Probotix Galaxy Comet

I was gifted a Probotix Galaxy Comet last year but the PC is using Mach 3 and crashes more often than it completes a program.  

When it works the completed pieces are fine. But troubleshooting and researching Mach 3 has pointed me towards switching to LinuxCNC and using a Mesa motion card to connect to the Probotix Controller.parallel port. 

1. is this a reasonable thing to do? I have no background in Linux, or setting up the software to communicate with the controller
2. The Dell PC is an 17 year old Optiplex 755 and I would likely use a different computer without a parallel port. if I switch to another computer, is the Mesa 7192TF the correct card for me to use with the Probotix controller parallel port?
3. any other options I should be considering?

I appreciate any guidance you can offer 
 

A 7I92TF,TH,or TM will all work, the choice depends
on the existing cabling.