So if you want a copy of XP you'll need to go buy it soon.

Don't panic though - my parents still use a Win 98 version and it works just fine- we made copies of the original so if one CD gets damaged we have a replacement.
This is a good thing to do with your XP or even vista CD- make a copy or 2 for your own back up disks and save the original in a safe place.
************************************************** **

But there is also free operating systems - Linux OS distro's/Distributions

[When Linus Torvalds first developed Linux back in August of 1991, the operating system basically consisted of his kernel and some GNU tools. With the help of others Linus added more and more tools and applications.

With time, individuals, university students and companies began distributing Linux with their own choice of packages bound around Linus' kernel. This is where the concept of the "distribution" was born.

Today, creating and selling Linux distributions is a multi-million dollar business. You can buy a boxed version of Linux from companies such as Red Hat, SuSE, MandrakeSoft and others. You can also download Linux from any number of companies and individuals. There are distributions of all types and for practically any kind of computing endeavor. There are versions of Linux that will give you a firewall, will boot the entire operating system from a floppy disk or CD-ROM or can be used to power TV "set-top" boxes.

Below we offer you a "menu" of sorts so you can get more information about Linux distributions developed by individuals, groups or companies. Most are freely downloadable. If you are thinking of downloading and installing a Linux distribution and you have little or no experience with Linux, we suggest you read our section information on downloading Linux. ]
http://www.linux.org/dist/