Last Updated on May 27, 2026
If you are the nostalgic type, then you most likely remember the days of running Windows XP on your home computer. Most people loved the performance and reliability that Windows XP had to offer and miss the simple interface and how it didn’t require high end hardware to run.
Obviously, you are not going to install Windows XP on your main computer since it is not supported by Microsoft for security updates or any other type of updates. Plus, you may find that some of your hardware will not be supported and there will be no XP drivers available for it.
One way to run Windows XP on your computer is by configuring it as a virtual machine. Desktop virtualization is very common these days and you can use software such as Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, VMware Player and Oracle VirtualBox to create virtual machines running a variety of operating systems. In this article, we will be showing you how to install Windows XP as a virtual machine in VirtualBox.
Configuring the VirtualBox Environment
1. Download the Required Software
In order to install Windows XP as a virtual machine in VirtualBox, you will need to install the VirtualBox software on your computer first. VirtualBox is completely free to use and will run on Windows, Linux and macOS directly. You can download the latest build from their website right here. You will also need to download a clean Windows XP ISO image file from a reputable archive site to act as your installation media.
2. Create a New Virtual Machine
Once you have VirtualBox installed, open the main VirtualBox Manager program. Click on the blue New button located at the top of the window. Here you will need to name your VM whatever you like and choose the local storage path for the virtual machine files. This is important if you do not want to use the default C drive folder. In the section that says ISO Image, click the dropdown and browse to the exact location of the Windows XP ISO file that you downloaded earlier. VirtualBox should automatically detect that the OS is Windows XP and add that to the Version box. You should then check the specific box that says Skip Unattended Installation to retain manual control over the setup wizard.
3. Assign Memory and Processors
Next, you can assign exactly how much memory and how many processors you want to allocate to your Windows XP virtual machine. You should be perfectly fine dedicating 4GB of RAM to this older operating system. Do not allocate too much physical memory in case your host computer does not have that much RAM installed to share. One single processor core should be more than enough power to run the desktop environment smoothly.
4. Create the Virtual Hard Disk
For the hard disk, you can change the capacity from the default 10GB to whatever size you like. This assumes you have the available free disk space on your host for this specific virtual hard drive. For the hard drive type and variant, you must use the default VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) format. If you check the box for Pre-allocate Full Size, then VirtualBox will carve out the entire block of storage on your host hard drive immediately. Leaving it unchecked tells the software to expand its size gradually as needed within the guest OS.
Running the Windows XP Installation
1. Start the Virtual Machine
Now that you have your Windows XP virtual machine fully configured, you can select it from the left sidebar list. Click on the green Start arrow button at the top of the interface. This action powers on the VM and boots directly from your attached ISO file. The classic blue Windows XP installation process begins immediately on your screen.
2. Enter the Volume License Key
The setup wizard copies files and eventually reboots into the graphical installer phase. When you get to the section where it asks for a license key, you must enter a valid 25 character string. You can use the generic volume license key provided below.
MRX3F-47B9T-2487J-KWKMF-RPWBY
Type this sequence carefully. The installer will accept it and move forward to the network configuration screens.
3. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions
Once you have Windows XP fully installed and booted to the desktop, you must install the driver package. Go to the Devices menu located at the top of the VM console window. Choose Insert Guest Additions CD Image to mount the necessary files. This extra software is a mandatory suite of specialized drivers installed inside a virtual machine to enhance its core functionality. It fixes the screen resolution constraints and enables seamless mouse pointer integration between the host and VM. You also get improved graphics performance, shared folders, time synchronization, and drag and drop functionality.
You may also want to check out this article on How to import a VirtualBox VM into Microsoft Hyper-V.
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