How to run virtual Windows XP on macOS Sierra?

[beansbaxter]

I have a maxed out 2015 15" MacBook Pro, with a Radeon M370X 2GB video card, running macOS Sierra.

I need to run a very specific use case environment using Windows XP for a few hours. What are my options for running a virtual environment on my Mac? I do not need a permanent solution, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Are there any free/paid software solutions for running a Windows XP virtual environment on my Mac?

And I would prefer not upgrading macOS, because everything works great, but I would consider upgrading macOS if that's the only way to solve this problem.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Stephen.R]

free: virtual box

paid: VMware fusion or Parallels desktop.

 

[cdcastillo]

When I was using High Sierra (or was it Sierra? it was about 3-4 years ago) and before I bought VMWare fusion, I tried Wine and CrossOver, but didn't have much success with them for my particular use case.

I recommend you give a virtual machine a try (either with parallels or with VMWare Fusion), since they offer free trials and you say you only need them for a few hours.

You'll need a copy of XP, of course. If you borrow it *cough*download it*cough*, make sure it is SP3; it's the least dangerous one.

 

[beansbaxter]

Thank you for the suggestions. I was able to install Windows XP SP3 using Parallels Desktop, and everything works great.