[AgentZero]

I actually haven't reinstalled Windoze since I bought the machine 2 years ago. First thing I did when I bought the machine was format the drive and re-install WinXP to make sure there wasn't any junk on the machine I didn't want.
I've gotten a Windows optimizer program, and RegClean as well, which seems to have improved performance a fair bit, but I'm still having problems with the folders.

I think there must be a problem with Explorer.exe because when I try to shut down the computer when the folders aren't opening, it hangs for a while then pops up with a message that says 'Explorer.exe is not responding' when I click the End Now button, the Windows interface disappears, leaving only my desktop wall paper and the system hangs, forcing me to literally pull the plug on my computer, since it's equipped with a software On/Off switch as opposed to a hardware On/Off switch. Whose brilliant idea was that one?

BTW, Arkcon, can I ask a really stupid question. What does Linux acutally LOOK like? I've been looking into maybe making the switch & maybe just keeping a stripped-down Version of WinXP for gaming, but everything I've read about it seems to suggest a command line-driven interface. Which in theory I don't really have a problem with, having grown up with DOS, but practically speaking I don't have the time to learn a new operating system, and would thus be purely interested in something with a GUI of one type or another.

Honestly though, the only thing that keeps me tied to Windows is the fact that my computer is primarily a gaming machine, and I have very diverse taste in games, so switching to Linux or a Mac would sort of defeat the purpose of me owning my computer. I find it maddening that people go out and buy a computer knowing (if they have even rudimentary knowledge of PCs) that it isn't going to work the way they expect. I can't think of a single product where the same is true. Can you imagine going out and buying a car knowing that it wouldn't start in the morning sometimes, the engine would die for no apparent reason at random intervals and that whether or not the CD player, radio, air conditioning or heating would work was a hit or miss proposition? And can you imagine knowing that this was just the price of owning a car? Or when it didn't work properly, being told, 'Well, take the engine out, dismantle it, then reassmble it and put it back in and you should be OK for another few months.'? Or you could buy a different model, but you wouldn't be able to drive it on most roads. If a car maker behaved like MS, they'd either be taken to court and forced to update their standards, or be driven out of business by the competition. But PC owners are just supposed to 'deal with it'.