you can run obsolete windows programs on obsolete windows operating
systems by having the operating windows systems running on UBUNTU
LINUX.
UBUNTU LINUX (detects networking out of the box and uses Windows like
GNOME interface or use KUBUNTU LINUX for the intelligence demanding
KDE interface) can be run on Windows XP easily and SIMULTANEOUSLY to
take advantage of Microsoft Office by downloading virtual box for
windows from
www.virtualbox.org
you should download
kubuntu_restricted_extras
when the kubuntu comes up, hit ESC gently every 5 seconds if the X
Windows server has frozen up.
Google Earth and SKYPE is both installable.
since virtual box is a DEBIAN pkg after downloading virtual box you
only have to do
sudo dpkg -i pkgname.deb
deb means the package name is debian.
sudo means run the package installer as super user.
Erach