Try the free EXPRESS downloads from MS. VB.NET, C#.NET, C++.NET, VJ#.NET,
WEB Dev.Net, and SQL Server 2005.NET(replacement for MSDE).
All of these are Beta versions. They are free, and they require that you DL
and install the .NET framework. BE SURE that you read the installation
instructions. They change every few weeks(days?) or so depending on the
version(build), and they are dependent on certain versions/builds of the
framework. A bit of a hassle in getting them set up and working, but hey!,
they're free!
While these are not exactly production quality, they are certainly good
enough to let you start working with .NET. SQL Server 2005, the replacement
for MSDE, is better than MSDE in that it has SOME of the limitations
removed(the five process limit).
I'll leave finding the ups and downs of each EXPRESS application to you
guys. Have Fun!
http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/
Ruben