Windows 8 vs Windows 8.1: and the winner is...

For my money, and it was my money, the winner is Windows 8, for several reasons, not least of which is that we can repair or replace our Windows 8 with the media we created while installing it.  I can't do that with the on-line upgrade for Windows 8.1.  Both systems of course contain Windows Resource Checker, better known perhaps as 'sfc', as in 'sfc /scannow'.....

But this only works when its store of correct system files in its backup remains uncontaminated. If you're trying to repair or replace corrupted system files, and the ones it is depending on are also incomplete or corrupted, there's nothing it can do for you. And that, in a nutshell, is what's wrong with Windows 8.1, because we don't have any external hard copy of the media to use for repair.
And we shouldn't have to buy the program all over again to get that media.

There was a lot of howling about Windows 8 when it came out, because it didn't have the traditional Start button in the lower left corner, and users couldn't be bothered reading the directions and finding the new location for all that under Settings > Power (Sleep/Shut down/Restart) on the Start Screen. So I've told here how to make your own shortcuts for Reboot and Shutdown on the Desktop.
Where I'm going with all this is that with a little tweaking, you can dress up your Windows 8 with tricks like that, and with free programs like Classic Shell, which restores the Start Button/Menu and etc., and 8gadgetpack, which restores and increases the number of desktop gadgets in its Windows Sidebar, as shown in my screenshots here. The Sidebar itself can be hidden by right-clicking on it, and selecting that option, and there's three pages of gadgets instead of one.
So Windows 8 can be made to do whatever your little heart desires, if only you spend a little time dressing it up. 

And the good news is, that's really worth it, because you can fix it when it breaks, unlike Windows 8.1 and its no-ISO on-line installation. Speaking of which, Microsoft could fix that, by linking Windows Resource Checker with Windows Updates and confirming the legitimacy of your Key Codes before allowing on-line replacement of faulty or missing system files. And if I can think of this solution, why couldn't Mighty Microsoft? That's my Question Everything for today, Folks....