I agree with your frustration. Vista will be out sometime within the next year or two. Some time down the road XP will be unsupported, but it is the only way to go if one is going to stay with Microsoft.
My XP Pro has been extremely stable and I have had no real problems with drivers. However, my hardware is only about 3 years old and I have plenty of memory.
Yes - memory. 50sDad says he will have 512 Mbyte of ram. For web and email use, this is good. Windows XP doesn't run well (too much disk swapping) in anything much less than 512 - it will boot 256, but you need to be on horse tranquilizers to be comfortable with the slowness.
Boy, I didn't get enough memory, got 40gb, then bought two 80 gb ea Western Digital Passports, but they are just for backup, had an extra hd put in 80 gb. Could have used more RAM, too. I really need about 300 gb memory on my extra hd, don't put any programs on it, just data files and my photos. Main drive is just under half full and extra hd is 3/4 full. Long-term archives is a problem. I can clean some of it off, but it will still accumulate fast. Memory is getting cheaper but not cheap enough for me yet.
I need more of the real kind of memory, too :-).
I hope I don't have to switch to Vista when it first comes out, but not too long after might not mind the switch IF my old software is compatible. I'm hoping this computer will last awhile yet, had it about 3 years now.
Don't mind me; I'm always frustrated about something, but it's almost unimaginable to go back to not having a computer and not being on the net.