I have Win8.1 on an Acer laptop ( no touch screen).
I loathed Win8 when I first got it, and at times was on the verge of binning the whole thing, the 8.1 update made things a lot better.
Now having used it for a few months I would never go back to W7.
Win7 is a superb OS, Win8 is different, takes some knowing , but it is better and more secure.
The one thing I would not be without is Stardock Start menu >>
http://www.stardock.com it makes life so much easier.
If you go to the " Store" in Win8 you will find several free Win8 hints and tips apps.