Many rippers use virtual machine for ripping virus-like keygens and cracks, so here's the way to install virtual Windows XP for free without any cracks on any OS supported by VirtualBox.

• 1.Download and install VirtualBox
• 2.Download Windows XP Mode for Windows 7. Choose from the links attached below:
  
  Attachment:

  winxpmode.txt
• 3.Extract hdd image from downloaded file
  
  • 3.1 You can open it with 7-Zip, for example.
    
  • 3.2 Extract the file "sources/xpm" and rename it to xpm.cab
    
  • 3.3 Extract the file VirtualXPVHD from xpm.cab and rename it to VirtualXP.vhd
    
  • 3.3(Optional) Convert it to VirtualBox format: VBoxManage clonehd VirtualXP.vhd VirtualXP.vdi --format VDI
• 4.Create a Windows XP virtual machine in VirtualBox and attach this hdd image(don't run VM yet) and exit VirtualBox.
• 5.Extract VirtualBox bios image (or use attached bios)
  
  • 5.1.Open VBoxDD2.dll (or VBoxDD2.so) in hex editor.
    
  • 5.2.Search for 5589E55051... sequence. This is the first bios bytes.
    
  • 5.2.Select 65536 (0x10000) bytes from here and save selection as xpbios.bin
• 6.Edit bios image
  
  • 6.1.Open xpbios.bin in hex editor.
    
  • 6.2.Search for C4CEB845... sequence.
    
  • 6.3.Select 51 (0x33) bytes from here and replace it with 57696E646F77735F5669727475616C5F58505F4639313631443845374643433131444442464141333639383536443839353933 ("Windows_Virtual_XP_F9161D8E7FCC11DDBFAA369856D89593") and save.
  Attachment:

  xpbios4.1.12.bin.zip
• 7.Open your virtual machine confiruration file (*.vbox) which was saved by VirtualBox when you created a new virtual machine. This is normal xml. In the section VirtualBox/Machine/ExtraData (you can create ExtraData section if not exists) add such new line "<ExtraDataItem name="VBoxInternal/Devices/pcbios/0/Config/BiosRom" value="FullPathToYourWinXPbios.bin"/>" (edit this according to your path to xpbios.bin).
• 8.Run virtual machine! Disable mouse integration if you can't see cursor before installing VirtualBox additions.
• 9.After installation of Windows XP boot to safe mode and install VirtualBox guest additions. If you see black screen during installation or restarting or powering off just reboot the machine (it happens when guest additions are not installed).

Here's the bios file for VirtualBox 5.2 series. I'm not sure how it's made, just found it somewhere.

Very nice, Denis!