If you have Windows 8 running, keep it.

Windows 8.1 is even worse. Never thought I would say that.

Lost my Avast Antivirus programmes on the "upgrade", crappy screen definition on the forum with no apparent way of running in compatibility mode either.

According to Microsoft they won't guarantee that I can get it back to Windows 8 either.

Why did I have to but this PC about a week after they stopped shipping with windows 7?

Just tried to do a system restore and I'm back with windows 8.1.

It looks like when ii was updated from Windows 8 all the previous restore points were deleted.

edit

What a heap of crap.

Windows RT 8.1 is a different heap of crap from Windows 8.1 - it's for a different processor.

Seriously, Pete, if there are no applications you use that are *strictly* Windows (e.g. specialist finance packages, some CAD systems, some compilers, and games) then consider Linux Mint.

The documentation is here: http://www.linuxmint.com/documentation.php and you might note page 12 and onwards in the pdf which tells you how to play with a boot version of the DVD - so you can see how things work without messing up your Windows installation.

Download here: http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php - I would recommend cinnamon 64 bit as the best version for a new PC. If you do decide you like it, I can talk you through installing it alongside Windows so your data is not nadgered - though to be honest a clean boot is easiest and safest!

To what sort of usage do you put Windows?

Im running windows 8 on my laptop.
I actually think its an awesome OS. So much quicker and more stable than windows 7. Its even pretty usable once you get used to not having a start menu. RT on the otherhand as neil pointed out is another kettle of fish and utter crap.

I am amazed at people who like Windows 8. I used it for a week on a touchscreen device (dell xps) and it was awful. Yes it started quickly and yes it was stable. But so is windows 7.

Having two desktops is plain weird and for microsoft to say that they will be re-introducing the start button in version 8.1 was a blatant lie.

I am all for progress where needed but Win 8 is essentially two interfaces badly implemented, it does nothing more than 7 and a whole lot less. The metro interface is rubbish without the touch screen and not that great with one. No doubt the next major fix will be Windows 9

I always maintain that every other MS OS is utter shite:-

Window 3 = carp
Win 95 = OK
Windows 98 = terrible
Windows 98SE = OK and what 98 should have been
Win ME = OMG
Xp = good, getting there at last
Vista = OMG and I thought ME was bad
Windows 7 = Good
Windows 8 = I know my thoughts.

I liked 7. Having just upgraded to 8.1 because I disliked 8 I may resort to getting our IT geek to wipe my laptop and install a pukkah copy of 7.

Any issues if I attempt to do that? There is nothing on the lappy I can't reload.

I have windows 8.1 - no issues here.

I have Windows 8 on my work laptop and thought there was something wrong as everything is just so slow but when I showed our IT contractor how long it takes to do things (if you're in Excel and right click to do something like 'format cells' it routinely takes several seconds for the box to come up) he just nodded and said his was exactly the same.

Not noticed anything like that on mine. just a likely to be your computer or setup and it is Windows.

Your list is missing Windows 3.1 (better than 3), 3.11 (Better than 3.1) and the NT3.51 and 4.0 releases. I had a late 90s laptop running NT Server 4.0 and it was as stable as a very stable thing. Lovely.

I have 8.1 not RT8.1 loaded Neil, but I will have a look at Linux as you suggest. I did not notice the RT bit in what I quoted.

Thanks.

It still killed off all the previous restore points.

I quite like Windows 8, and have had no issues with 8.1, apart from forcing me to do the bloody Browser Ballot thing again.

*Runs and hides*

And Windows 2000

Yep windows 2000 pro was great.

Yes But the NT / OS2(OS2 Warp!!!) 2000 thing was a blind alley and were corporate not consumer releases. They had their share of crud versions too.

We were running 2000 at work until June this year!

Still running Vista here with no problems and only recently found a couple of things which require Windows 7/8.

Vista got a bad name 'cause 64 bit drivers weren't available for all hardware at release, but my usual advice is to wait for the first service pack before jumping to any new version of Windows and by doing that I had no issues with drivers when I upgraded from XP.

Might upgrade to Win 7 next year, but in no rush.

Yup, I'm still running Vista at home without any problems.

I've only just been "upgraded" to Windows 7 at work from XP Pro, and at home my 10 year old laptop still wallows oalong on XP. I don't like Windows 7 much, but I wouldn't say I hate it (yet), the problem is more the loss of admin rights on the work laptop.

I thought I would miss the old file explorer but I'm not doing too bad so far.

I was thiking of getting a new laptop/ultrabook/tablet thingummy (Lenovo Yoga or similar) but I'm not sure whether I will get on with Win 8/8.1...

We have some older machines running XP, Win2K etc, and god they feel awful to work on now.

The "problem" with Windows 8, is that on a keyboard device, is that I can't quite work out what it's "for", given I tend to use it in desktop mode.

I do quite like the 8.1 plopping SkyDrive into my normal windows explorer out of the box.

I've got to say that although I don't use IBM PC's any more, Windows 7 was near faultless for me.

I am stuck with 8.1 but at least I have got everything important back now.