I've been trying to run XP in Vmware.  But I can't activate it.  A neighbor wants to run an old bookkeeping program that won't run on a 64 bit operating system.  He doesn't need a new fancy bookkeeping program for $300+.  
I used his old XP disc to create a virtual XP, it worked fine but now he only has a few days left before it will quit because you can't activate it.

It would be just fine to buy another version of windows that was 32 bit and run that in virtual mode, if it would run older 16 bit programs.  That's what I don't know.  I don't want to have him buy another Windows and discover that the 32 bit version still won't run his 16 bit program.

If I could download an ISO of 8 or 10 to try I would but I believe that you have to have a serial number to install.  That, even though I suspect it would quit after a certain number of days.  All I want to do is try it before he buys it.

Suggestions?  And he's not computer literate and does like the bookkeeping program he has, it's simple and straight forward.  He's not open to creating some spreadsheet program or moving to some new complex super does everything program.  

I'm kind of with him on this, why companies have to take straight forward, simple entry programs and add a ton of bells and whistles that you have to wade through and don't use is beyond me.