Security for Windows XP

[pastywhitegurl]

I saw an ad for PCmatic anti-virus, and it said their product (since its whitelist only) can be used to protect a Windows XP machine.

Is that correct?  And if so, is it adequate protection?  We have an old XP that it would be nice to use for our magic jack connection so I didn't have to plug it into my tower.  Would it be safe to use an XP machine for that purpose?

[Digerati]

IMO, no. That program may be able to protect an XP system today, but a new vulnerability could be discovered tomorrow (or later on today) that Microsoft will not fix and the program cannot cover.

IMO, XP systems should only be used as isolated "stand-alone" system with no network access at all.

If you have old hardware that still runs and you don't want to send it to a proper electronics recycling center, I recommend putting Linux on it. It keeps the hardware useful and provides new learning experiences for you.

[pastywhitegurl]

Linux is a great idea. Thanks!

[Digerati]

One thing I did with my old XP box that refused to die, before I finally upgraded it to modern times, was loading it up with the biggest old hard drives I had laying around, stuck it in a corner down in the basement, attached it via Ethernet to my local network, shared all those drives and basically turned it into a NAS (network attached storage). I then used it as my backup server, saving backups of all my other computers to this old XP machine.

I just made sure I went into my router's admin menu and blocked all incoming and outgoing traffic from the Internet to that machine. This is often easily accomplished via the Parental Controls feature in the router.

But I still think turning your into a Linux box is a good idea. It is surprising, with all the free applications out there, how capable a Linux box can be. There are many who have totally converted to Linux from Windows and never look back.

[Corrine]

Did you say "SNF"?    (plodr & Pete will get the reference)