MS ending support for Windows 7

I have XP still on my desktop (this one was built for me, no name and no excess baggage programs) and Win 7 on my asus netbook. My daughter is running the 8.1, but she just bought a new laptop last tax return. We found out real fast that one takes a lot of usage and we had to go in and turn off so much junk to get it under control.  It took a couple of day's hunting down all the stuff that was running and downloading things but we got it under control.  

I plan on toughing it out until they get something out that is worth the upgrade cost though.

It is said that the "upgrade" to Win10 will be free for Win7, 8 & 8.1

there is a real world alternative it is called Mint 17.1 it can be run from a dvd or flash drive till you get use to it the perfect replacement for XP and it is a free open source OS download just google linux mint 17.1

But what hardware and software will we have to trash can to use it on our older machines.

Why is it that my desktop PC has to look like a Cell Phone that is all that win8 is.  I don't have a smart phone, I don't want a smart phone, all I want from a phone is talk on one end and hear on the other. Don't make my PC a smart phone Microshaft I don't want it.

My 8.1 desktop looks like 7.

so does mine, you simply set it up to boot to the desktop then add a 3rd party start menu, then later in the year Windows 10 will be a free upgrade and you have to deal with all the metro stuff if you dont want to