Shoot, do what I did - buy a system with NO operating system and load Ubuntu Linux on it. Hell you can even get an OEM version of XP Home w/SP2 for $89. I LOVE Tigerdirect.com.
No problem. As long as you have the key number for your OS, you can use any CD of the same OS to reinstall it. You can even use an upgrade CD to install a complete OS. Just make sure you have the install CD from a previous version. The upgrade CD will ask for it when it doesn’t see an existing OS. Clean installs are the way to go. And with XP, you rarely need to manually install the drivers, except for the Ethernet card.
Here is what I did:
And pay attention, because this is complicated.
I threw my old system in the trash, and now I use the one at work.
Seriously. I got sick and tired of putting up firewalls and buying spam/virus protection and the constant monitoring to see what damage has been done or what files or programs that have been deleted. I don’t NEED a computer so I don’t own one anymore.
Of course if I couldn’t FReep at work...