Due to a lack of support by modern browser manufactures for older operating systems, combined with the push by the major Internet companies to restrict older browsers which do not support covert advertiser tracking, it is becoming difficult to use Win2k to explore the Internet. One discouraged solution is to surf using the abandonware WinXP, as this OS is still supported by several modern browsers. Just as with Win2k being able to dual boot with DOS, you can use the same technique to triple boot Win2k and DOS under WinXP.

The disadvantage of Installing WinXP is that WinXP is not "owned" by the end user, but rather "leased" by Microsoft (the end user must have a special renounceable code first registered with Microsoft before the software will function). So unless you have an old WinXP license available (such as from a WinXP installation on a scrapped PC), this solution will be unavailable. However if you do have a license, provided here is a copy of the Windows XP Operating System and the minimum of necessary Official Microsoft functionality patches.

WARNING: Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft, and industry professionals predict that in the very near future you will NOT be able to register a Windows XP Product Key (making WinXP unusable). As of this time there are already issues when doing so, and soon Registry modifications may also be required.

Windows XP Product Key Modifier (ver 1.0.0a) - Freeware

Windows XP Professional (retail version)

Caveat: These are the absolute minimum patches and service packs required to make WinXP reasonably safe to connect to the Internet network. Keep Internet activities restricted to known safe sources. If general Internet surfing is the goal, a more modern OS (ideally on a physically isolated "for surfing use only" machine) would be preferable to WinXP.

Setup Instructions

Core OS

~ Updates

Internet Explorer Upgrades

Note: IE8 is an older browser that has difficulty surfing the contemporary commercial Internet. Although a sensible undertaking, it is not a "requirement" that you upgrade to IE8, as there are more recent browsers which run under WinXP that you could use instead.

If you need to reformat a USB drive in preparation of transporting files to the PC, you can use this WinXP utility:

InitDisk (ver 5) - Freeware

Last WinXP compatible versions of noteworthy software

Note: Many manufacturers are dropping backwards compatibility for Windows XP in their software, a trend which will only escalate. Although nearly all software compatible with Win2k is supported by WinXP, software labeled as being for "Vista or higher" is usually not.

CCleaner (ver 5.64.7577) - Freeware

Free HD Video Converter (ver 15.8) - Freeware

Free2X Webcam Recorder (ver 1.0.0.1) - Freeware

Instant Eyedropper (ver 1.9.3) - Freeware

Java Runtime Environment (ver 8, update 151) - Freeware

.NET Framework 3 (ver 3.5 sp1) - Freeware

.NET Framework 4 (ver 4.0.3) - Freeware

Firefox Browser and add-ons

Firefox (ver 51.0.1) - Freeware

~  Adblock Plus (ver 2.9.1) - Freeware

~  Classic Theme Restorer (ver 1.6.7) - Freeware

~  Flash Player for Firefox (ver 13.0.0.309) - Freeware

Download the Internet

NOTE: If using a Chromium based Browser (such as Vivaldi), in order to view web sites with SSL Certificates in WinXP, you will have to start the Browser with the command line switch " -ignore-certificate-errors ". This switch does not increase your vulnerability when accessing a legitimate website, it just means that YOU YOURSELF will have to verify that the URL in the address bar is legitimate (tip: double check for typos).