Attempting to run both Windows XP and Windows 10 simultaneously
Attempting to run both Windows XP and Windows 10 simultaneously
Hey everyone, I was thinking about building a new gaming rig with an NVMe SSD, a SATA SSD, and a regular SATA HDD. I have a lot of old games and software, and I’m sure they’ll work on Windows XP. I’m wondering if I can set up a dual-boot system using Windows 10 or if I should stick with something simpler like VMware—though I’m not sure if my current specs can handle it.
Your setup might struggle with Windows XP in a VM, making it hard to run Windows 10 smoothly while gaming. I suggest going with a VMware solution since both OSes use the same installation method (MBR without GRUB). If you really need both and don’t want VMware, Proxmox is a free hypervisor that adds little extra load, letting you run W10 and WXP VMs side by side. Just make sure to pass through your GPU for full performance. Keep in mind, using a hypervisor is more advanced.
My setup currently uses a 4th gen Core i7 with 4GB DDR3 RAM and a GTX 710. The new system I’m thinking about has a Ryzen APU and 16GB RAM, but it feels a bit overwhelming since my old rig barely handles basic tasks. That’s why I was hesitant about VMware—part of me still loves XP because it’s so familiar.
Did you need to enter IDE mode during the installation of XP since your CD didn’t include AHCI controllers?
For the initial setup, consider a minor adjustment later on. You can find more details here: https://www.neowin.net/news/neowin-guide...g-windows/ or follow this link: https://windowspro.eu/enable-ahci-withou...indows-xp/
I’d advise against using any virtual machine tools since I personally prefer setting up fresh Windows on a physical machine rather than a virtual one. You can easily dual boot Windows XP and 10. By the way, Windows XP brings back some old memories for me.