Whats wrong with Windows 8.1?

Actually you don't have to change. Windows 7 will be actively supported for at least the next 5 years. You can still find systems with Windows 7 if you want and look hard enough. Windows 8 is showing support until 2021. I've been using Windows 8.1 for the past two months on a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet. I can use the desktop mode with the keyboard and Bluetooth mouse with an external monitor, or I can detach the keyboard and use the touch screen with a stylus. It is amazingly fast and extremely stable. I find it much easier to handle multiple screens and bring up tasks with very few clicks. I'm not trying to make it look like Windows 7 but to use the advantages now provided in Windows 8. I understand the reasoning for the move in technology. I have yet to find a program I use that worked on Windows 7 that doesn't work on Windows 8. I'm running FrontPage 2000 on Win8 and it works fine. Things aren't going to stay the same as they used to be. Take a look at Best Buy, Office Max, or Staples. The traditional desktop computer is going away. I may not like it, but that is the world today. Windows XP was supported for over 13 years, far longer than the usual 7 years. You can't buy a software package and expect it to work forever. That's life. Technology is constantly changing and you can either move forward or not. I've worked as an IT Administrator for over 25 years and I don't always like the changes that come along but I can either adapt or get left behind. I have over 200 users for which I'm responsible. Four years ago I started moving to a 100% virtual environment, both servers and desktops. Hardware doesn't matter to me anymore. The users can choose any device they want and I deliver the desktop to them that I want. I can't remember the last time I bought a PC for the company. I'm watching now as fellow IT professionals are in a panic as to what they will do next. Control the things you can and adapt to the things you can't.

By the way - Ski, thanks for your tips.