For someone who used windows for ages, even DOS, then tried a different system all together (linux), I am a little shocked to say "This is too confusing/much"

At the start, it seemed like a nice system, even though I primarly use mandrivalinux (2007 powerpack edition).

Here's a summary anyway.

Pros -

1. The system installed fine with no problems
2. All hardware was detected and appears to be all fine and everything
3. It seems like some programs work, internet and email, control center and such.

Cons -

1. It's too much, and rather pointless. The design is almost completely new; icons are different, things in different places. Windows 2000 to XP had nice changes, a bit brighter and more colorful, but this makes you feel like it's a completely different system.
2. IE 7 SUCKS! The icons are just a mess compared to any browser I have seen before. I see features on here that Linux has had for ages now, and at least their browser like mozilla firefox is in order and looks sharp.
Outlook looks all messed up and disorted too. Don't get me wrong, changes can be nice. Linux is a change, that looks nice. XP sure looks different VS 95 or 3.1, even 98, and XP is a nice change.
Vista ISN'T a nice change.
3. As I'm writing this, I feel I wasted 200 dollars. It's depressing being on here, wasting that sort of cash when software doesn't even work.
4. The games I wanted to play don't work. I don't know why, they just won't. Bad luck or what? I have nice system specs, had them for some time, 1 gig of RAM, 3200+ AMD Athlon x64, NVIDIA 6600 graphics card.
But, the games aren't going for whatever reason.

Other cons, but not really their fault at all, just reasons why I still love linux.

1. No DVD support from start. Requies the CD from the DVD drive. Linux is up and running right when you install the system.
2. There is no dictonary, no spell check, no word processors, no real picture editing and cropping. There are no neat little games to play.
I don't even know where to begin with this system. Things are all over the place.

Linux is better. It's done right. It doesn't take the extra time to show all this "eye-candy", things are in order, with tons of applications.
If someone wants something, someone will make it for linux. It is people like us who take the time to design such software to make it enjoyable for us.
Microsoft just places some things in, slaps a price tag on it and ships it out.

Using this reminds me some about linux, what ideas Microsoft took, the tabbed feature in a browser, color coded address bar when in a secure link, multiple desktops, so on and so forth.
but oh well.

Buy this if you love windows. If you're quite devoted to it. If you're more for linux or even mac, it may be all right. I'm mostly disappointed now because the things I wanted to go on here, isn't.