You where close to right up to the point that you said it installs if for you. Choosing an OS through the VirtualBox is so that you can get the minimum resources need for that OS, and not try to over burden your system. If you have hardware virtalization then it really doesn't matter, but its is a good base to start from. Then you can add more resources if you want. So looking at hard drive size, RAM size, and even further, like PATA or SATA. The important thing to look at is going to be processor, RAM and Hard drive. After that it is just logistics.
Yea, you are right about that, if the original OS is XP, then you can't download a copy of Vista, that would be an illegal copy on your system. All that matters is that the COA on your machine, matches the Windows version that you are installing. I had a Vista on that machine, and it didn't come with an install disk. I downloaded one off the internet, burned it to disk, and installed it useing my keycode on my COA. That allowed me to install a clean copy of Windows, without the crap that they manufacture wanted me to have. Just Windows none of the stupid and ultimately useless software that my original install had. It is a very good idea to do that on all systems, it will improve the performance a lot.
Activation didn't start until XP, so 2000 will install with out needing to be activated. Even the ones that are pirated doesn't mean they are fake or have viruses, it just means that they don't have to be activated either. If it be through a registry activate or just striping activation out of the OS itself, it is still Windows. Just you didn't pay for it. But the point of some of the installs have viruses and worms, is valid. I'm not advocating Windows piracy, just letting you now how that works. When you get a copy of Windows for a computer, it is not buying Windows, it is buying a key code. The key code allows you to have the right to install and use Windows on a computer. Microsoft never sells software to any one, it is just a license or lease to use it. That is why they can get away with all of a sudden ending support for an OS when ever they want to. You are over your lease, and it is now time to get a new lease, AKA buy a new Windows. It doesn't matter where you get the disk as long as the name is the same, (i. e. Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit Service Pack 1) if your COA says that and your disk says that, then you can use that disk to install the OS on your computer, and it is legal and legit. Just try not to go over on your activations, it is a pain in the *** to get them to allocate you more activations LoL. Microsoft doesn't make XP CDs or Vista DVDs any more, so you will have to find one that is around. It is going to get harder and harder to find them. Try snagging a COA from a friend that is getting rid of their XP install. That should work fine, just remember the drivers problem, not all computers have drivers for older OSes.
Anytime Upgrade, that is awesome. You figured out the difference in an upgrade and anytime upgrade, kudos. Anytime up grade can only upgrade to a better edition of the same OS, to where upgrades can go from one version to the next higher or so on. The anytime upgrade dose install stuff, just not a lot of stuff. Services here and .dlls there. So you are really close to being completely right about that. Now here is the kicker, you talk about you don't know how to install an OS...BUT YOU HAVE DONE IT ALREADY. Using the anytime upgrade is the same idea as upgrading from say Vista to 7. You do the exact same things, just it takes longer for Vista to 7 and you have to keep cool and let it do it's thing. Downgrading involves formatting and reinstall. That can be a little tricky, but in reality you can do it if you listen to the right people and do it right.
Like I said, on that hardware, visualization is only going to bring your system down to a snail pace. If not crash it all together.
Windows 2000 dose support wireless, you just have to have the drivers for it. I most cases you can use the XP drivers on 2000. They are so close together, that it allows you to install drives from XP on 2000 with out needing any kind of work around.
Vista was really bad about software and hardware support, it sometimes took a IT to get things to work on Vista. It is more of a pain in the *** then it is worth. 7 is a minor update release, so you are right about it being so much like Vista, because it is. The difference is that 7 has better versions of the software than Vista. Also deep stuff like the kernel is changed, and services are added or removed or combined with others, but that is not really important to know unless you are or want to be an IT.
There are a lot of keystrokes (shortcuts) that can do things faster.
Ctrl-a is select all
Ctrl-c is copy
Ctrl-v is paste
Ctrl-z is undo
Ctrl-y is redo
Ctrl-f is find
Ctrl-t is new tab
Ctrl-Alt-Delete is the security Window on Vista/7 and the Task Manager on XP Home, unless you turn off the welcome screen, then it is the security window in XP as well.
Then there are Windows strokes as well. When I say Win it means the Windows key.
Win-l is lock computer
Win-u is the accessibility manager, oh and side note it you want to mess with someones head, do that and turn on narrator, then close the accessibility manager. Then hide the narrator window, and it will start reading everything they do to them through their
speakers. That can be done if the computer is locked or not. I love doing that at work LMAO
Win-e starts my computer
There are lots more, I just cant remember them right off hand.
The USB stick thing is done by getting the USB-DVD software. It takes a disk image of Windows and copies it to a USB flash drive. Then you can boot off it and install Windows on a machine that doesn't have a DVD drive. Copying an install of Windows to another computer might work, but lean to do it the right way first, before you go off and start trying to so a migration install like that. It is possable, but there will be so many problems you will run into, and it will take time. Also on 7 it will take some special software, as Microsoft moved the boot.ini into a separate inaccessible partition of the hard drive.This will take some know how from a few Linux sources, and lots of experience. Not saying that you wont be able to do it in the future, just not right now.
Installing Linux like that is a little different from installing normaly. It will install like standard software, but allow you to boot into a native Linux install. Also it doesn't require any changes to the partition tables. So get something like Wubi and do the install, when it wants you to reboot, do it and let it do its thing. Then it will keep running and installing, just let it do its thing. Then when it is all said and done, you have them both installed. Though here is the coolest thing about running Linux this way, if you get tired of it or want to try another one this way, go into Windows and uninstall it like a regular program. It will be like it was never there. Very cool.
Holy craptastic software Batman. Replacing your Windows Mail with an older version, that didn't come with that OS, is such a bad idea that I will call him an idiot. There will be no new security patches for it, no new definitions, no new phishing alerts. You might as well just share your entire hard drive to the internet and every one on it, with a huge sign that says come rape me, and cut out the middle man. Why use substandard software that is nothing more than a glorified security hole. You have got to stop listening to these people, that is a VERY BAD idea. Andrea, you are being fed such crap I am surprise that your Windows still works at all. There is better software out, that is FREE. Even Microsoft gives it away for FREE, USE IT, NOT CRAPTASTIC STUFF FROM VISTA.