OS for FS2002 (and other things)...

Hi all,sorry for having to be blunt, but I have to get rid of Windows XP. It just annoys me more and more every day - even after figuring out what all the updates are for, and then reformatting and reinstalling (I've got WinXP pro), it continues to irritate me no end. I don't even want to start on the details, but I'll be happy to provide them if requested. Basically, the only thing that keeps me from buying a Mac or installing Linux is my addiction to MSFS. So, my only choice is to buy another MS OS. I've had Windows98, then Me, then XP - and rather than progressing upwards, it appears to have been a degradation in performace. What I'm looking for now, is some sort of reliable 'bare-bones' OS without any 'fancy' features (no Media Player, please). Does Windows 2000 pro fit the bill? How would it run on my machine (AMD Athlon 1GHz, 256MB RAM, ATI Radeon7200, 40GB HD, divided into two 20GB partitions, plus one old 1.2GB HD), and how well would FS2002 run, especially with add-ons like PIC, PSS and the new AETI(VMax)747-200? I don't mean fps, but reliability - how well does Win 2000 cope with unusual hardware/software setups? I know it's not designed for gaming, but I don't mind a bit of tweaking (if FS2002 could be run in DOS, that would be my preferred choice).Any hints, comments and opinions would be greatly appreciated.Cheers,Gosta.