
Windows XP minimal-requirement experiments (2006) - Lammy
https://www.winhistory.de/more/386/xpmini.htm
======
noname120
Windows XP is probably the Microsoft operating system that has had the most
community tweaks. For example, there is a stripped down version called
MicroXP. Once installed, it only uses 200 MB (!) of disk space and 39 MB (!!)
of RAM.

It's fully functional, boots in a few seconds, and it feels extremely fast in
my experience even on very low-end computers. I have fond memories of this
stripped down OS. When I was still a teenager I didn't have unrestricted
access to a computer so I salvaged one with 512 MB of memory. The normal
version of Windows XP didn't run well on this computer but MicroXP worked like
a charm!

If you're interested, the official site is down[1] but you can still take a
look at the README file[2], and you can find the ISO very easily using the MD5
from the README.

[1] [http://retestrak.nl/board/](http://retestrak.nl/board/)

[2] [https://microxp-readme.neocities.org/](https://microxp-
readme.neocities.org/)

------
jplayer01
So, out of curiosity, what’s the fastest PC that will still work on 95, 98, XP
respectively?

I recently tried installing XP on my desktop and, despite it being old enough
to still be compatible and have drivers available, I wasn’t able to ever get
it installed. I’m still trying to figure it out. I certainly don’t remember it
being this difficult the last time I tried it... (before 2010?)

~~~
bcaa7f3a8bbc
Windows XP installation CD doesn't have AHCI driver and cannot recognize hard
drives on most computers since 2008, and only allows you to load an external
device driver via a floppy disk, which is obviously not helpful. You can set
your SATA controller to IDE mode in BIOS to install, but there's a performance
penalty, and because of how Windows XP handles disk drivers, it's difficult if
not impossible to enable native AHCI after Windows XP is already installed,
you are likely to get a BSoD after you flip the switch.

A better choice is patching the installation disc to bundle a AHCI driver in
it, works like a charm.

First, download and install nLite [0], a Windows installation disc modding
tool, and then download a copy of Rapid Storage Technology driver from Intel
(in zip format) [1] and decompress it. Finally, open your Windowx XP disc
image in nLite, bundle driver "iaAHCI.inf", and burn a new CD. You can find a
lot of tutorials on the web [2]. You may need to bundle other essential
drivers as well, USB and Ethernet comes to mind.

I still have a Windows XP SP3 CD in my CD collection, it is the original MSDN
version with an AHCI driver bundled, although I haven't used it in the last 6
years or so...

[0] [https://www.nliteos.com/](https://www.nliteos.com/)

[1] [https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/23295/Intel-
Rapid-...](https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/23295/Intel-Rapid-
Storage-Technology-AHCI-for-Windows-XP-for-Intel-NUC)

[2] [https://www.prime-expert.com/articles/b02/installing-
windows...](https://www.prime-expert.com/articles/b02/installing-windows-xp-
with-f6-ahci-raid-drivers-from-usb-only/)

~~~
FooHentai
>only allows you to load an external device driver via a floppy disk, which is
obviously not helpful.

You can get around this, there are USB drives that can be switched to a mode
that presents as a floppy drive.

~~~
bcaa7f3a8bbc
Thanks for the tip. I forgot the USB-FDD mode completely...

------
peterburkimsher
Tangentially related, it's possible to boot Windows 95 in a browser.

[https://www.pcjs.org/](https://www.pcjs.org/)

I'd also like to ask about single-board computers that can run some version of
Windows. I'm quite a fan of the Raspberry Pi, but there are times when I'd
like to use software that only supports Windows XP or newer, and WINE doesn't
cut it (e.g. iTunes with iPhone drivers, Age of Empires 2, PowerPoint).

~~~
shakna
> I'd also like to ask about single-board computers that can run some version
> of Windows. I'm quite a fan of the Raspberry Pi

I believe the Raspberry Pi 2 and later all support "Windows 10 IoT" now
[0][1], but if memory serves IoT has a lot of limitations.

It might be simpler to have a minimal distro that boots directly into
something like QEMU, that should let you run Windows XP on the Pi.

[0] [https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/windows-10-for-
iot/](https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/windows-10-for-iot/)

[1] [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/iot-
core/tutorials/...](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/iot-
core/tutorials/rpi)

~~~
peterburkimsher
Yes, Win10 IoT Core has a lot of limitations. It's fine for developers who are
familiar with C# development in Visual Studio and want to use their same
development tools for an IoT device, but it's not a desktop OS. Emulators are
fine if the I/O works. Getting full resolution HDMI out of an emulated OS with
any fps, or even just getting USB devices to mount is a hassle.

~~~
shakna
> Getting full resolution HDMI out of an emulated OS with any fps, or even
> just getting USB devices to mount is a hassle.

QEMU has easy GPU passthrough, so that shouldn't be a hassle. And whilst the
USB options are slightly more intimidating, you can passthrough that as well.

------
zozbot234
Someone should run these sorts of experiments w/ ReactOS. Anecdotally, it
doesn't seem to be possible to start a mainstream Linux distribution w/ less
than about 128MB of RAM, perhaps due to the initramfs-based boot that's
ubiquitous nowadays. And a i686 class CPU is needed.

~~~
bArray
You could chooch along quite nicely in Kolibri OS all the way down to 8MB of
RAM it seems and have a relatively okay experience in it [1]. Seems as though
something like Puppy Linux will get you going on 64MB of RAM or lower [2].

If you really want to take Linux to the extreme, probably the place to start
would be the efforts made to use it on embedded devices [3].

[1] [https://kolibrios.org/en/](https://kolibrios.org/en/)

[2]
[http://wikka.puppylinux.com/MinimumSystemRequirements](http://wikka.puppylinux.com/MinimumSystemRequirements)

[3] [https://elinux.org/Main_Page](https://elinux.org/Main_Page)

~~~
ahje
I still have a very old USB key with Puppy Linux on it from, back a darker
time when I didn't have my own computer.

I've booted quite a few very old systems with it, probably down to Pentium-era
machines, and things usually ran well. I do remember it was quite RAM
intensive due to having a relatively large filesystem in RAM. I'd say 64 MB is
a minimum if you actually want to use it for anything.

------
EvanAnderson
Sadly, the Am5x86 doesn't support the CMPXCHG8B instruction, so there's no
chance of getting XP running on that processor.

------
Jnr
I used to run Windows XP SP2 on Pentium 2, 128MB RAM, 1GB HDD. I had to remove
and disable a lot of stuff to be able to run Skype and Firefox on it.

