Quote:
Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen
I keep an offline gaming computer with XP and wish I could leave it at that, but I need to be online for business so I have to be sure my O/S will remain compatible with all those things necessary for running it... I can't afford to find one day that none of the antivirus or email will work anymore on my old system.
I hate Windows 10 as much as anybody here, but I'm not savvy enough to change over to Apple or Linux... could I still link up with my customers who are still on Windows?
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Keep XP off the web. ALWAYS. Its a mine waiting to be stepped upon and blowing you up. Physical disconnection to the internet is the only way to go.
Use a second platform for your online needs. Surfing, emailing you can easily and perfectly do with a Linux Mint system, a dual boot, even a Mint installation on a bottable USB stick (if you install to a USB stick, you can even save and keep working files, emails etc.
Win7 gets mroe and more zombified by Microsoft and turned into W10, all the "telemetry" sniffware, aneforcment of foul and broken updates got reverse-engineered into it. More and more of the "featureS" W10 gets criticised for, got engineered into W7 as well.
I would do precioius work, sensible work and such on a system not running unde rmicrosoft anymore, and preferrably offline. Transfer files you need to send or receive, to another, online platform and send/receve it from there. Be aware that you still run infeciton risks.
Microsoft has done its best to make things tricky, treacherous and untrustworthy, and it now slowoly starts to dawn upon people. The good and easy computer times are over. Its now about handing over our property rights, and freedom. For superficial concepts of "comfort".
If you want a relatively free and secure online platform, Apple and Google are no alternatives to Microsoft. You only have Linux of any form.
Try Mint. As a Windows user you will be surprised how smooth the transfer can be. There are hickups, yes. But most likely fewer ones than you now fear.
You are German, right? Get the Mint introduction book by Dirk Becker. Its perfect to you get you set up. I used it myself as a starting point. The new version for Mint 18 is about to be relased next week, I used the book for verison 17.
https://www.amazon.de/Linux-Mint-/me...ds=dirk+becker
https://www.amazon.de/Linux-Mint-pra...+linux+mint+17
Using Mint 17.3 instead of the new 18.0 is no bad idea, btw. You get long time support nevertheless, and the 17 version has most issues ironed out, while 18 is new. Not that I have run into issues with it.