I--- Windows Xp Qcow2 Access

You are writing raw data without sparse file support. Use qemu-img convert -S 512 to set a sparse cluster size. Or ensure your filesystem (ext4, XFS) supports holes.

Open your terminal. We will create a 20GB image. XP only needs 5-10GB, but 20GB allows for applications. i--- Windows Xp Qcow2

: It supports internal compression to save further disk space. 2. Creating the QCOW2 Image You are writing raw data without sparse file support

If you're planning to use Windows XP Qcow2, keep in mind: i--- Windows Xp Qcow2

Launching the image via the QEMU monitor command line ( qemu-system-i386 -drive file=Windows_XP.qcow2 ) is an act of digital necromancy.

Background and motivation

To understand why one might choose QCOW2 over traditional formats like VDI (VirtualBox) or VMDK (VMware), we must first understand the format itself.