[Skybird]

I did not speak of "certainties", but probabilities, and the probability of you sooner or later getting hit by something if still using XP or W7 for surfing and being online, is incalculable. I am surprised that I must tell you this, Robbin, after all thes emonths of you posting and me reading your posts I would have assumed you know that better for yourself. Far more competent experts on security and PC tech have explained since years why it is almost irresponsible these days to use XP for surfing. You could turn into a plague infestor yourself without even knowing it, being a menace for others.

There is no excuse whatever to use XP for surfing these days. On an offline machine - that is another thing, i do that myself. But online ? No way.

Also, I am surprised again that you so blindly trust in Firewalls and AntiVir, again that is something that you should know better. There is plenty of malware out there that can evade or penetrate them, even additional scanners like S&D, Spyware, or MBAM. There is even malware on Windows that makes these scanners its primary attack objective to enter the system. You now that from Linux, where many people rate presenc eof AntiVir as a greater threat to Linux than absence of it and using Linux without such a scanner. . Under Windows, it is much more urgent a problem - since years. Much more urgent a problem.

Heck, over the past two years I have read occasionally from company founders in the security branch that in their opinion it is almost pointless these days to run AntiVir products any longer, since malware attack schemes have moved so much beyond the reach of these programs! They just cannot detect the new generaitons of threats any longer. Not even mentioning Zero Day Exploits.

Really, don'T tell people that if they use an AntiVir and a firewall they are as safe under XP or W7-not-updated as if they are under Linux or a fully maintained Windows modern version . Could you image what Woody would tellm you when you tell him all this? He already strictly disagreed with me when I said "do not update W7 but then do not use it for surfing any longer".

I got hit by surf-by attacks twice, btw, and that at a time when I still updated W7, had it in tip-top shape, and had AntiVir and Firewall additional to my router's firewall, and MBAM and S&D in place. And I had a sandboxed (Sandboxie) Opera and its options set to extremely safe and tight. And more minor attacks more years ago when I still was not as paranoid as I am today, in optimists' eyes. And still I got hit.

So, everybody, do not use XP for online machines anymore, that is negligent and quite mean towards those people contacting your machine - you put them at big risks and maybe do not even notice it when you harm them. And if you do not update W7, like I do, then also do the second thing I do: strictly limit W7 to the use you still need it for. The way Robbins describes IS NOT SAFE AND IS NO CALCULABLE REST RISK AT ALL. Even what I recommend, to limit the use of W7 if you do not update it anymore, bears a certain rest risk, though a smaller one, obviously.

Bst advise of course, still is: leave Windows behind, if only you can. Leave it behind. Microsoft makes it worse and worse, and even add to the damages of it.