Free Windows Xp Install
Windows XP is one of the popular OS Microsoft have ever introduced. In the era of Windows 10, the demand of Windows XP is too high. Though, Microsoft does not provide any support to XP users now, yet the usability of this Windows version can’t be compared with other versions. XP supports at very low ended PC and performs well. So, in different sectors and studios, there is still a demand of Windows XP. There are many PCs and notebooks which do not have any CD/DVD ROM support. So, you need to install Windows XP from USB flash drive to those devices. Apart from that, many PCs do not have a working CD ROM and those PCs also need a bootable USB drive to install a Windows XP operating system.
- Free Windows Xp Installer
- Free Windows Xp Install Download
- Free Windows Xp Installation Disk Download
- Free Windows Xp Installation Cd Download
- If you want XP this is how to get it. Stage 1: Go to the Microsoft Windows XP mode page and select Download. The executable file will download but when it is finished you don’t want to install it. Stage 2: Right click on the exe file and then select 7-Zip, then Open archive and then finally cab.
- A free tool “Win to Flash” can be used to transfer bootable Windows XP installation files to a USB flash/pen drive. There are another few market available apps to create a bootable USB (I also discuss about them in the later part), the latest version of “WinToFlash” is very appropriate for creating Windows XP USB.
- Download Windows XP Service Pack 3 now from Softonic: 100% safe and virus free. More than 1680 downloads this month. Download Windows XP Service Pack 3 latest version 2020.
- Free Windows XP Themes are always what people look to download. Few best desktop themes for Windows XP are available which you can download and apply using Style XP Window Blinds installed to apply these themes. It will help you in customizing your Windows with new themes. Download Free Windows XP themes and styles.
Later versions of Windows e.g. Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 are very easy to handle at the time of creating a bootable pen drive as compared to Windows XP. You can use Microsoft’s “Windows USB/DVD Download Tool” to create a bootable USB stick for Windows 7 and later versions. But, this tool does not have a support for Windows XP. And when you want to create a bootable flash drive for Windows XP, you face a lot of difficulties and you need to follow few advanced steps because Windows XP does not have the feature ‘boot from USB‘ feature. Yet, you can install Windows XP from USB if you make it bootable properly.
In this article, I am showing you how to install windows XP on a PC using a USB flash drive. This procedure lets you install Windows XP OS on a netbook or on a PC that may not have a working CD/DVD drive. Yet, in order to prepare the bootable USB, you need a computer with a CD/DVD drive support and Windows XP installation disk.
Step 3: Copy XP Serial Key. On the same page you will also see the official serial key of Windows XP, just copy and paste it on notepad for future use. Step 4: Install Windows XP on Virtual Box. If you want to use Window XP ISO on Virtual Box. Simply run it and click on the New button. In the Name box, type Windows XP and click on the Next button. Windows XP Mode 1.3.7600.16432 is available to all software users as a free download for Windows 10 PCs but also without a hitch on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Compatibility with this software may vary, but will generally run fine under Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP on either a 32-bit or 64. Windows XP Mode provides a 32-bit virtual Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (SP3) environment. This download includes a virtual hard disk (.vhd file) with Windows XP SP3 preinstalled. Client virtualization software, such as Windows Virtual PC is required to use Windows XP Mode.
When you insert the WIndows XP bootable installation disk into the CD/DVD ROM and restart your computer, you find a screen along with the following message: “Press any key to boot from CD…”. You get this message as the inserted CD or DVD is a bootable one. When you copy every file of the installer CD and paste it to a USB drive, and then restart your PC, the same thing does not happen to you. You need to make the USB drive bootable and as Microsoft’s USB/DVD tool does not support Windows XP, so, things become a little trickier for you. A free tool “Win to Flash” can be used to transfer bootable Windows XP installation files to a USB flash/pen drive.
There are another few market available apps to create a bootable USB (I also discuss about them in the later part), the latest version of “WinToFlash” is very appropriate for creating Windows XP USB. The free app also supports the creation of Windows 7,8.8.1 and Windows 10 bootable USB.
Now, let me discuss the best way to set up a bootable USB for Windows XP step by step.
Create Bootable USB and Install Windows XP from USB on a PC or Notebook
To install Windows XP operating system on a Windows PC, you have to follow the below steps.
- Preparing a USB thumb drive to create a bootable USB flash drive.
- Setting up the BIOS configuration of your PC to install Windows XP using the USB disk.
- Install and run Windows XP from USB.
- Handling with errors during Windows XP installation.
Step #1: Prepare Your USB Thumb Drive to Create Bootable USB Drive
Requirements:
- USB 2.0 (Minimum 2gb drive space)
- Windows XP bootable installation CD/DVD or ISO
- WinToFlash (download link) free app
Now, follow the below guidelines so that you can easily create a USB flash drive for Windows XP installation.
- First, download the ‘WinToFlash‘ from the above link. The portable edition of this tool does not require any installation.
- Just open the app and select the ‘Advanced Mode‘. Under ‘Task‘ option, just select “Transfer Windows XP setup to USB drive“. See the screenshot below.
- Click ‘Create‘ button to go to the next window.
- Tick the “Use my ISO, RAR, ARJ, ZIP, 7Z, CAB, DMG image or archive” option.
- Select Windows source path then.
- Then, under USB drive, select ‘Refresh‘ button to get the list of all USB drives attached to your PC. Select the USB from the drop-down that you prefer to create bootable USB for Windows PC.
- Tick the option which says – “Remove the read-only attributes from files“.
- Under ‘process steps‘ tick the following options: format drive, collect information of text mode, collect information of GUI mode, create folders structure, copy files, install boot, assign a drive letter for set up, create answers file, add additions files for installation process, check the USB drive for errors, transfer all folders from original image.
- Go to ‘boot loader‘ navigation menu and choose ‘GRUB’ boot loader from boot loader option.
- Click ‘Run‘ button and wait until the bootable copy of Windows XP operating system is created on the USB flash drive.
- After successful completion, safely remove the USB drive from the PC.
Now, you can install Windows XP directly from the newly prepared USB. The process of installing the OS to the new PC is very simple if you have the proper boot device configuration in your PC. If you have the proper boot configuration, then insert the USB to the PC where you want to install Windows XP. Otherwise, go to next step to know how to set up the BIOS configuration of your PC so that you can directly install Windows OS using bootable USB thumb drive.
Step #2: Configure BIOS Setting to Install Windows XP from External USB Pen Drive – Choose Boot Device Priority
After successfully creating a bootable USB drive, insert the USB to the PC in which you want to install the OS. Then restart your PC and keep pressing Del/F2/Esc key to enter Bios mode. The key may vary due to different motherboard configuration.
- Enter in the BIOS setting page and navigate to the boot menu. Change the boot preference there. Select ‘Removable disk’ as first boot device.
- Press F10 to save the set up and exit.
- Restart the PC once again and when you get the option “Press any key to boot from USB/CD…“, just hit any key to install Windows XP to that PC from USB device.
Step #3: How to Install Windows XP from USB Device
Before installing Windows XP on your PC, you need to create new partition on your Windows hard drive or you need to edit the existing partition table. But, create, delete or edit of a hard drive partition using Windows XP is not simple like Windows 7 and later ones. While installing Windows XP from a USB or from a bootable CD, you need to create partition using DOS based set up. Later, the text based setup and GUI setup can be seen. So, you can get a complete guide of installing Windows XP here with an image representation.
Step #4: Bypass Windows Blue Screen of Death while Installing Windows XP Using Bootable USB
At the time of installing Windows XP, you may notice the error message with a blue screen. This may occur due to the following reasons:
- ACHI is enabled. Change SATA disc controller configuration and disable ACHI and try to re-install XP.
- Lack of disk controller or bus (miniport) driver.
- Low space in installation drive.
When an error occurs, try to trace the root cause for the error and know what type of error that is. Then, you can only find the proper solution before you install Windows XP from USB flash drive.
Alternate Method to Create a Bootable USB Disk and Install Windows XP to PC/Computer/Laptop
As I have already mentioned that creating a Windows XP bootable USB is a bit difficult as compared to Windows vista, Windows 7 and the later versions of Windows. ‘Windows to Go’ is a brilliant feature that Microsoft includes in Windows 8 and later OS to create a portable USB version of the operating system. But, in case of Windows XP, you need to use a different technique. You can create a bootable Windows USB by just extracting the setup files to USB device and this method is not compatible with Windows XP. So, lets see how to prepare a USB drive and make it bootable with Windows XP. And this procedure requires a fully functional Windows XP operating system.
- Download and install BartPE builder from the following URL:
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
and install the OS toC:pebuilder
. Start PE builder and browse the source Windows XP files and point it. Make sure that you set the output for “BartPE”. Set the media output as “Create output image”. You can set the output name as ‘pebuilder.iso’. The full path looks something like that –C:pebuilderpebuilder.iso
. Press ‘Build’ to create ‘pebuilder.iso’ file. At first, make sure that the file is properly created. - Create a bootable USB drive for Windows XP: Insert the USB drive to proper port and launch ‘Power ISO’. From the menu, navigate to Tools >> create bootable USB drive. The dialogue with “Create bootable USB Drive” appears as a pop-up. Confirm the UAC to continue. From ‘create bootable USB’ dialogue window, click “…” button and open the “c:pebuilderpebuilder.iso” file. In “Destination USB drive”, choose the correct USB drive. Choose writing method as ‘USB-HDD’. Then, click the ‘Start’ button to start creating bootable flash drive for Windows XP.
- After successfully completion of the process, copy setup file (from i386 folder) of Windows XP to USB drive. That’s all. The USB drive is ready now to install Windows XP from USB.
- Launch Windows XP setup from a flash drive: Plug-in the USB device to your PC. Run the command:
{usb drive letter}:i386winnt32.exe /syspart:C: /tempdrive:C: /makelocalsource
. ‘C:’ is the drive where you want to install your Windows XP. You can change it if you want to install the OS on a different partition. At the time of this installation process, if you see the notice which says: “Do you want to convert the installation volume to NTFS?”, just answer ‘No’. After that the setup program closes automatically. - Reboot your PC and unplug the USB this time. Change the BIOS setting and select boot device priority to “boot from hard disk”. Now, you are done and just wait until installation finishes.
Final Words:
If you follow on screen instruction while installing Windows XP to any PC, it will be much easier for you to install and run the OS from USB. So far, I try to cover two best methods along with associated steps, problems and solutions to install Windows XP to your PC. If you find any better way to install Windows XP to a PC or to a notebook, don’t forget to drop comment in below comment section. However, if you wish to install the latest OS i.e. Windows 10 in your PC, read our guide on installing Windows 10 from bootable USB.
Microsoft released the Windows XP beta version in August 2001. It was launched for the public in October in the same year. After Windows 7, it’s considered the most demanded OS. While Windows XP was designed, Microsoft realized that there should be a less complicated Edition of this OS for Home users. It was released in various editions like Home, Pro, Enterprise, Vienna, Starter, Media Center Edition and Tablet PC Edition, etc. The home edition is comparatively less complicated because it’s only for home users.
Currently, Microsoft isn’t providing official support for technical issues in Windows XP. But a lot of users are still using Windows XP. It is mainly due to their research work or maybe just for fun.
Related: Windows XP Vienna Edition ISO
Windows XP Home ISO (32-bit)
Download Requirements
- Processor: Pentium III
- Memory: 512MB
- Hard Disk Space: 5GB
- Display: Super VGA (800 x 600)
Methods to Create Windows XP Home Bootable USB (Installation Guide)
There are various methods to create a bootable USB. I have discussed all methods here. Follow any of them and move to the installation guide.
To create a bootable USB, you need to follow a few steps given below.
You require the following things for this process.
Method # 1: Create Bootable USB via Easy USB Creator
It’s compatible with all versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, 8, 10 and Windows Server.
Remember that you need to download “.NET Framework 2.0 or above” if you want to use this tool. This tool is required to convert the ISO image into a bootable USB drive. It is a straightforward tool and turns the Windows XP ISO image into a bootable USB drive with a single click.
- Connect a USB flash drive with the PC.
- Download the ISO file of Windows XP Home from the above section.
- Click Hereto download the Easy USB Creator tool.
- Double-click the “.exe file” to install it.
- Now, launch the tool.
- It shows a sign like “…” this with the ISO file option. Select this sign to add the path of the Windows XP ISO file.
- Below this option, you will see “Destination Drive.” Select a drive where you want to save the “executable file” and click “Start.”
- The tool will start converting the ISO image into a bootable file. Within a minute, your bootable USB is ready. Move to the installation guide.
Method # 2: Bootable USB/DVD of Zipped Windows XP ISO
- If you have a zipped Windows XP ISO file, download 7-Zip Extractor. 7-Zip Extractor will extract the files from the zipped folder.
- Here are a few steps you need to follow to install Windows XP ISO on your PC.
- Go to the download button to start the downloading process. Once the Windows XP ISO is downloaded, double-click the ISO files to extract them.
- Now, burn them into a bootable Windows XP Home DVD/USB.
- Once your bootable USB/DVD is ready, you can use it to install Windows XP on your desired system. Move to the installation guide.
Method # 3: Bootable USB/DVD via USB Creator 2.0 (Microsoft’s Tool)
- Connect the USB to your PC.
- Now, download the ISO file from the above section.
- Select USB/DVD to save the ISO image.
- Now, open the tool “USB Creator 2.0” and select “Browse” to locate the ISO file.
- Below this option, there is “Destination Drive.”
- Select the USB drive from here.
- Now click the “Create USB” option at the bottom of the tool. It will start converting the ISO image into the Bootable USB.
Installation Guide
Now, you have a bootable USB drive.
- Reboot system and press “Del” to enter BIOS. (If your system is showing any other key, like F1, F2, press it.)
- Select “Advanced BIOS settings” by using up or down arrow keys.
- Press “USB as the primary boot device” and press F10 to exit BIOS.
- Now, connect your USB to the system and restart the computer.
- First, select the PC version. Mostly it is 32-bit. If you are using 64-bit, select the relevant and click “Next” from the list.
- Select “Install from USB” and click “Next” from there.
- The system will start copying files from the USB drive.
- Make partitions of your system and select the partition where you want to save Windows XP OS.
- It will collect information first.
- Then Dynamic Updates are installed.
- Now, it shows that it’s preparing installation.
- Finally, the installation is finalized.
- Now, wait for a while until it completes the installation process. It may take about 40 minutes.
- The PC restarts several times in between. Don’t interrupt the installation process.
- Now set the time and date according to the geographical location.
- Enjoy using Windows XP.
FAQs
Can I play DOS games on Windows XP Home?
Yes, but only the old ones. If you want to play the latest DOS games, you require a DOS emulator like DOSBox. It’s an open-source DOS emulator to play the latest DOS games in Win XP.
Is it possible to install Windows XP in multiple systems by using one bootable USB?
No, Windows XP’s copy is only for one user. If there are 10 users, all of them need a separate copy of Windows XP.
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Is it safe to use Windows XP now?
It may be risky now as Microsoft is not releasing the security updates for it. So, the features may be attractive for you, but the security of your system is at a risk.
May I get a copy of Windows XP from Microsoft?
Free Windows Xp Install Download
Yes you can get it from Microsoft by forwarding a request. But Microsoft will not provide you guidance on how to remove the latest version of Windows from your PC.
Which version of Windows XP is better for me?
While selecting the version of Windows XP, you should be very careful. The last update on Security for Windows XP was released on April 8, 2014. So, Microsoft support recommends you to use the latest version of Windows XP to avoid security issues.
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Are the people still using Windows XP around the world?
Of course, about 7% of PC users are still using Windows XP around the globe. Although Microsoft has stopped issuing the updates, a small number of users still run Windows XP on their systems.
How can I update Windows XP manually?
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Go to the Start menu and select “Control Panel” from there. In the Control panel, click “Security” and select “Security Center” from there. Here you will see “Windows Update.” Click this option and see the available updates. Install them on your computer.