Warning! Do NOT apply XP SP 3!

[MrToxin]

Easiest way to deal with something like this is to install Windows on a separate harddrive and keep your paging somewhere other than where Windows installs. You know...install Windows on a small partition that you put nothing else on. Ever. That way, when something breaks (even Linux isn't perfect, kids) you can just reinstall it without too much worry. Yes, it's a bit of a pain but, for the best computer results, you should format and reinstall like once a year anyway.

[Jack Simth]

No, Linux isn't perfect. It is, however, considerably more stable than any MS box I've worked with. Software can't really deal with a hard disk crash - you pretty much need some amount of hardware redundancy to deal with that. Hard disk crashes are inevitable - they're physical devices that wear out. Back up all important data and settings, keep an OS disk on hand, and you're set.