How To Get The XP Version of Windows Live Essentials

Windows Live Essentials 2011 is only for Vista SP2 or Windows 7 and not Windows XP. Any attempt to run the installer on XP won’t work. In addition the website makes it appear as if the XP version of the software is no longer available.

It is still possible however to download the XP version of the Live Essentials software, so if you have a computer with XP and require software from that suite (such as Windows Live Mail or Windows Live Photo Gallery), here’s how to go about it:

Quick way

Download the English language wlsetup-web.exe installer from here, run the file and install the software you need.

If that download link becomes broken for whatever reason, or you need a language other than English, use the slow way below.

Slow way

1. Go to this link: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-essentials-xp

2. Scroll down and select your language, which would be English for most people who read this.

3. Click the blue Download now button.

It will look like this:

The file downloaded will be wlsetup-web.exe. Run this installer to install the appropriate software you need.

Important notes

“2009” is the last version that works on XP

The XP version of Windows Live Essentials is 2009. You’ll see this in any “about” screen, like this:

This does mean that the 2009 version is the last of the Windows Live Essentials suite that will work on the XP operating system.

Standalone installers?

Individual standalone installer files from the suite are not available, or at least not that I know of. You must download the setup file, run it and then choose what you want to install.

It’s unknown how long Microsoft will keep this installer available, but chances are it will be around for a while. Even so, if you do need software from the Windows Live Essentials suite on your XP computer box, I suggest installing the software you need now just in case the software is taken off the site.