Okay, so I just had to make a quick note about this. The problems I’ve been having with the Windows XP video drivers and 8-bit modes? Try using this driver and see if you can get 8-bit video modes back on Windows XP. Same author, if it works well on Windows 98, it should work well on Windows XP.
20201006/DuckDuckGo windows xp universal vbe drivers
20201006/https://bearwindows.zcm.com.au/vbemp.htm