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# Convert to raw, discard, and back to qcow2 qemu-img convert -O raw windows-xp.qcow2 windows-xp.raw qemu-img convert -O qcow2 -c windows-xp.raw windows-xp-compressed.qcow2 This can reduce a 10GB QCOW2 file down to 2GB. If you are still struggling to find a working QCOW2 file, consider these alternatives:
Searching for a is a double-edged sword. Public downloads risk malware, but the QCOW2 format itself is the absolute best way to run Windows XP on modern hardware. It offers snapshotting, near-native speed via KVM, and portability. Windows Xp-qcow2 Download
| Solution | Difficulty | Legality | Speed | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | (Open source WinXP clone) | Easy | 100% Free | Moderate | | DOSBox + Windows 3.1 | Moderate | Requires license | Slow | | Wine/Proton (Run XP apps on Linux natively) | Moderate | N/A | Fastest | | VirtualBox VDI to QCOW2 Converter | Easy | Depends on source | Good | # Convert to raw, discard, and back to
qemu-img convert -f vdi WindowsXP.vdi -O qcow2 WindowsXP.qcow2 Short answer: Yes, but build it yourself. It offers snapshotting, near-native speed via KVM, and
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