Installing a virtual machine might be a good option (then loading
Windows onto it).
I've not had much luck with WINE, unless you are dealing with very
common Windows programs or games.

VirtualBox is pretty good, and it's free. It is an Oracle product, but
as long as that doesn't matter...there you go!
I'll probably be installing  a virtual machine to run evaluation copies
of Windows 8 and SQL Server, soon.
Not that I love them, but I might need them fora future job.

Windows XP is no longer going to be patched as of April 2014, if I read
the news correctly.
Now would be a good time to migrate to Linux.
I recommend Mint or Mageia for the desktop (for a new user) but everyone
has their favourites.

Cheers,
-- Nicholas

On 21/10/13 12:00 PM, tclug-list-request at mn-linux.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. Re: When is the next Installfest? (Mike Miller)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 11:38:23 -0500 (CDT)
> From: Mike Miller <mbmiller+l at gmail.com>
> To: TCLUG Mailing List <tclug-list at mn-linux.org>
> Subject: Re: [tclug-list] When is the next Installfest?
> Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.00.1310211137230.30772 at taxa.psych.umn.edu>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
> Paul G--
>
> Please stop sending messages that intend to ridicule or provoke.  Thanks.
>
> Mike
>
>
> On Sun, 20 Oct 2013, paul g wrote:
>
>> Who cares?
>>
>>> Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 12:21:58 -0500
>>> From: n0nas at amsat.org
>>> To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org
>>> Subject: [tclug-list] When is the next Installfest?
>>>
>>> When is the next Installfest?
>>>
>>> I know that Ubuntu 13.10 is now released and last year the October
>>> meeting was an Installfest for 12.10.
>>>
>>> I've got a friend I've been telling to upgrade from Win XP to Linux,
>>> probably to 12.04.3LTS, and it would help a lot if there was a guru
>>> around to help him get his Windows programs running under wine & mono.
>>> His only interest is getting a stable environment to run the
>>> ATCSmonitor program for remote server installations monitoring
>>> railroad trains..... I'm too much a newbie to help him, so the
>>> Installfest would be the best time to try....
>>>
>>> Doug Reed
>>> N St Paul.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
>>> tclug-list at mn-linux.org
>>> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
> tclug-list at mn-linux.org
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> End of tclug-list Digest, Vol 106, Issue 8
> ******************************************
>