No problem, we are here to help and we hope that you continue posting here in the future - we will be glad to have you here in the community.
Now you may want to try Linux, which is free to use, copy, modify and redistribute - Ubuntu Linux is easy to use and you can even get a completley free CD with it on at
https://shipit.ubuntu.com/. Now, if you must go with Windows, then I suggest waiting for Windows Vista to be released - you should then be able to pick up a cheap copy of XP.