One alternitive that suits me is cygwin. This basically gives me a linux
command line but runs under MS Windows. The command line lets me run
most of my favorite linux tools, is much more powerful than a windows
command line, yet I can still run MS Windows programs at the same time.
Good if you want to do lots of programming tasks or want to run specific
Unix/linux programs. Not so good if you want to have a lixux desktop.
Very easy to install.