Create a blank QCOW2 image and install Windows XP from an ISO file: qemu-img create -f qcow2 winxp.qcow2 20G Running Windows XP in QEMU (Recommended Setup)
Use bus='sata' or virtio if you pre-load XP with drivers. windows xpqcow2
Windows XP does not natively support modern CPU idle states ( ACPI HLT ). Ensure you install the QEMU guest agent utilities if possible, or use an optimized CPU type parameter like -cpu pentium3 or -cpu core2duo if -cpu host causes instability on your modern AMD or Intel processor. Create a blank QCOW2 image and install Windows
Running an operating system designed in 2001 on modern hardware can cause unexpected bottlenecks. Apply these changes immediately after your first successful boot. Installing VirtIO Drivers Running an operating system designed in 2001 on
The qcow2 format can suffer from minor performance overhead. You can mitigate this by adjusting the QEMU caching system. Add cache=writeback to your drive argument:
-net nic,model=rtl8139 : Windows XP has native drivers for the Realtek 8139 network card. Optimizing Windows XP Performance in QCOW2