Windows XP users face end to Microsoft support

[cprise]

66. No, you're wrong. Stop it!

A computer can be attacked without having any services listening for connections on the Internet. They can be attacked via client applications, for instance if Firefox uses a Windows function that decodes a certain type of image file, or the way Windows handles DNS requests, etc. Since client applications have to rely on the Windows to handle some data-related functions, the computer can be attacked by sending malformed data, buffer overflow attacks and such.

A vulnerable computer that seems to "work" OK can easily be setting you up for some bad times, or using the computer as a platform to attack other people.

So, stop with the irresponsible "keep using it till it breaks" claptrap. You apparently know only enough to be dangerous to the people you advise.