windows updates often reset (unknown!) settings

Which is an effect of trying to manage a chaotic system. NixOS solves this by having strict checks but giving users the ability to configure their system.

The system is very mutable but centrally controlled.

Windows has an idea how it wants to look like, but at the same time grants software all sorts of crazy permissions. Adobe software doesnt run when "storage protection mode against ransomware" is enabled for example.

The Windows store apps are better isolated, with permissions etc. But same as on Linux with Flatpak, Software vendors dont want to change their software to be less invasive.

I mean Windows pretty much thrives off the fact that you rely on random 3rd party software like drivers to be able to be installable externally and run with very high privileges. So they dont need to do the work.

the weird part being that windows is that stable even with the chaos it does in its system files

Microsoft is 1000 times the size if RedHat, Canonical or SUSE, if not more. They just throw lots of money at it.

Also it is mission critical, so you can kinda expect vendors to test their software better, a bit.

Not always (crowdstrike lol)