OKAY! MICROSOFT DOES SUCK, BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS!
There is a version of Windows that actually works! Yes, it actually works! It's called Windows Server 2003, and it runs games faster, more reliably, and better than XP could ever hope to achieve!
The best part?
You can try it for FREE for six months!
How to install:
Go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/trial/evalkit.mspx
Download the evaluation kit.
After you install Windows, go to:
http://win2k3.msfn.org/
This is a page that will show you how to set up Windows Server to perform well in a workstation environment. If you skip this step, your system will be slow as shit. It only takes five minutes to set it up, so don't put it off.
I have installed Server on numerous machines (including my friends) and it works flawlessly on all of them. It is just as stable as Linux or MacOS, and has the full compatability of Windows based environments.
PM me if you want some REALLY cool info on it...