Windows pod Linux Ubuntu-om

install qemu
sudo apt-get install qemu

make a directory to put the xp image / iso files etc.
mkdir winxp
cd winxp/

one off creation of the "partition", I used 4.3 gig so I could burn backups to a DVD.
qemu-img create winxp.img 4300M

put in xp cd and type...
qemu -boot d -hda winxp.img -cdrom /dev/cdrom -m 256 -localtime
read this line as "boot -d hda", d=boot from cdrom (c=boot from hdd)
"-cdrom /dev/cdrom" tells qemu where the CD to boot from is
"-m 256" is how much memory this machine has access to
-localtime" tells the new pc's bios to set itself to GMT/UTC from the real PC clock.

now go thru the XP install!

then to boot just make a shortcut to:
qemu -boot c -hda winxp.img -m 256 -localtime
Notice the "c" not makes us boot from the winxp.img file, not the cdrom, as I've left off the -cdrom option here this PC now has no access to the CD drive.

You're all done, log in and try going to google.com ! (it worked for me YMMV)

Note : If you get an error when logging on to XP (after entering password).

If you get an error Error code 0x800703e6 on Product Activation, then your XP is pre sp1 or sp2, follow these instructions....

download sp2
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=049c9dbe-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&displaylang=en

make an iso of the sp2 exe file.
mkisofs -o sp2.iso WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe

boot into XP but press F8 immediately to go into safe mode, pointing -cdrom to the iso file of SP2 will mean that the XP machine will have a "cdrom" available when you boot into it.
qemu -boot c -hda winxp.img -cdrom sp2.iso -m 256

Use explorer to get to the cdrom and click the exe file to install SP2. One error will com up about "Invalid Access to Memory Location", no biggy, just hit OK and it will finish.

All done, no more 0x800703e6


moj snap :