Should I purchase xp?

I have windows 7 and xp mode running on my system, however I am concerned about not having an actual xp disk and lic. Everything works great on my system but I was wondering if down the road (a couple of years) there would come a time when I needed to actually have xp outside of this system (to use with vm or virtual machine).

I am new to this virtualization and I want to run my xp apps well into the future so I would be willing to purchase xp now knowing there would not be any hangups down the road.

Does anyone know legitimate places to purchase xp with disk and lic?

Save your money, in the unlikely event that in a few years you will need a copy, you will be able to get one from ebay at the time for next to nothing.

thanks for the replies.....alot on ebay are dodgy but I am sure I could sort out something that is genuine, however what if I want to install xp on a system that does NOT have Windows 7 Pro (my wife's computer)?
Iss there any virtualization software solution that will allow me to run xpmode? (without upgrading my wife's system to Pro).

I have Windows 7 Pro my wife has Windows 7 Home and I want to run xp on both systems (they are not networked together).

thanks

Recently, I developed a limited need for a scanner. I purchased a Canon CanoScan LiDE 50 for $5. Attempting to make it work in Windows 7 x64, I discovered this forum.

I could not get it to work reliably from within Win7, regardless of the good Threads/posts regarding the challenge.

So, I connected it to an old Averatec craptop salvaged from a junk bin (broken LCD screen). The craptop has one of my XP licenses on it.

The seldom used scanner now works properly when needed.

The cost of the XP license was absorbed many years ago and I certainly got my money's worth from its usage. The laptop cost me nothing. For an out of pocket expense of $5, I fulfilled a pressing need.

You never know when an older piece of software will come in handy.

pparks1 said:

You could get yourself a Technet subscription which would provide you with a clean ISO of XP, as well as a couple of keys. Not to mention, you would get access to tons of other stuff as well. That might be your best bet, best use for your money.

I am not looking to test windows xp but use it for years so I think I would need a valid license. Thanks for the suggestion.

bww said:

pparks1 said:

You could get yourself a Technet subscription which would provide you with a clean ISO of XP, as well as a couple of keys. Not to mention, you would get access to tons of other stuff as well. That might be your best bet, best use for your money.

I am not looking to test windows xp but use it for years so I think I would need a valid license. Thanks for the suggestion.

XP is too outdated, MS no longer provides any new features for it. It will be unsupported in few years.
Why do you want a 10-year old OS?