Seriously. It came with a tablet and works well so I added it to my desktop which now has XP, 7, and 8.1 pro in a multiboot set-up that for once I didn't have to fiddle with. Very easy install. 8.1 has all the charms of Win 8 so to speak, including the split personality 10 got rid of, but none of the bugs, maybe because I got the installation from MS and it didn't come with Norton LOL. Getting Win 8 to network with other devices was a nightmare and so far Win 8.1 is handling it like a champ. It also uses contrasting colors to make window frames stand out, unlike 8 and 10, which use 50 shades of grey to make them flat and invisible.

Whichever you choose you will probably want to install Classic Shell to get a nice customizable start button which beats the ones in 7, 8.1, or 10, at least IMHO. One last thing: Win 10 has TWO freaking lock screens including that gassy blue thing which can't be gotten rid.

since Win NT 4.0

Still waiting for something more like the Program Manager.
As for lock screens, use a photo you like.

but once you do it makes your entire HD accessible with two clicks by putting various directories into menus and jumplists organized however you like. That's why Classic Shell beats the Win 7 start button which is kind of fugly in any case.

Win 1-4 were sort of before my time LOL but to the degree I encountered Program Manager it seemed to be a less perky start button.

The Bhopal screen is indestructible. On another PC I just installed the latest Win 10 pro update which is a ginormous affair that nukes non-MS software but otherwise doesn't change much and it's as unkillable as ever. Technically it's a log-on screen; the lock screen is customizable and can be gotten rid of.

I always felt the Start button was hiding things from me and forcing me to reorganize my work habits. I spent upwards 15 years trying different plugins, layouts and gadgets to get what I wanted.

It even got to the point where I had a number of folders open up at start up with all my icons neatly grouped. I've always hated the Start Button, and at this point, I always will.

I cheered the Start Screen as a step towards what I wanted. It's close but still short of what I really want.

Also, I advise getting a solid state drive. Prices have come down a lot, and the performance jump is noticeable.

If you are replacing just the drive, I would stay with what you have.
If you are replacing the whole computer, you might as well go win10 over win7.
I have nothing against Linux if it does everything you need.