Windows 10: Question: Would it be impossible to activate a copy of Windows XP SP3 if I got a...

I think of 16 good reasons to get a Windows XP tower PC with all the necessary accessories off of Amazon, eBay, etc. on top of the Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple devices I already use, which certainly includes a Windows 10 PC and soon, Windows 11. Feel free to demand them in a Word document if you need the proof that Windows XP and tech as it was when Steve Ballmer was the CEO of Microsoft will always mean a lot to me. Quite possibly, it can also mean a lot to the kids my cousins from New Jersey plan to have in the coming years. I promise the only web use I'll do on such a PC is on sites I creat

:)

 

Microsoft to Ease XP Activation with SP3

Microsoft Corp. will change how users activate Windows XP when Service Pack 3 launches in the first half of 2008, a company white paper said. New installations of Windows XP SP3 will give users the same 30-day grace period currently offered to Windows Vista customers before they're required to enter a product activation key, the 25-character code that proves the copy is legitimate. "As in Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Vista, users can now complete operating system installation without providing a product key during a full, integrated installation of Windows XP SP3," the Microsoft paper stated. "The operating system will prompt the user for a product key later as part of Genuine Advantage." With earlier editions of Windows XP, users must enter the activation key during the installation process itself; failing to do so, or using an invalid key, would result in the installation being blocked. The white paper, however, noted that the change does not apply to existing Windows XP installations upgraded to SP3. Those copies, which have presumably passed the activation stage previously, will not request the key again, Microsoft said.

Source: Computerworld

 

Issues installing & running Windows XP SP3 in Hyper V

I'm playing around with Windows XP as a VM in Hyper V for reasons I won't go into. I have a bootable Windows XP SP3 CD I created some time ago. I've hit the following issues.

1. I can install XP from the CD but Hyper V seems to want access to the bootable CD whenever the VM is restarted. It would be faster to use an ISO file stored on a SSD. I've tried various ways to create a bootable ISO file from my CD but failed. What's the best way of creating an ISO file which will install XP and run under Hyper V?
2. I installed a virtual switch using a legacy network adapter but cannot connect the VM to the internet. Has anyone done this and what are the key steps? Is it safe to use XP to connect to internet from Hyper V?
3. I mounted the VM's .vhdx file to copy over some programs to test but this broke the VM's virtual drive configuration on restarting the VM. What's the best way to transfer files to the VM from elsewhere on my PC?

 

Windows XP activation

How many times can a single version of Windows XP be activated? To be more specific, it's XP Home. Just wondering if I need to buy another copy.