Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 next week so I guess I should update to a newer OS. Ideally I'd like the transfer to go as smoothly as possible but I don't think I've ever installed windows not from a new install so there's a few things I'd like to know.
1. 8.1 or 10? I know 10 has historically caused a lot of problems wrt alt tabbing and input lag for people on some of its earlier updates, but it's going to be supported for longer and is easier to purchase.
2. Whichever OS I install, what are the things I'm going to want to disable immediately? e.g. I've heard bad things about game DVR on windows 10.
3. What stuff will definitely not be preserved on the upgrade? I've got 2 HDDs and an SSD which currently has the OS installed onto it, should I back up everything to an external drive or just to the SSDs. I'm guessing I'll probably have to reinstall some software which means I might not be able to retain licenses so I'll have to look into that also (Sony Vegas is pretty much the only thing I have that needs a license like this). Wondering if I will also have to reinstall things like motherboard drivers (I had some issues before I installed these on my current system, noticeably mouse input was absolute dogshit).
Thanks for the help.