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Windows XP source code leaks online with bonus QAnon content

Anybody who has wanted to take a closer look at Microsoft’s Windows XP can now do so thanks to a helpful 4chan user.

Last week the source code for a bunch of older operating systems from the annals of Microsoft were published online.

The operating systems include Windows 2000, Windows Embedded CE 3, CE 4, CE 5 and CE 7, Windows NT 3.5 and 4, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

The 42.9GB file also contains source code for MS-DOS and the Xbox’s operating system.

So, how real is this source code?

While Microsoft has not confirmed that the files are in fact its source code if that happens to be the case it could be a bit of a problem for Microsoft.

Windows XP is still in use and while Microsoft hasn’t supported the operating system since 2014, in rare circumstances (such as when Wanna Cryptor ransomware hit the web) it does issue software updates.

That’s not even taking into account the fact that Microsoft may recycle bits of its operating systems in newer platforms.

But according to the report by ZDNet, many of the files in the 42.9GB torrent are leaks which many have seen previously though the presence of Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 is new.

Most bizarre is that the file also contains a number of conspiracy theories about Bill Gates. Many of the videos tie into the wider QAnon conspiracy theory which thrives on 4chan and other parts of the internet.

This coupled with the presence of previously leaked source code has led many to believe this is merely a publicity stunt, though we’re curious to see if that Windows XP code is legitimate.

Verifying that could take a few days unless Microsoft issues a statement. On that front, a Microsoft spokesperson told The Next Web that it is investigating the matter.

On the subject of QAnon, we highly recommend giving this piece from The New Yorker a read if this is your first time hearing of the conspiracy theory. Just hold tight, because it is a wild ride.

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