Windows XP is about to turn 20 years old. Previously we explored everything needed to use Windows XP in 2021. Beyond its technical limitations, today it is an operating system that enthusiasts want to experiment with. That brings us to VirtualXP, a project by Leonardo Russo that runs a virtual machine with Windows XP in the browser. The version of XP we find here has been stripped to the max and we cannot do much with it, but the simple fact that it works online is impressive...
Why not? Why not take that computer you have stored for years, clean its case and parts, and reinstall a fresh copy of Windows XP? The idea is not to work or connect to the web, but to have fun and experiment. You know, apply tweaks to the registry, modify dll files, try to run programs that supposedly shouldn't start. Games are very popular in that regard: some old titles simply work better on XP, and having a 'retro PC' is not a bad idea these days.
The alternative is to use virtual machines, and I admit that for many applications they work perfectly. In fact, some users see them as a more comfortable option, without depending on additional hardware or cables. Furthermore, the virtualizer gives rise to another kind of experiment. For example, what about Windows XP in a minimalist and online version? The answer is found in VirtualXP, a project by Leonardo Russo on GitHub.
VirtualXP: A Virtual Machine with Windows XP Online
VirtualXP is a modified version of the Halfix emulator, but we have also noticed that it uses technology from the Bochs project. The best part is that we do not need to install anything: a click on the link is enough... and wait. Obviously, performance is not the priority in VirtualXP, but rather exploring the potential of an environment with these characteristics. After all, we are talking about Windows XP online, running in a browser tab.
Of course, Windows XP received multiple modifications to make this possible. It is a reduced edition, probably based on the original build (the operating system does not report the presence of Service Packs). The Control Panel has only eight items, we have detected three fonts in the entire system, and the Registry Editor is not available, but we can run cmd to open the system console. The virtual machine was configured with 192 megabytes of RAM, and if you try to open Device Manager, you will see an error.
The last technical detail we have to share about VirtualXP is that we recommend some Chromium flavor for its execution. The virtual machine did not respond very well to Firefox, but improved a lot when using Edge Chromium. Windows XP online, in the browser. Ten years ago it would have been madness. Thanks to projects like VirtualXP, today it is another toy within our reach.
Official site: Click here
