[voicereason]

Games...media player....etc.

Plenty of options available out for free, and often times better than what MS provides.

[Montana_Sam]

Couldn't agree more. Have several computers running Linux, and don't miss a lick. OpenOffice/LibreOffice, PostgreSQL, Thunderbird or Evolution, Opera/Firefox/PaleMoon/etc., Eclipse, and TONS of free games. The newer versions of Linux are fast and easy to install, and you can always find a desktop system (Gnome/KDE/XFCE/etc.) to match your habits.

Gone are the days - for the most part - of difficult kernel tweaking. Install a system like Unbuntu/Kubuntu/Debian/Fedora/Mint/etc. and utilize the package manager for the distro to handle updates and, more recently, upgrades.

Best part? No charge.