If you are a serious windows user and you don't want to go the Linux or OSX route try XP Embedded (XPE). I have played with XP Embedded and it has a nice feature where you can lock the hard drive (or flash card). When a user boots all the temporary stuff is created in a RAMDrive. You can install standard software such as Firefox or some office software and then lock any further changes. People can keep their documents etc on a USB stick. When the PC is rebooted then it reverts back to the locked down version. There is even a hibernate once a resume many feature where the OS is loaded from a hibernate image which is extremely fast.
In an ideal word Linux would be the best bet but XPE has its benefits if you are from a windows background.
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If you are a serious windows user and you don't want to go the Linux or OSX route try XP Embedded (XPE). I have played with XP Embedded and it has a nice feature where you can lock the hard drive (or flash card). When a user boots all the temporary stuff is created in a RAMDrive. You can install standard software such as Firefox or some office software and then lock any further changes. People can keep their documents etc on a USB stick. When the PC is rebooted then it reverts back to the locked down version. There is even a hibernate once a resume many feature where the OS is loaded from a hibernate image which is extremely fast.
In an ideal word Linux would be the best bet but XPE has its benefits if you are from a windows background.