How to Run a Windows XP Emulator for Windows 10
Windows XP might have reached the end-of-life (EOL) stage in its cycle, but that doesn’t mean the operating system doesn’t still have its uses. There is a way you can have the best of both worlds and run a Windows XP emulator on Windows 10. The best way to emulate Windows XP in Windows 10 is to use a virtual machine. It lets you run a virtualized computer inside your existing Windows 10 install. In this case, it means running a version of Windows XP on the same system but siloed away from the Windows 10 operating system and files. There are many great virtual machines you can use, but we’ll be using Oracle VM’s VirtualBox for this guide. Download the latest version from its official website and install it.
Why Use a Windows XP Emulator?
Microsoft has designated Windows XP as EOL for all but a select few customers. It means there haven’t been any significant security patches for Windows XP in years, and software support is close to a decade out of date. That also means modern drivers won’t work with it, a lot of modern PC hardware won’t run it, and you’ll run into all sorts of problems trying to run modern applications using it. The biggest concern, though, is malware. Windows XP is far less secure than Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, and with no security precautions made for it in recent years, it’s less safe than ever. As such, emulating Windows XP is a much safer way to use it because if you become infected with malware, you can wipe the install and start again without risking the rest of your system.
