Upgrading Windows on a Linux laptop

[Doug]

On 05/11/2014 11:19 AM, fedora wrote:
> Ever considered to install W XP as a VM on linux?
> I was successful with both of them (XP and 7) installed on VirtualBox 
> in Linux.
>
> suomi
>
>
> On 2014-05-11 17:14, Timothy Murphy wrote:
>> I rarely use Windows on my dual-boot Fedora-20/KDE laptop,
>> but I'd like to update Windows XP to Windows 7 now.
>>
>> I found when I did this on a CentOS machine
>> I was unable to get back to Linux,
>> and had to re-install CentOS.
>> I don't understand why, as I had saved and re-installed the MBR.
>>
>> Am I wrong in thinking that this should be sufficient?
>> If not, what else do I need to save?
>>
>> I don't intend to make any partition changes.
>>
>> All suggestions and advice gratefully received.
>>
>>
I hope this is not considered hijacking the thread, but, a couple of 
questions:

1. Where can I find instructions on how to do this?
2. If I do, is XP still subject to viruses like it was when it stood alone?
     2a: If so, can Windows malware-killers be downloaded and used?
3. Can this XP-on-VM still access the internet, for Google and downloads?
     (i.e., see q. 2a.)
4. If you download a Windows program from XP-on-VM, how do you run it?

Been around Linux for some time, but never tried any VM except dosbox,
which was a hassle.

--doug