D

and the inability of windows to pre-emptively
multitask,


Incorrect.

snip



How about offering some insight rather than just a big buzzer?

Depends on the version really, Win 3.1 and earlier didn't offer
pre-emptive multitasking, when an application was minimized it generally
ground to a halt. Win 9x was a big improvement over this but still
mediocre. Win NT/2K/XP is better still, and are generally quite good
OS's, but the multitasking is still rather poor compared to several
other OS's on the market. Of course any OS is a compromise, what you
gain in one area you often lose in another.