Tell me how you plan to use this VM so I can help you set it up. Are you looking to , play retro games , or test malware ?

Consequently, the "Windows XP qcow2 download" ecosystem exists in the shadows. You won't find these files on official repositories. They live on Internet Archive "software libraries," obscure forums, and file-sharing sites with dubious reputations.

If you are using or Virt-Manager , you can simply upload the file to your storage volume and attach it as a "VirtIO Block" or "IDE" disk.