Agreed. If you are an average everyday FT in China, and are hellbent on using MS windows, at least use a genuine english version, with a decent firewall software and updateable anti virus software and malwarebytes or spybot search and destroy. The great advantage of linux is, you don't need to worry about any of that crap from the get go, firewall and security is paramount from the first install, you can install and just sit back and get to work.

Well said, Collyhurst Sewer Worker Retired. Of course you can get free software for Windows, but it comes with a price; it's all the baggage which comes with it; and even if you know how to get shot of the unwanted software in the normal way using 'remove a programme' you had better know how to deal with the stuff that evades that tool and of course how to reset your browser page- Windows is a nightmare. I do always carry XP on a stick because it is very good for formatting and reformatting- now I know tis a different format than Linux, but oddly enough if your machine is refusing to even install Ubuntu, it will always do so after reformatting with XP. i know it doesn't appear to make a lot of sense. By the way, what free software did you use to make your degree...I seem to have lost the means? Maybe other posters will know.