вашу программу. Вот, собственно и всё!
Напоминаю, что у нас есть готовый образ Windows XP и для другой виртуальной среды — Vmware Player. Так что если кому-то удобней работать именно с Vmware — виртуальными машинами, то вы сможете у нас так же скачать образ для vmware.
Там так же подробно описывается как его импортировать, запустить в программе Vmware Player.
Желаю вам успеха!