Q: I read your column about protecting Windows XP from malware (see tinyurl.com/yapl8out). I would like to point out that XP users are not just putting themselves at risk. They are endangering everyone else by using PCs that can be taken over and used in botnets (groups of malware-infected computers used to attack websites, steal data or send spam e-mail.) It would be better for all of us if vulnerable software like XP was permanently retired.
Michael Fleming, Minneapolis
A: It's tempting to blame Windows XP users for being easy malware targets. But people with newer operating systems are actually the bigger security threat. There are more of the newer systems (making them a bigger target for hackers) and they have plenty of vulnerabilities.
In fact, Windows XP didn't even make the list for the "most vulnerable operating systems" last year. Instead, the riskiest operating systems, based on the number of known vulnerabilities, were considered to be Android, Linux, iOS (iPhone), Mac OS X, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (see tinyurl.com/ybr3a9j4).
It's worth noting that some XP users (such as individuals, charities and churches) probably can't afford to upgrade because they would need to buy new PCs capable of running Windows 7, 8.1 or 10.
Q: My six-month-old Epson wireless printer worked until the most recent Windows 10 automatic update. Now I get an error message that says "the specified driver is invalid." I downloaded the latest Epson driver software and reinstalled the printer, but it didn't help. An Epson representative said the problem lies with Windows 10, not the printer software. What can I do?
Randy Spaise, Plymouth
A: Windows 10 updates have previously caused printer-related problems. Only Microsoft can fix those update problems, but in the meantime there's a temporary fix.
