I would like to be able to boot my existing XP OS on new machine

My XP machine has served me well, but I'm encountering more and more browser issues, especially with embedded videos and sites that still use Java. I'm running Java SE 8 plugin for Firefox, which is as far as I can go with XP.

I have zero interest in upgrading to another windows OS, so the plan is to build a new Linux machine (probably Mint) for browsing and to run the Plex media server, and then set up my existing XP OS to I can access via dual-boot and continue to use all my legacy software. As I have time, I would transition as much as possible to Linux compatible open source applications.

So the question is, what's involved in setting up my XP OS partition to boot on a modern mobo/CPU? Will I be limited to a mobo/socket/bios combinations that supported 32-bit XP? Since my new machine will have more than 4GB RAM, I'm wondering if XP would simply work within its addressable limits?

I don't need a fancy video card, so I should be able to find a more-than-adequate PCI-e card with both XP and Linux drivers. I'm sure there are other challenges I haven't thought of, which is why I'm posting this.

ZDNet > How to run XP on Linux Mint with Oracle VirtualBox

Running a VM is the least attractive alternative.

When I built my XP machine back in '08, I used TrueImage to restore my existing WinMe OS in MS Virtual PC. What a pain in the **** that turned out to be, as MS doesn't support installing an existing (live) OS in VPC. I had to seek out help from a couple of folks who had figured out how to do it. Definitely not for the faint-of-heart, but I got it working, and in fact, I can still boot my WinME OS as it existed at the time I built my XP machine (I can write to the VPC file but have no need to do so). The other downside of a VM of course is impaired performance. The benefit -- I was able to take my time transitioning my application software to XP. Also, I have a few programs that couldn't be installed on XP for one reason or another.

I don't imagine VirtualBox supports restoring an image of an existing XP partition does it? There's zero chance I'm going to suddenly start from scratch. Heck, I probably can't find half the original source diskettes or installation executables. A lot of the software I use in my work no longer exists.

So, I prefer to build a Linux machine that can dual-boot into XP. My objective in starting this thread is to learn what challenges need to be addressed. If it turns out that requires older h/w than I'm willing to go with, I guess I'll end up with two boxes. In that case, I would use a KVM switch to share keyboard, mouse and monitor. Either way, my objective is to be able to boot my existing XP OS as it exists today.

My understanding is there is a world of difference between MS Virtual PC and Virual Box.

Put the drives in a caddy
https://www.amazon.com/ICY-DOCK-DuoS...le+drive+caddy
To quote a gentleman

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Hot sawp works. Ejection buttons for both 2.5 and 3.5 work well. I particularly like the power buttons for both 3.5 HDD' and 2.5 SSD allowing you not to power the drive not inserted. Also both types of drives can be present at the same time.

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For multi boot, I just swap HDDS.

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Originally Posted by ginahoy

Running a VM is the least attractive alternative.

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Sorry. had no idea. Works for me. <shrug> I'm out.

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Originally Posted by Train

ut the drives in a caddy,,, For multi boot, I just swap HDDS.

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That's one option, but I prefer to set up a dual boot menu in Linux Mint at POST, if possible.

But that's not the problem I'm trying to solve. It's my understanding that XP won't run on the latest hardware due to a lack of drivers. I did some research and learned that motherboards with AMD3+ support XP natively (Bulldozer/Piledriver architecture). I'm still looking for more information about XP compatibility with Intel. So far I found references with instructions on installing XP on a LGA 1151 mobo (Skylake), but not specifically about booting from an *existing* XP install. I did find an easy workaround to avoid the BSOD that typically occurs when swapping mobo's or moving an OS HDD to another machine (BSOD is caused by chip-specific IDE driver).

I gather I'd be better served by joining a forum where I find in-depth discussions on this topic.

Sorry if that last sentence came across as ungrateful. It certainly wasn't intended that way. I do appreciate you guys for taking time to respond.

I will look into VirtualBox. If it turns out it can support mounting an existing OS image, that would be preferable to operating (and maintaining) two boxes with a KVM switch.

Rake it for a drive and see if it fits.

No chance I would do a test drive without first confirming my requirements are supported. That's a good way to lose half a day or more. So I visited the VB forum and found this in the FAQ's: https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15834.

Bingo! Looks like VB can do what I need. According to the advice given in this thread, it's necessary to do a clean install of XP first (to create the MBR), THEN restore my XP backup image onto the new VM. No way I would have figured that out on my own!

So now the question is whether I would be satisfied with the performance. That's where a test drive can come in handy.

Buy a small hdd, Disconnect yours and test. That way you do not touch your present drive.

Sometimes we just have to take the time to experiment.
I would recommend a 240 to 256 GB SSD. And when your present computer boots in about 20 seconds, I think you will find it pleasant.

does she want to run winxp or only accessing her data on winxp-drive?
one could try to install winxp on an ssd. for me it makes no sense since i must install win7 anyway. no ebanking on winxp anymore.