Any time anyone i know buys a computer they usually bring it to me to get rid of all the OEM junk. I usually will format and reinstall all the drivers by hand and install a clean system on their for them. I would try the lindows out for a bit, couldn't hurt. But if you have any problems, put something else on it. For 299, you can't really beat it for a computer system. (although I wonder about the quality of the hardware, we all remember NEC right? =\ )