How to Install Windows XP in Hyper-V Manager

In this article, we will examine how to run Windows XP on a new virtual machine using Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization software on the Windows 10 64 Bit operating system.

How to Set Up Windows XP Pro x64 on Windows 10 using Hyper-V

After Windows XP was released by Microsoft on October 20, 2001, it started to become a very popular operating system by users. Since its release, it has been widely used in all workplaces and homes.

This operating system, which uses NT technology and micro-kernel architecture, has versions developed for various purposes. These versions are; Professional, Home, Media Center (MCE), Tablet PC Edition, Starter Edition, Home Edition (ULCPC – Ultra Low-Cost Personal Computer).

The Windows XP operating system, which has reached a large audience, is almost never used today. Because, since Microsoft ended the support of this system on April 8, 2014, most users or institutions could not get new system updates, so they ended the use.

The XP system, which has received support for 12 years, will no longer receive new updates, as Microsoft stated in this article.

Despite the end of support for Windows XP, some system administrators may use this system for legacy applications or other scenarios in test environments. Instead of running XP on a physical PC, you can experience this system on a more powerful computer by using one of the HyperV, VMware Workstation, or VirtualBox virtualization software.

How to Create a New Virtual Machine for Windows XP

After installing Hyper-V on your computer running Windows 10 system and supporting the virtualization feature, you can create a new virtual PC and install one of the Windows and Linux systems on it.

   Step 1

After running the Hyper-V Client software, it is recommended to create a new External Switch using Virtual Switch Manager before operating system installation. Because the Default Switch, which is enabled by default by the program, uses the NAT connection to expose the VM to the host network, which can cause network problems in many cases.

In order to minimize network problems, you can use your host’s adapter with External Switch and both get an IP address from the DHCP server in your local network and connect to the guest machine via remote desktop.

   Step 2

After creating the External Switch, type a name according to your desire in the Name field, and then select the network adapter you use to access the Internet on your host in the External Network setting and click OK.

   Step 3

After configuring the Virtual Switch, click Action / New / Virtual Machine from the tool menu of the program to start the virtual machine setup wizard.

   Step 4

You can click Finish to create a virtual computer quickly with the settings specified by the program in the VM wizard, or you can continue by clicking the Next button to create a manual guest machine.

If you do not want this window to appear during the next VM creation, check Do not show this page again and click Next.

   Step 5

After typing the name of the operating system you will install on the guest machine, it is recommended to configure the installation location of the VM on an external disk in order not to fill the capacity of your host disk unnecessarily.

   Step 6

When you want to install one of the old operating systems of Windows, you need to choose Generation. You can choose Generation 2 when you try to install a UEFI-supported OS, but if you are going to install Windows XP you should choose Generation 1 which supports BIOS firmware.

   Step 7

If you are going to run multiple VMs at the same time using Hyper-V on your Windows 10 system, you can create more efficient RAM resource management thanks to the Dynamic Memory feature. However, if you are only going to use a single virtual computer, you can disable this feature and assign a certain size of RAM to the VM for more performance gains.

   Step 8

For the network settings of the virtual machine, select the External Switch you created using the Virtual Switch Manager tool.

   Step 9

Since you are preparing a new guest system, you need to create a new virtual disk. If you want to add a virtual disk of a pre-installed VM, you can add it with the Use an existing virtual hard disk option.

In addition, you can change the virtual disk size automatically determined by the program from the Size section as you wish.

   Step 10

To add the Windows XP ISO file to the virtual machine, first select the Bootable CD/DVD-ROM option and then select Image File (.iso) and specify the location of the ISO file via the Browse button.

   Step 11

Select the Windows XP Professional 64 Bit SP1 ISO file that you downloaded to your computer from this link and click the Open button.

   Step 12

After checking the location of the Windows image file, proceed to the next step with Next.

   Step 13

You can check the settings you have made in the Virtual PC in the Summary window. If there is a setting you want to change in the VM, you can go back to the related settings with the Previous button.

   Step 14

After preparing the Windows XP virtual machine, open its settings and increase the number of virtual processors according to the power of your host computer’s processor hardware.

   Step 15

Finally, click the right button / connect option on the virtual machine created in the Virtual Machines section and click the Start button in the window that opens as in the image below, and proceed to the Windows installation.

How to Install Windows XP

To install Windows XP with Hyper-V, after preparing and running the virtual PC, you can now follow the steps as if you were installing it on a physical computer.

   Step 1

On the Windows XP Professional Setup screen, you can press Enter to start the installation immediately, or you can use Recovery Console by pressing R to repair your system.

   Step 2

You can scroll down the page by pressing PAGE DOWN to read the full text of the Windows XP license agreement. After reading the license terms, press F8 to accept and continue.

   Step 3

You can see the unallocated space in the disk configuration window. Press C to create a new partition on this disk space. Or if you want the disk to be configured automatically by the installation wizard, press Enter directly and start the installation.

   Step 4

Press Enter to accept the automatically edited disk size to use all disk space.

   Step 5

After creating the C drive on the virtual HDD, press Enter to start the Windows installation.

   Step 6

Before installation, format the virtual disk using the NTFS file system.

   Step 7

After formatting the virtual disk, wait while the setup wizard copies the system files.

   Step 8

After the first stage of Windows XP installation is successfully completed, press Enter to reboot the guest machine.

   Step 9

Wait while Microsoft Windows XP x64 Edition boots up.

   Step 10

Select the display language and region setting of your guest operating system in this window and continue.

   Step 11

Type a name for the user account of your virtual system and if you are going to use the VM in an organization, type the company name in the relevant section and click Next.

   Step 12

Type your 25-character Windows XP Pro product key and click Next.

   Step 13

Type a different computer name from other virtual machines or physical computers in your network environment, and if you also want to create a password for the administrator account, type your new password and click Next.

   Step 14

Configure the date and time settings of your guest operating system according to where you live and continue.

   Step 15

After editing system settings such as product key, region, and language settings, the installation will continue.

   Step 16

After the setup wizard has copied the Windows XP system files, wait while the computer settings are applied.

   Step 17

After applying the computer settings, the Windows XP desktop will be ready.

How to Upgrade Windows XP SP1 to SP2

After installing Windows XP SP1 on the VM, you must upgrade your virtual system to Service Pack 2 (SP2) to be able to install Integration Services. If you have installed an SP2 ISO, you can skip this step.

   Step 1

Click Media / DVD Drive / Insert Disk in the guest machine’s tool menu to add the SP2 Upgrade ISO file.

   Step 2

Select the Windows XP 64 Bit SP2 Installer ISO file you downloaded to your computer and click Open.

   Step 3

Open My Computer and right-click/open on the CD content, then double-click the SRSP2 command script to run it.

   Step 4

After extracting the files, click Next in the Windows x64 Service Pack 2 wizard.

   Step 5

Accept the Service Pack 2 (SP2) license agreement and click Next.

   Step 6

Wait while Windows XP SP1 updates to SP2.

   Step 7

After the system upgrade is complete, restart your guest operating system.

   Step 8

After right-clicking on My Computer, click System Properties and check that Service Pack 2 is specified in the System section.

How to Install Hyper-V Integration Services

After you upgrade your Windows XP virtual system to SP2, you must install Integration Services to update or enable the VM’s display and network adapter.

First, download the Windows XP Integration Services (VMGuest.iso) ISO file to your computer from here, and then follow the installation steps.

   Step 1

Right-click My Computer on the guest machine, then click Manage and check that the display adapter is not enabled and the network adapter is not defined in the Device Manager interface in the Computer Management window.

   Step 2

Add the Integration Services (VMGuest.iso) ISO file to the Windows XP virtual machine.

   Step 3

As soon as you add the VMGuest.iso file, Integration Services will start to be installed automatically on the virtual machine.

   Step 4

After the Windows XP Integration Services installation is complete, restart your virtual system.

   Step 5

Open Device Manager again and check that the display and network adapter is updated. Now that the Microsoft Hyper-V Network Adapter is enabled, you can connect to the Internet in the virtual machine.

How to Test Internet Connection

After enabling Microsoft Hyper-V Network Adapter, you need to check that the virtual system can access your local network and the Internet.

   Step 1

In Windows XP virtual PC, press Windows Key + R to open Run and execute CMD command and ping Google servers by executing ping 8.8.8.8 command and test network connectivity.

   Step 2

If the ping to the Google servers is successful, open Internet Explorer and check the connection by visiting the homepage of the search engine.

How to Use the Virtual Machine in Full Resolution with Remote Desktop Connection

Even if you install Integration Services on the XP guest machine, you may not be able to use the VM in full-screen resolution. You can connect from the host to the VM using Remote Desktop Connection so that you can use both the screen resolution and the audio device.

   Step 1

In order to establish a remote desktop connection to the VM, you need to learn the IP address of the guest machine. Therefore, double click the network icon in the lower right corner and check the IP address in the Support tab in the Local Area Connection Status window.

   Step 2

Once you know the IP address of the virtual computer, you need to allow remote desktop connections. Right-click on my computer, open System Properties, and in the Remote tab, select “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer” under Remote Desktop and click OK.

   Step 3

After enabling remote desktop connection in Windows XP, you must create a password for the user account as the password will be requested when connecting from the host to the VM.

Click Users under Local Users and Groups in the Computer Management window and right-click / Set Password on the Administrator account on the right and click the Proceed button in the window that opens.

   Step 4

Create a password that you can remember for your user account and click OK.

   Step 5

Find and run the Remote Desktop Connection tool on your host operating system.

   Step 6

Type the IP address of the virtual machine in the Computer section, and after clicking Connect, click Yes to skip the certificate warning.

   Step 7

After connecting to the VM, type the user credentials of the virtual system and click OK.

   Step 8

You can now use the Windows XP virtual computer in full resolution and hear system sounds.

How to Use USB Flash Memory in Virtual Machine

The easiest way to transfer files between the host and the virtual machine is to use a USB flash drive on the remote machine. Thus, you can transfer your files to the VM more quickly.

   Step 1

Open the remote desktop tool again and after clicking Show Options, click the Local Resources tab in the window that opens, and then click More.

In the Local Devices and Resources list, under Drives, tick the flash memory you will use in the VM and click OK.

   Step 2

When you tick the flash memory and try to connect to the VM, click Connect again in the Do you trust remote connection warning window.

   Step 3

Open My Computer in the VM and check that your USB stick is active under Other.

   Step 4

If the VM has flash memory enabled, you can now more easily transfer files between the host and the VM.

   Video

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