Thanks for the update Katie !
jezra will be so pleased to hear this.
Speaking as someone that has always purchased the full retail version of Windows I now consider Windows to be a "virus" in its behavior.
The problem for Hughes users is ... that if you have updated Win7/8/8.1 it has caused those OS's to emulate the behavior of Win10 and it is not apparent to the people that need to know this info the most ... novice users.
I don't know. I have Windows 10 on this machine now, I've had it on my laptop for a while, and had Windows 8.1 on both beforehand, completely updated, and haven't had any problems at all. As long as you know what to turn off and what to watch, Windows 10 and an up to date Windows 8.1 are fine. Also, I had all that with my old 425MB per day pro plan before Gen4 and still had no problems. You just have to be vigilant.
I also have Mint on my second SSD on this desktop. I like it, but it's not quite as user friendly and ready to go with everything as Windows, but again, I do like it.