From what you say, it sounds like you just made a
pretty hefty investment in
XP. If I were you I would try to get those machines
to work like they are
supposed to. I have heard many similar complaints
about Dell, but that
doesn't mean you should give up on the machines. What
if you or your wife
doesn't like Linux? The very able folks at
simplycomputers2@yahoogroups
will be more than happy to help you get those machines
sorted out. And
there is the possibility that the problems affecting
XP might also affect
Linux. Join up and ask for their assistance.