A few hours ago I started with a fresh Windows XP Home install for a computer for my family.
I’m still going. I have lost count of how many times I have had to reboot the machine then get a new round of updates to install. It is ludicrous.
Modern Linux distributions are far superior to this. I recently installed Ubuntu on a several machines; the installer downloaded updates during the install process, so the machine was fully updated, on the first boot.
There is a utility – I don’t recall it off hand, and don’t have my CD pile nearby to thumb thru – that allows you to go to Micro$oft’s update site and download all the updates in advance. Then, after the fresh install, insert the CD it makes and all your updates are completed quickly.
Yes, there are still required updates, but far less of them, and the update process from the CD is much quicker.