Since you have an 80G hard drive, why dump Linux? You can just add 2K to your existing installs and have a quad-boot system.

To be honest, although I like the idea of Linux, I never seem to have the time to sit and learn it properly.

I learnt BASIC, then DOS then Windows - I don't really fancy another learning curve.

I just put it on my system, play with it for a few weeks and take it off again and wait for a new, easier to use release to come along.

Currently tried Mandrake, Xandros, SUSE, Knoppix etc.

Knoppix seems the easiest so far, as it recognised all my hardware including my cable modem, which is connect to a USB port - the other builds all wanted a network connection.

I'd recommend either Suse (good for beginners) or Mandrake, both are way better the windows will ever be and I believe Mandrake's free too (FYI the Professional version of Suses is way better then the free version)

Dude, you tell me how to play Halo and Doom3 under Suse or Mandrake and I'll give you a bloody gold star!

Since Windows XP is actually the next version after Windows 2000 in the same operating system series, Microsoft must think that XP is better than 2000 or they wouldn't have made the changes. By that same logic Windows 2003 must be better than XP since it is more recent still.

In my opinion the "best" operating system is the one that does what you want in the way that you want. If you are looking for the most secure operating system it will probably be not as user friendly as less secure ones. If you are looking for an operating system to run specific application software then you wont be interested in operating systems that can't run that software no matter how much "better" that OS is. Unless you have a reason to change the best operating system for any particular person is the one that their computer is currently running.

felgall, Windows 2003 isn't precisely part of the 'same series'. It's a server OS, not a desktop one.