If you have the key for 8 alone, it won't allow you to download the 8.1 ISO. Microsoft want you to install the 8 version and then upgrade it to 8.1
Personally, I'd stick with Windows 7. The last reformat I did about three weeks ago took me back to Windows 7. Try as I might (and trust me, I have!) I just don't get on with 8 at all. I had a very interesting conversation last week with an MS corporate licencing dude regarding Windows 7 and the uptake (or complete lack of) with regards to 8.
D.
There will be a point of no return though. We're now deploying or 2nd 2012 server here. But for a business desktop case, there's zero reason for us to switch to Windows 8. And long may that continue, lol.
D.
Server 2012, especially on virtual servers is so much leaner and quicker than 2008. I keep meaning to post up some of Home server details, I've got the latest HP Microserver specced up to about £1800 worth of kit making it a very capable machine (OS SSD, 1TB SSD for VMs, quad-port gigabit NIC).
There isn't that much required to make 8.1 like 7, create a shortcut on the desktop to control panel, internet explorer, file browser and system, you are pretty set.
Yep, the biggest limitation I have on the Microserver is the 16GB ram, the SSD and Quad-Core Xeon will run as much as I want, its memory I run out of. Hopefully in future 32GB will be possible, but its not at the moment.
Processor usage seems a lot less too. We're running 17 server 2012 vm's across two servers and they're hardly touching the cpu's
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Looks very similar to what we're doing. Five terminal servers, two SQL, 1 Exchange and a sprinkling of other spanning two SANs and on three VMWare boxes. Looks quite painless (so far - lol!) and a bit more 'fluffy' than Hyper-V.
I've tended to ignore virtualisation for quite some time, but we've got to the stage where its no longer a luxury, but a necessity at work.
D.