Upgrading or a VM are your only options. Installing something like Ubuntu in a VM is pretty idiotproof: download the .iso file, start virtualbox, click “New” and give it the iso file. Take all the defaults of the installer, and you’re done. If you don’t want all the GUI desktop stuff of Ubuntu, download the server distribution instead of the standard.
You’re going to find developing on an 8-year-old version of Windows more and more painful as time goes on.