Editing With OptiPlex 9020 Offline (W7 Pro)

Are the audio video files you plan to work on created de novo in the pc, or copied from another pc?  Since the optiplex has no recent security update, extrinsic files need to be vetted on another pc using Windows 10 before being introduced to the optiplex.

Hello Iridium

Thanx for the reply ....

All the media files are standard AVI, MPEG, Wave, Aiff or other similar files. I'm not sure you noticed: I'll be installing Windows 7 Pro, not Windows 10 ...

The whole idea is to avoid the issue of security updates  -  this machine will never go online. I'd like it to used strictly for Offline editing  ....

Thanx

All the software is naturally older and owned and licensed by me ...

Thanx

Yes I understand you are using Windows 7 strictly off line.  If you do everything on it without any contact with the internet, it would be safe.  However  If you try to transfer file to or from the pc using an usb flash drive, the drive can potentially introduce virus or malware to this pc.  The only way to ensure safety is never plug any usb storage device of not 100% certain health background into this pc.  You can still burn the file created on the pc onto a blank dvd and then share the file on dvd with the internet,

Some of the files were created in the (other older) Dell OptiPlex 790 and from other sources

They will be edited (moving forward) with the newer OptiPlex 9020 

The idea is to avoid the issue of security updates  -  the newer OptiPlex 9020 will never go online. I'd use it use strictly for Offline editing

If those old files are vetted by Windows 10 on another pc to be clean when you open them, and the usb drive used to transfer those files is clean too, then it would be all right.  note that some virus or malware can be hidden from explorer on a usb drive and become a security risk when plug into a vulnerable pc.

I do appreciate your responses however let me re-iterate and clarify: BOTH machines have been and will be formatted with Windows 7 Pro (I have never used Windows 10). Just wanted to make sure you clearly understood that.

Yes of course I understand that viruses can 'sometimes' embed themselves in other unsuspecting files. That would be unlikely since I have ALWAYS used Malware Prevention.

So if you have no other cautions - I will proceed?

Thank You

"...ALWAYS used Malware Prevention."  Hopefully this means you're using your own security software.

2013 flashback - I was using XP and my PC's were never online.  Not having the internet at home at the time, I went to the library for anything I needed to do online.  So I didn't use any security software.  Norton slowed it down.  Then 1 day, I downloaded a zip file with a photo of a family member from somebody I knew to a flash drive.  Since I knew the person, I may have ignored a yellow security warning and downloaded anyway.  A short while after opening zip file at home, PC froze and HDD kept clunking.  Reloading drive was no cure.  By the way, this wasn't a person impersonating somebody else.

So hopefully you already know, a PC doesn't have to be online for things to happen to it, like virus or malware.  Without security, nothing should originate from an online source anywhere,* but that's still no guarantee.  Meaning downloading something to the 790, then installing it on the 9020 still isn't a good option without security.  With security software, at least you'll get a pop up if there's anything wrong with any software or etc. being installed on the 9020.