[No Longer Available] Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7 SP2 Installation Media Now Available! (Unofficial)

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fearedbliss

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Hello all,

A lot of the games we love to play are Classic/Retro Games, which were developed for Windows 95 - Windows XP. However, it’s been very difficult nowadays to find reliable, pristine, images of Windows XP and Windows 7 in an updated fashion, since Microsoft never released official Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7 SP2 images. Both OSes are also now EOLed and are no longer sold or supported by Microsoft. Furthermore, my personal images created from my Windows XP and 7 Retail Discs are both at their original SP2 and RTM/Gold (SP0) respectively. Since I don’t trust the media out there, I decided to create my own unoffiicial, pristine, updated media from my own discs via slipstreaming. These images are completely vanilla and exactly as what Microsoft released other than the stuff noted below. You’ll need to provide your own legal cd key and activate through Microsoft’s servers to use the product. I’ve also checksummed and PGP signed the images as well. I hope this helps you be just a little bit more happier with our lovely old games.

- fearedbliss

Download Windows XP SP3 / Windows 7 SP2 Images (Unofficial)

Windows XP

I’ve slipstreamed Microsoft’s SP3 (KB936929) and tried to include as many updates as possible from what were able to successfully be slipstreamed. There are basically no more public updates being released and all of the included updates cover most of (if not all) of what we care about. I’ve excluded annoying things like Windows Genuine Advantage and Windows Search 4.0. You’ll find an image below of what things I’ve specifically chosen to exclude.

The following updates have been _included_:

Windows XP SP3

Code:
windowsxp-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu_c81472f7eeea2eca421e116cd4c03e2300ebfde4.exe

Post SP3 Updates

Code:
msxml6-kb925673-enu-x86_571e99946aa6674ee6a70cf5801682ec323c7ae0.exe
windows-en-us-kb2564958_65c98e33d275c4410dd2dec71cf39e4e81bf530a.exe
windows-en-us-kb971513_c18df80f512a6d9cea206825b981e33c0973abec.exe
windows-kb909520-v1.000-x86-enu_01324db8c4913f56495f2f747cb373b3dd11759c.exe
windowsxp-kb2115168-x86-enu_675e6a32a90807671042e4de6b1f10a2fd82b157.exe
windowsxp-kb2229593-x86-enu_745d7b032115820cef735f83660c5e3c870da33b.exe
windowsxp-kb2296011-x86-enu_95ff937b7a8443ddb8ae0579da94690ac3a85d0d.exe
windowsxp-kb2345886-x86-enu_f0473cd9468a3585a5da8e906ab58ad95d1ded2d.exe
windowsxp-kb2347290-x86-enu_de6572122c6323cc343a9273ee0d24188b240a32.exe
windowsxp-kb2387149-x86-enu_62c37617cb0c9502a135b43a161482928084cbaa.exe
windowsxp-kb2393802-x86-enu_317d4fcbb0a230f3462f40ea2be322d5eced5866.exe
windowsxp-kb2419632-x86-enu_6dfaf9fe0d89d32d3c28e8245c1fe87d4561af1f.exe
windowsxp-kb2423089-x86-enu_94cce8eb153f98affd81951f2123b74f14a59925.exe
windowsxp-kb2443105-x86-enu_c6025a43d53129a2f4d0def88d1f1ccaa6c622b2.exe
windowsxp-kb2478960-x86-enu_56cc4e7eae7362f056ccd946e5e69d1b4a1c1e76.exe
windowsxp-kb2478971-x86-enu_4461eaff0dab1a7900e1b41afb5a7a9319a96253.exe
windowsxp-kb2479943-x86-enu_0f4fe52f57ff542624050e386ac2b264ea032631.exe
windowsxp-kb2481109-x86-enu_357fb75b3178fa715a5e9c209ed6c8cf86899c77.exe
windowsxp-kb2483185-x86-enu_8d3deb8249d91112891ff5a847c6debcec1dee84.exe
windowsxp-kb2485663-x86-enu_e6142de1db2c310632af0badc06392a85f78304d.exe
windowsxp-kb2492386-x86-enu_faf6a2d18dd48898b7534359b0cf211696a5e46d.exe
windowsxp-kb2506212-x86-enu_8d65ae1e5ccf2a10c9bd1699e316c859005ef685.exe
windowsxp-kb2507938-x86-enu_5568319a9f23638b28306ec6c79f14f1c35c7414.exe
windowsxp-kb2508429-x86-enu_e0b40d81f2ecc1bad43439a6bd0a9e2a0ab7dd56.exe
windowsxp-kb2509553-x86-enu_b7be1af1e39194c02cad8426d3756254a7a5bc7e.exe
windowsxp-kb2510581-x86-enu_1ace505ed92dcf4c22f61c4d800c379b48b31319.exe
windowsxp-kb2535512-x86-enu_96bcbab3c4ba3b1bb8ee912454b0e36fa8f2944b.exe
windowsxp-kb2536276-v2-x86-enu_e8a6ac077f11902565cb5ac423df3290862fc953.exe
windowsxp-kb2544893-v2-x86-enu_27c268ee84f0b69a6b9efd63bc0989f0d9e3c968.exe
windowsxp-kb2566454-x86-enu_334393e8002f9a92618410b7b578c97cbc14905d.exe
windowsxp-kb2570947-x86-enu_62e1630e0f8731279f558ccc977f8f8a2b9cb14e.exe
windowsxp-kb2584146-x86-enu_708a4a32c115fdfe3474a22bc113129475361072.exe
windowsxp-kb2585542-x86-enu_8812e165246f8a1b68f65330ba5621818d9d348c.exe
windowsxp-kb2592799-x86-enu_9295566618f819f675688f8b088743cb21f9eb6a.exe
windowsxp-kb2598479-x86-enu_1876be74b01993fd64fdf68e8f19cad78cd878cf.exe
windowsxp-kb2603381-x86-enu_f2d782a2715c9ed03ce70ce47975494f95a6b4e7.exe
windowsxp-kb2619339-x86-enu_b1bb039422a906a7b32159db286fd827a1781686.exe
windowsxp-kb2620712-x86-enu_29f43eb377d0a420d67bd1e4908aa47cef9f079b.exe
windowsxp-kb2631813-x86-enu_f6154b624398c24f007b66be5c96ac9ead6279d1.exe
windowsxp-kb2653956-x86-enu_2fb667e1082bce2589326fcc713f9c2306f70c8d.exe
windowsxp-kb2655992-x86-enu_148c0a8c097733dec018854373856cc1f1c4eaa5.exe
windowsxp-kb2659262-x86-enu_f679467f80cf9c3dbb0a31f558e4a5f77471c27e.exe
windowsxp-kb2661637-x86-enu_ba52dfa92940b58a752810151ab0d4e74deb48ba.exe
windowsxp-kb2676562-x86-enu_6497fbd4ae292d06ff7b32d408196164b7ccd9e2.exe
windowsxp-kb2686509-x86-enu_c7e2d5fc238a1566e5d7c5974e6ba5d3130c9c82.exe
windowsxp-kb2686509-x86-enu_fdbb0ff8820e54be0eefc9e4e47ca4f0116d84a6.exe
windowsxp-kb2691442-x86-enu_5badc4a8d9dddd74695b2d3c3cd793c029fad257.exe
windowsxp-kb2698365-x86-enu_b7e3e61d18de050ee914494dff53f1de868fb5dd.exe
windowsxp-kb2705219-v2-x86-enu_5da19122909e6616886e3d35d226fda552ebdc13.exe
windowsxp-kb2712808-x86-enu_1acc8665880c78ef8bf1a3c0c40218fa9ce26185.exe
windowsxp-kb2719985-x86-enu_d33ea68905d7228777d96ba64656b26cb9aee5a2.exe
windowsxp-kb2723135-v2-x86-enu_00fce783b936aa2a79715154e5e896fbc25b3f83.exe
windowsxp-kb2727528-x86-enu_0a3eac9e820944e76cff5a6c2e8e4b6a6a31ce20.exe
windowsxp-kb2749655-x86-enu_81e0108b1a83bc558dc2aee86e40eca769c5e9d8.exe
windowsxp-kb2757638-x86-enu_df96d391e60c5be205071dd64d8c59884e9ae7c6.exe
windowsxp-kb2770660-x86-enu_2ea121f18e223eb0610260035e2ded1d785e5629.exe
windowsxp-kb2780091-x86-enu_048e2d351378500825a48ec960624dd217604807.exe
windowsxp-kb2802968-x86-enu_c0515dbf62a0f679e5cf7d77c054ec717d4a5a8e.exe
windowsxp-kb2807986-x86-enu_8cf50640e3fa43fe236c61c31859768795eaa048.exe
windowsxp-kb2808679-x86-enu_3b48f4913204d1d3353a4831f1b3e2e7d74cf26e.exe
windowsxp-kb2813345-x86-enu_a87abf527c0b8026208e99f7771478bd82b45c90.exe
windowsxp-kb2820917-x86-enu_44b31849d4c3bfbeea9023d68db2ed8537662e0b.exe
windowsxp-kb2834886-x86-enu_4c6b8f13c24e41e5c9815780d09459f24c14183b.exe
windowsxp-kb2847311-x86-enu_f7d56448ca8e09d96837125424f7058ca7297a71.exe
windowsxp-kb2850869-x86-enu_f95a8470be09e5afd4d987a9d89b7ea26b428acf.exe
windowsxp-kb2859537-x86-enu_8eb81b4b8339fa12bd4a5ede7ec9e4d225ec209c.exe
windowsxp-kb2862152-x86-enu_0457906284ff7fd706d77a69ac337ce7f65c7919.exe
windowsxp-kb2862330-x86-enu_00e64588c6eaf60c184d31d65a42ba950b020c28.exe
windowsxp-kb2862335-x86-enu_baeaacdc07fa53a6e4a1ef558c0b4638d2541fd4.exe
windowsxp-kb2864063-x86-enu_135f76c6e66a127411cf3e406959ca56eae8e551.exe
windowsxp-kb2868626-x86-enu_1a00424d2070b57a4d9e2e73e54d90f51bb0562a.exe
windowsxp-kb2876217-x86-enu_a662db07022635ce69613fa2819472862efe4531.exe
windowsxp-kb2876331-x86-enu_3e44451e40197240c9eaaf2b0275756e205bf5b8.exe
windowsxp-kb2879017-x86-enu_e6b354acd732c385254babb1a6a61568bf185b65.exe
windowsxp-kb2892075-x86-enu_17de2e03645b5d87bd09f161d996cb0a07c289e1.exe
windowsxp-kb2893294-x86-enu_f13e5e517b86f5cad62d9e0e6efa1c411efae1ef.exe
windowsxp-kb2898715-x86-enu_a5a457cf2bcbf3f0cd73f422b7cc3af5b086d95e.exe
windowsxp-kb2900986-x86-enu_0d694f8de9ef0063d06b08985224759abdb7ef9a.exe
windowsxp-kb2904266-x86-enu_dbb1b301ba862c02e0b34570e3c78a719144f823.exe
windowsxp-kb2909212-x86-enu_c81e835e3a4388ac0901e569f23cd8ef17a69417.exe
windowsxp-kb2914368-x86-enu_1d9a306f9e5dd564c8ffdcdb8717c4ae2588db3d.exe
windowsxp-kb2916036-x86-enu_e45581340485f6f9a5ded9a73afd51f126c37239.exe
windowsxp-kb2922229-x86-enu_0e149634fac7cb51e39d557c60549bea43f027bc.exe
windowsxp-kb2929961-x86-enu_fa34fa05e955ffd2ddce10e3a9dda275cd214b06.exe
windowsxp-kb2930275-x86-enu_9dd04b8c0bcc2ac895b36f92648ca00de6083157.exe
windowsxp-kb898461-x86-enu_e8e139341e1a6c535ddf2db57052c71d19fc7249.exe
windowsxp-kb923561-x86-enu_b8aac16b07ca89c7dde4d724c808ff88faa456ec.exe
windowsxp-kb946648-x86-enu_288da0ecf75b20e972ad58dba0a382173b548ec1.exe
windowsxp-kb950762-x86-enu_bfa04c9d2e62b4695d1bb8953486788c8a8c11e4.exe
windowsxp-kb950974-x86-enu_fd840632e13df756e9d1251400e6e659d16a8b27.exe
windowsxp-kb951376-v2-x86-enu_e9b68c5e63acb5786a05b53b4332465de0ebcebd.exe
windowsxp-kb951978-x86-enu_c4f54a2ade0b013fee8c71efcf60fd412dc0cd8c.exe
windowsxp-kb952004-x86-enu_28e11ce4e9083f84c7b9903716904a94dc6b7280.exe
windowsxp-kb952287-x86-enu_5bee5928c09f4ee44bc41cab109022cec820e5ff.exe
windowsxp-kb952954-x86-enu_0c595b08d25326ffa929efe23e29b5848e7f39ec.exe
windowsxp-kb956572-x86-enu_a2463f484318332e8319dd931c87b27cf747b2de.exe
windowsxp-kb956844-x86-enu_926002701569eabda17630d8f9cb45d8ced0ab71.exe
windowsxp-kb959426-x86-enu_9bdfabdec1c98057a92503cb00ce6ed623b517c5.exe
windowsxp-kb960803-x86-enu_114aa39cb3e1e42c0f9897c99e697084dbdc656f.exe
windowsxp-kb960859-x86-enu_c1a1e20576bc745a720053357e46be6c2a3f7faa.exe
windowsxp-kb961118-x86-enu_3c7fea5bd8d44bd1c11a0d33240cfedaa026f59f.exe
windowsxp-kb968389-x86-enu_60547c9ff654ed09c9343b3096e726eaf44e2259.exe
windowsxp-kb968930-x86-eng_540d661066953d76a6907b6ee0d1cd4531c1e1c6.exe
windowsxp-kb969059-x86-enu_e0bb7f06a55b6fc94b39f75e5d9e7d9b0b3b0c5d.exe
windowsxp-kb970430-x86-enu_862d51f1d8e9ae7e08db9bb4b57e0841521a98fb.exe
windowsxp-kb971029-x86-enu_c5a9081a6d7a0ba32848782ca6f4e4031cdb595f.exe
windowsxp-kb971657-x86-enu_697f5d861910aa051131a58e1af607a79e14e1a9.exe
windowsxp-kb972270-x86-enu_5ae81de178c87a5a40ccb208d3fd762c1c34fbb1.exe
windowsxp-kb973507-x86-enu_b74b10f783998bb7b15f8bc3a7a5a572749fb303.exe
windowsxp-kb973815-x86-enu_1d84219447edee9e6989e740e7fd477360e4059d.exe
windowsxp-kb973869-x86-enu_c0679cb2d4c07f35f39ee5d8d7b973c5e4582d34.exe
windowsxp-kb973904-x86-enu_f08c92a67f1bd7f0768eca980d885eb85a91d52c.exe
windowsxp-kb974112-x86-enu_e2e2d805c4dc419d0f7d83652eec5379d2ba8692.exe
windowsxp-kb974318-x86-enu_8612baba6e75a76faee0606cf9f8970824e2f8d3.exe
windowsxp-kb974392-x86-enu_f2acc593bbeb6296b4b921fecb3c71dd93db076c.exe
windowsxp-kb974571-x86-enu_dcca5129a21f3ccbea4609e1bcf7763f07c1883b.exe
windowsxp-kb975025-x86-enu_a7cb9fdfedb5e7b464709910afeec4cff61c89f4.exe
windowsxp-kb975467-x86-enu_703673b065074bb9dd7d849f420e52ea0d343f8d.exe
windowsxp-kb975560-x86-enu_c57ed328ab8838ecbb6ffea46fa0bcbd76b2cc59.exe
windowsxp-kb975713-x86-enu_8143fc78eac39de3e91e31b0096adecdbe1cdd83.exe
windowsxp-kb977816-x86-enu_0a99a4abced5b224ab8fdf5054d5d6cff991e064.exe
windowsxp-kb977914-x86-enu_60a362b77f6e5fb22208b05624d30f817c4bd4a7.exe
windowsxp-kb978338-x86-enu_4d1317a99a8951697a0c1213687199ad89ba6d9d.exe
windowsxp-kb978542-x86-enu_11f7b200a2bbb1b053e34b821141e72240c592d8.exe
windowsxp-kb978706-x86-enu_f4e076b3867c2f08b6d258316aa0e11d6822b8d7.exe
windowsxp-kb979309-x86-enu_b6a3d8953714847d02d614e8fcb5b4171d1029fb.exe
windowsxp-kb979482-x86-enu_e848aac75a3d3361bde4486fd5185ced7b3037b8.exe
windowsxp-kb979687-x86-enu_c42f90a1cdb62f35e29f0a7dc1fc9edebef69628.exe
windowsxp-kb981997-x86-enu_c0c210a40f1e3d801a2b9705b78b540c0e135824.exe
windowsxp-kb982132-x86-enu_1ec5258de785e380d2eb9c8634f64e736d929618.exe
windowsxp-kb982665-x86-enu_3b611460ba349838a9e8eabcbbe4b2ffe2e3b1e7.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb2378111-x86-enu_d671499dc30eb76f81fcdc279f8bf3fc3df934bc.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb2803821-v2-x86-enu_d99cd182c0aea576af96ca58a5bc31f5e01b7273.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb952069-v2-x86-enu_7918e468c91942521b143def50e427b27efa703f.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb954155-x86-enu_4caf879b0297044df1601b2c8312cfd38b929100.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb973540-x86-enu_bea728bec09879f6b924a6b3d781af1e77c6f5b4.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb975558-x86-enu_9ee8bd40993d20e65f4c92767dd058c48df92c84.exe
windowsxp-windowsmedia-kb978695-x86-enu_99fe7c707b79c3585b245de5f811b295a152c3bf.exe

The following updates have been _excluded_:





Windows 7

I’ve slipstreamed all important updates released by Microsoft starting from my Windows 7 RTM Images (SP0) all the way up to Windows 7’s EOL (January 14, 2020). I’ve also included the Black Wallpaper Fix (KB4539602), caused by Microsoft’s EOL Rollout, and also the final Servicing Stack Update (KB4536952) for the EOL as well. No other updates are included. I noticed there were more rollouts released after the EOL date, but usually those are for Windows 7 ESU (Extended Security Update) folks, so I decided not to include them and stopped at the official EOL date. This should be good for most people.

  • Home Basic
  • Home Premium
  • Professional
  • Ultimate

I’ve also removed the \"sources/ei.cfg\" file so that the disc is \"unlocked\" and you can select any of the above editions (rather than it auto selecting a specific edition).

These are the updates that were _included_ starting from Windows 7 RTM (July 22, 2009, SP0) -> Windows 7’s EOL on January 14, 2020:

Stage 1 (RTM -> Service Pack 1 (February 22, 2011))

Code:
windows6.1-kb976932-x64_74865ef2562006e51d7f9333b4a8d45b7a749dab.exe
> windows6.1-kb2533552-x64_0ba5ac38d4e1c9588a1e53ad390d23c1e4ecd04d.msu

Stage 2 (Service Pack 1 -> Convenience Rollup (April 2016))

Code:
windows6.1-kb3125574-v4-x64_2dafb1d203c8964239af3048b5dd4b1264cd93b9.msu
> windows6.1-kb3020369-x64_5393066469758e619f21731fc31ff2d109595445.msu

Stage 3 (Convenience Rollup (April 2016) -> Windows 7 EOL (January 14, 2020))

Code:
windows6.1-kb4534310-x64_4dc78a6eeb14e2eac1ede7381f4a93658c8e2cdc.msu
> windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64_b5614c6cea5cb4e198717789633dca16308ef79c.msu
> windows6.1-kb4490628-x64_d3de52d6987f7c8bdc2c015dca69eac96047c76e.msu

Stage 4 (Other Fixes)

Code:
windows6.1-kb4536952-x64_87f81056110003107fa0e0ec35a3b600ef300a14.msu
windows6.1-kb4539602-x64_977d8a5421d03ba7ddd992ddf79175dddcfb90d4.msu

You’ll notice I divided these into four stages. These not only represent clear delineation points, but it also signifies in what batches you should attempt to slipstream these in order to not get integration failures. Each stage contains the main update in addition to any dependencies that it requires (and that have been recommended by Microsoft). If you don’t trust my images and decide to create your own, this should massively assist you in knowing what KBs you need to fetch from the Microsoft Update Catalog, and which sets of files you need to slipstream as well. The \">\" symbol indicates that it is a dependency and should be integrated before the main update.

Screenshots


View attachment 3
View attachment 2
View attachment 1
 
Last edited:
[mention]fearedbliss[/mention]

Hey bro... first off, thanks a ton for doing this. Honestly, I’ve always wanted a clean Windows 7 image (and Windows XP too?! hell yeah!), but I’ve never gotten around to buying the disks because with all the updates that are needed afterwards it seemed kind of pointless to me. Now I’m stoked to have a nice clean W7 ISO with SP1 ready to go!

Anyways, I’ve been trying to grab this file \"Windows_7_SP1_ x64.iso\", but all it does is hang for several minutes and times out. I’ve tried temporarily disabling my VPN and still no change, and also tried two different browsers. Maybe you can look into that for me. Gracias amigo :D
 
Manny said:
Anyways, I’ve been trying to grab this file \"Windows_7_SP1_ x64.iso\", but all it does is hang for several minutes and times out. I’ve tried temporarily disabling my VPN and still no change, and also tried two different browsers. Maybe you can look into that for me. Gracias amigo :D

Disregard! Quitting the VPN app altogether did the trick. Cruising at 2MB/s. Not bad ;)
 
[mention]Manny[/mention] I will be publishing new \"Windows 7 SP2\" images in a little bit, just need to finish some testing. The new images will have all of the important updates starting from my original RTM images (SP0) all the way till Window 7’s EOL (January 14, 2020). So wait a bit before downloading the Windows 7 image.
 
fearedbliss said:
@Manny I will be publishing new \"Windows 7 SP2\" images in a little bit, just need to finish some testing. The new images will have all of the important updates starting from my original RTM images (SP0) all the way till Window 7’s EOL (January 14, 2020). So wait a bit before downloading the Windows 7 image.

:shock: 10-4 brosef

Oh. BTW -- since you are good at this stuff... are you able to add drivers for NVME by any chance? W7 only supports SATA drives natively, but I believe Intel & Samsung have both published drivers in the past. Just figured I’d ask since you are going all out. I’ve been reading some of the threads here (lots of good info):

https://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/

Also, heads up... I remember reading that that the majority of the final updates to W7 are useless telemetry/spyware backdoors (like 2018+). Going to need to do some more research on that. Don’t think it would affect me anyways since I’m planning on installing this to a VM and using it only for games.
 
Hello all,

I’ve released new Windows 7 SP2 (Unofficial) images and have removed the old Windows 7 SP1 images I made yesterday. The new images are a fresh set from my Windows 7 RTM (SP0) images and include all (if not most) security updates and quality updates that were provided by Microsoft from RTM up till EOL on January 14, 2020. For more specific details, please re-read the Windows 7 section in the OP.

- fearedbliss
 
[mention]Manny[/mention] re: NVME drivers integration: I’ve done it in the past, but for these images, I wanted to just keep the exact ISOs intact from what was supported back during RTM and simply include all of the major security and quality updates (Like SP1, Convenience Rollout, Final Rollout, Etc). But you definitely should take my images and add any specific NVME (or other) drivers you need for your specific setup. There are too many driver combinations out there so I don’t even want to touch that area haha. The updates I’ve included are common for us all though :). I’m also aware of the telemetry type of stuff. Although given that I’m gonna be running these images in a VM (and not on any physical hardware that I’m actually using for any production purpose, other than playing old games), I still decided to include (for the simplicity of being able to actually get the system up to date at the image level) the Security Monthly Quality Rollup packages that Microsoft released up to EOL.
 
You are right, so many potential setups... good call re: NVME. ;)

This is awesome. Thanks again!
 
[mention]Manny[/mention] No prob :). Let me know how it goes.

EDIT: I was able to install every edition of Windows 7 x64 in a VM, Install .NET Framework 4.6.2, and was able to immediately open up Cactus :).
 
This is VERY nice of you! I have my own disks but I’m not sure how much patching went on after SP# (XP) and SP2 (W7).

As an aside, I had no trouble playing D2 without Compatibility options, but it may just be my (thoroughly-hacked) system. I think I DID need it for the install.exe.
 
[mention]Pogslayer[/mention] Np!

Yup, D2 works fine for me without compatibility mode as well, although there are some other issues regarding video depending on the version but cnc-ddraw fixes all of those for me. However, I actually really like still using Windows XP and 7 and it’s been a while since I’ve had some actual usable media for those OSes. This allows me to extend the life and usage of both of them in 2022 and it’s very nice that the majority of my games were designed for that period of time, so I can use them to play those older games as well. Overall, I like the simplicity, elegance, and \"minimalism\" of the older versions of Windows. Of course, the nostalgia is also real lol.
 
*looks left*
*looks right*

I have running XP3 and Win7 machines; nothing has made me NEED W10, so I plug in that drive once a month or so, update it and then put back the Win7 drive. The XP machine is part firewall, part Linux and a repository for some very old DOS and Windows software (German Sidereal astrology, astonomy, music apps, etc).

My BIG thing was making a retro computer for some old games (X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, anyone?). I got tired of emulators choking on some Direct Hardware calls and got into a hybrid Win98SE/ME franken-os. I eBayed all the top hardware of that time (1998-99-2000) that I couldn’t afford then - SB Audigy 2 w/breakout box, ATI’s best pre-Radeon with fan-built drivers (STABLE ones), etc. and it only cost me $200!

It can run almost 2GB RAM in the hacked OS *laughing* and powers my Aura cushion (basically a subwoofer strapped to your back) and MS Sidewinder Force Feedback joystick - when you get hit with a rocket, you know it! Also great for old DOS games.

If this kind of thing is interesting to you, check this place out: https://www.mdgx.com/98-5.htm#KRM9S

You can get lost in there...
 
Haha nice ;). Personally I use FreeBSD on both my server and now my main laptop as well (recently completed my transition away from Linux, and been documenting this: FreeBSD on the Framework Laptop). So on my other laptop (gaming laptop), I don’t really necessarily care about the version of Windows it’s running anymore since I essentially look at it as any other gaming device I have, like my Nintendo Switch, Game Boy, etc), it’s a self contained device with it’s own OS and it just needs to sit there and be a toaster or how I call it - Wintendo. Microsoft can update it or make any other crazy changes, and it won’t affect my personal FreeBSD server/laptop. I’ve sandboxed them to my gaming laptop. There are no other devices in the house running Windows other than my gaming computer, and my wife’s spare windows computer (she uses OS X primarily). I’ve started to joke around with my wife about us both running FreeBSD or have FreeBSD blood (OS X). :lol:. Although overall I still love Windows XP and Windows 7 and pretty much most of the stuff I like to play nowadays are.my childhood games so having those two OSes still working in a good state is important to me to an extent, so that’s why I wanted to have these updated images, primarily to run them in a VM.
 
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