Win 7 is pretty good.
If I had no options for alternatives to Win 8x, I’d install Linux in a heartbeat.
I’d prefer Linux as well.
I’m looking at http://linuxmint.com/
I made the bootable DVD and tried it, looks good running from the DVD.
Thinking I’ll install it to dual boot with XP to try it further. The manual is decent and it comes with an open source “Office Suite”.