Originally Posted by
Ryan15037
If you avoid 'dodgy' sites then I don't think security will be your issue. I think it will be the lack of support for 3rd party apps.
How does one know which sites are "dodgy" or "safe"
before browsing to them on an unprotected machine?
Originally Posted by
Ryan15037
I use Win8 for work and home. I know that upgrading a pc's is an annoying task so you might as well skip over 7 and just upgrade to 8 now.
Upgrading the OS, rather than buying a newer PC with pre-installed OS, will likely result in unacceptable system performance for most people in this situation. OP didn't mention the hardware specs of his particular machines, but most consumer-class XP computers weren't built with the hardware required to efficiently run Windows 7 or 8. Recommended system requirements for XP SP3 were 300 MHz CPU, 128 MB RAM, and 2.5 GB HDD. For Windows 8 it's 1000 MHz CPU, 1000 MB RAM, 16 GB HDD, and DirectX 9 graphics card. A typical new Windows 8 mid-range consumer desktop PC (~$1200) from Costco or Best Buy comes with a 3.4 GHz multi-core CPU, 16 GB RAM, and 2 TB HDD. That's a Really Big Difference.
Originally Posted by
jwXplore
Editing your Hosts file is another _very_ good layer of security, but explaining that is outside the scope of this article.
Editing the hosts file to block/spoof the domains of malicious resources may help, but I'd hardly describe it as a "very good layer of security". This strategy depends on having a current and inclusive list of
known malicious websites, the skills or utility to update or replace your HOSTS files, and the discipline to do it regularly. In the end it doesn't do anything other than block access to the websites or servers specified in the current HOSTS file.
More info here for others that may be interested.