How can I get a more stable system?

[Dukenukem117]

I've spent the last week wrestling with my computers and I'm exhausted from it. It all started when the W10 anniversary basically broke my windows install. It would load the window logo and have the little spinning thing go forever and ever. Then I tried to switch my Surface Pro 3 to a local account for security reasons except it wouldn't convert. After a few tries, it somehow lost the encryption key to my microSD card that I was using as a backup. Thankfully it had no unique files on it, but it somehow made the SD card un-writable. The surface has also had its share of headaches, almost all to do with windows updates. I've had a few disable the keyboard and force me to do a soft-reset. The worst one disabled my wifi for a week, and I still don't know how I fixed that in the end.

Looking back at things, I think windows updates has taken out my computer more than anything else, and now its almost mandatory and automatic. I'm also weary of the annual windows format, which seems to happen one way or another. I just want a stable system that doesn't require constant maintenance, and I'm not sure how to get it. I use Adobe suite and CAD programs, so I can't switch entirely to Linux or Chromebook, and apple hasn't released a mac pro in years. Im currently trying to install hackintosh, which has been its own headache, as I hear OSX is a lot more stable. The OSX vs Windows argument still seems to be quite heated, so I'm basically going by anecdotal evidence of those around me.

Here are the things I've considered, would any of them help?
-I switch back to Windows 7
-I exchange my i7-4970k for a Xeon chip with ECC ram
-I do a hackintosh "golden build" from scratch
-I just bite the bullet and buy a space trashcan Mac pro for twice what a hackintosh would cost.
-I accept that what I want does not exist.

Thoughts guys? I'm really at wits end here.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I have been seeing a lot of users have issues ranging from mild to serious with the anniversary update. The first thing I would try, and it has worked for a number of issues - Download the win 10 anniversary iso and do a fresh install. All the other options are still on the table, if the issues persist.

 

[Dukenukem117]

Good idea, thanks!

Update: Wow. Anniversary is a lot bigger of an update than I thought. I guess my only experience has been misery. Damn, maybe I'll stick with Windows a bit longer.

 

[RLGL]

FWIW , I had nothing but trouble with 10 at the start: My file structure was not what windoze wanted in the my docs folder, I changed it. Also my video card was defective.
I am on the fast ring and have had very few problems since. The last 3 builds have had some small glitches but they had bee fixed in the next build

 

[Dukenukem117]

My biggest disappointment as far as bugs go is my Surface Pro 3. I owned the first one and I can forgive some bugs, but on #3? Get your act together Microsoft. If it wasn't for the bugs and if it had better battery life, I would say its a great piece of hardware. But I can't recommend it to anyone cause I don't want to play tech support when it inevitably bugs out.

 

[bononos]

My biggest disappointment as far as bugs go is my Surface Pro 3. I owned the first one and I can forgive some bugs, but on #3? Get your act together Microsoft. If it wasn't for the bugs and if it had better battery life, I would say its a great piece of hardware. But I can't recommend it to anyone cause I don't want to play tech support when it inevitably bugs out.

Win10 Pro allows you to defer feature updates for up to 8 months, 4 weeks for security patches and hotfixes. Enterprise is even better, you can defer updates for 3-10yrs according to the link in the article. That might give you enough time to evaluate whether the version is fit for you.

I think Home edition used to have no options to defer updates so its basically a guinea pig edition for Pro/Enterprise versions. But after the anniversary edition, there is a defer option, and I suspect the period is shorter than Pro/Ent.

 

[Dukenukem117]

There is something funny about bundling the ability to delay upgrades longer with the more expensive licenses. Pay for the privilege to avoid our products!