[MineralMan]

"OKAY....so we have XP Home on a laptop here at home....what should we do....our desktop has XP Pro......any suggestions out there? (And, I'm not looking for smart a** remarks/suggestions.)"

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Don't do anything. XP Home will continue to work just fine, and the updates will go on for at least another year. By the time you need an OS update, you'll be ready for a new laptop, anyhow.

Heck, I have a Windows 98SE desktop sitting here that I use for some tasks. I keep all my customer records on it, and it's not connected to the net. That way, my customer records can't be hacked. I just move my old PCs over to the side and use 'em for something else, older software and all. Oddly, the version of Excel I have on the 98SE computer still works just fine. Isn't that amazing?

[goodnesswins]

Yeah, amazing.....yesterday I tried to access a Win98 Excel file on an old laptop I entered 300 plus names/info into while travelling so I could move it to another computer......Says I can't get it.....HELP!

[Wolfstar]

Are either of you familiar with hardware firewalls for the consumer market? Specifically, I have been thinking about purchasing either AlphaShield or Stingray's firewall, but am hesitating because my own knowledge about such products is weak. I want the best possible online security at home because I hope to telecommute if such opportunities arise.

I recently bought a new (non-big-brand) PC, obtained DSL service through SBC (they supply the latest 2wire modem), and have Norton AV, Zone Alarm, and Webroot's anti-spyware software. I thought a hardware firewall would also be beneficial.

I bought both Anonymizer and GhostSurf Platinum, but have been disappointed in both because they caused more problems than they solved. So I thought a hardware firewall would be beneficial.

I trust your opinions on these tech matters, so anything you can impart will be most welcome.