Windows XP has been, without a doubt, one of Microsoft‘s greatest successes. This operating system, released in 2001, has been with us for over a decade. And until its end of support, in 2014, it has been one of the most widely used systems, especially on older computers. However, this operating system is already obsolete, as well as unsupported, so Microsoft, for obvious reasons, does not make it easy for people to get hold of it. Although there are still ways to get it (although we must do it with caution).
Security advice
The first thing to keep in mind is that this operating system has not been updated for a long time. Therefore, it has known bugs used by hackers . Connecting to the Internet with this OS will only bring us problems and we will run unnecessary risks. Also, keep in mind that many programs are no longer available for this operating system, and those that are still can take a long time without updating, so they may not work correctly (such as browsers or antivirus).
Nor can we forget the risks of downloading a Windows ISO from unofficial websites . There are users who distribute modified versions of the operating system that, sooner or later, can cause us more headaches than comforts. Therefore, if we are going to download the image from unofficial sites, we must verify that the HASH is correct to ensure that these images have not been modified.
Some examples of SHA1 hash of the most common versions of Windows XP are:
- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (x86) – CD (English) -> 1C735B38931BF57FB14EBD9A9BA253CEB443D459
- Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3 (x86) – CD (English) -> 5A6B959AD24D15DC7EBD85E501B83D105D1B37C6
- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (x86) Volume CD (Spanish) -> a47603256d7645a2f2788466153ffcd058f77c56
If we download a different ISO image, a Google search can help us find the SHA1 of all versions. Although Windows XP also has a 64-bit ISO version, it was never really popular. The x86 version, for 32 bits, was the one that conquered most of the PCs in the world.
Given the difficulty of finding this operating system in Spanish, we are still interested in downloading an ISO in English and, once installed, downloading the language packages to translate it into our language.
Finally, indicate that for reasons of compatibility and security, it is much better to choose to install this operating system in a virtual machine rather than in a real computer. In case of falling into the clutches of a hacker, at least he will not be able to leave the virtual machine, and our data will be protected.
Where to find Windows XP
It is possible to download the ISO of Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 very easily from the Microsoft website. However, with Windows XP, things change, since being such an old operating system, the company’s mentality was different.
The official way to download this ISO image has always been through Technet. However, this platform required a subscription from users. And surely if we manage to enter this platform today, the links for the ISO of Windows XP are not so easily found. Not even if we have the original key. Therefore, turning to Technet is not a solution.
If we eliminate the official way to download this system, then we only have unofficial alternatives left. And it is from here where we have to take extreme precautions. There are websites that allow us to easily download an ISO from Windows XP, such as Archive.org . This platform, we remember, wants to safeguard old software in a more or less legal way. A good option for those who do not want to get complicated.
If we cannot find the ISO image that we want, then we will have to start searching on other platforms. Within the repositories of The Eye , for example, we will be able to find ISO images for all Microsoft products, among others, Windows XP.
And we can also resort to the torrent network. We can search any tracker for this operating system, and download the version. Of course, we must check in the comments and evaluations that the ISO image has not been altered, since there are many versions modified by hackers that can cause us infinite problems.
The tb.rg-adguard portal takes advantage of Technet to allow us to download official Windows ISO images. Although this platform does not allow us to download an ISO of Windows XP as such, what we will find are virtual machines with this operating system already installed and ready to go. This can save us a lot of time if we are virtualizing this operating system.
Finally, there are many websites that allow us to download this operating system from storage servers such as “mega” and even other somewhat more reliable servers such as OneDrive or Google Drive. However, we do not recommend these download websites since, among other things, they are one of the main sources of distribution of modified versions that can endanger our PC. Much better to opt for the above alternatives.
What to do after installing
When we install Windows XP, either on a virtual machine or on an old computer, the first thing we must do is activate it with our product key . We should never use unofficial triggers, this would add many problems to those who already have this OS. We remember that XP has a 30-day trial version, but after that time we will have to use our license to activate it and continue using it.
Although this operating system has not been updated for years, we must make sure to download all the updates that exist for this system. Although there will always be security holes, with them we can correct the main errors that can endanger our PC.
And, in addition, we must configure the operating system to be as protected as possible. An antivirus for XP, as well as a good browser, will help us to be less exposed when we connect to the network.
