OK. I used to use only win 95 for quite some time. Last I heard was that 98 was pretty safe. XP. For me XP installed the easiest than any of the other setups. XP pro cost in the $300 - $400 range to my knowledge. Yes some of the free stuff is horrible. However that is why I buy better stuff. The stuff packaged with XP is a lot better than what comes with the old Windows stuff in my opinion. I agree it is a larger program and in typical windows fashion it tries to take over your system. Which is why I turn a lot of the junk off. However for what I get over win NT, or win 95 I think it was a good investment. Some people don't have updated drivers. XP has older windows compatability settings. That solved 75 percent of my problems. New drivers solved all the other ones. EXCEPT for TWO programs. Which apparently belong to companies which no longer exits. =:-( Personally I long for the old days when reports were typed and hand written reports were fine. I learned how to use a slide rule. What's wrong with them!!! And the abbacus is the bomb. Children in China are still taught how to use them. Remember when there was no photography! One was rich and had a painter come buy to take your likeness. Sigh those were the days. =;-)