At least 1GB (XP is small), but 4GB is the "sweet spot." Windows XP ISO: A digital image of your installation disc. Rufus or WinToFlash: Special software to format the drive.
Rufus is the gold standard for creating bootable drives. Note that newer versions of Rufus have dropped support for Windows XP; you may need to download . windows xp z pendrive
Most PCs from the XP era came with CD/DVD drives. Today, those optical drives are often broken, and modern "mini-PCs" or netbooks lack them entirely. A USB drive is faster, more reliable, and allows you to integrate modern drivers (like SATA/AHCI) that the original XP discs lacked. Prerequisites Before starting, gather these essentials: At least 1GB (XP is small), but 4GB is the "sweet spot
Attempting this today is not without its headaches, which adds to the "hackers only" allure. Note that newer versions of Rufus have dropped
Plug the pendrive into a (Windows XP rarely likes USB 3.0 ports during installation).