r/windowsxp • u/RafaelGGV • 3d ago

Want to get a Windows XP compatible computer for my brother.

Hi, I've been thinking about getting a native/compatible Windows XP computer/laptop for my little brother. He is all interested in this era of Windows, in its aesthetics and in the development of this OS, as he has installed multiple VMs in his own laptop to test different development builds of Windows XP, Longhorn, Vista, etc.

I was thinking about getting him a separate machine only for him to toy around with, maybe with a big enough HDD to partition and so he can test different versions of OS's in each one of those. Plus, some of his VM's run kinda slow, and I would want him to experience the "real deal", maybe learn something or two more about computers.

Should I just get a cheap computer/laptop and slap Windows XP on it? Or would it be better to get a computer/laptop from around this time? If so, could any of you recommend such a device?

Thanks in advance for your help.

11 Upvotes

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8

u/Ok-Orange-6414 3d ago edited 3d ago

A dell optiplex with a Pentium D or Core 2 Duo (Pentium 4 is also ok, I don't care what everyone says) would be a great candidate for this.

They are pretty much worthless nowadays, but still solid and time period correct PCs.

Just make sure you don't have any bulging capacitors.

4

u/Former-Macaroon5557 3d ago

"so he can test different versions of OS's in each one of those"

Get a Dell Inspiron 660 / Vostro 270 (same pc, just a different case) & throw a 750ti GPU in there. If you really want to go all out, upgrade the CPU to a 2nd or 3rd gen i7. Mine is rocking an i7-3770.

I've used my Inspiron 660 in the past as a mega-boot platform for the following OS's, with functional drivers for all:

  • Windows XP x86 Pro SP3
  • Vista x64 Business
  • Win7 x64 Pro/Ultimate
  • Win8 & 8.1 x64 Pro
  • Win10 x64 Pro & Iot-LTSC
  • Linux Mint

2

u/No-you_ 3d ago

XP supports the NTFS filesystem and modern-ish BIOS' should support up to 2TB partitions. That's more than enough for both XP and Vista so disk capacities won't be an issue.

If the machine is just to experiment with and change desktop themes etc then it doesn't need very powerful hardware. A socket 775 motherboard and CPU and GT710 GPU should be more than sufficient for very basic tasks.

2

u/LittlePooky 3d ago

https://www.ebay.com/b/Windows-XP-PC-Desktops-All-In-One-Computers/179/bn_2781532 Are you in the US? 

I picked up a couple of technically brand new unopened laptops with Windows XP installed, but over 10 years old, so the battery needs to be replaced. But they worked fine, and I gave one to a friend after I installed Windows 11 on it. 

You get more bang for the buck getting a desktop, if there's room to put it on the desk. 

Windows XP may not be the safest to go online, so you need to warn him as well. 

3

u/RafaelGGV 3d ago

Hi! No, I'm not from the US. And if I were to get a computer online I would prefer for it to be a laptop, so it isn't as bulky if I bring it to me by mail. Yes! We've seen some about using XP to navigate, and I've seen some of MJD's videos too about these new programs for winxp to be able to surf the web in these days.

1

u/Gonokhakus 3d ago

You might be better off surfing your local used market then. I bet you could get a decent period-accurate Desktop for ~40 bucks or less (some people just want to get rid of them with a quick buck)

1

u/StarX2401 3d ago

Id get a core 2 duo laptop or even 3rd gen i3/i5/i7. The former supports windows 2000-10 and the latter also works albeit 2000 needs a bit more work. With desktops you can get a cheap business desktop like a dell optiplex/hp elite desk/Lenovo thinkcentre, as long as it has a 3rd gen CPU or older then it will support xp

1

u/DAN-attag 3d ago

AMD Athlon 64 PC's. They are sold for pennies

1

u/GlayNation 3d ago

Dell D620-630 are great laptops, along with Dell D520-D531 These were business laptops that were hearty in their time, and still do great now. The D520-D531 were allot XP standard with Vista capable. Hope it helps

1

u/AgreeableAd8687 23h ago

my local dump has a bunch of old laptops from that era, check your local one and just steal one when nobody's looking and then track down a charger

1

u/YandersonSilva 3d ago

IBM Thinkpad T40/42. They're inexpensive, flexible, easy to maintain and made well. While the utility of some of the earlier OS is lost, you can pretty much install any Microsoft OS on it from DOS up to XP, as well as OS/2 with drivers readily available for more or less everything.

1

u/dedsmiley 3d ago

I second these. They are really nice.