Which of the 3 Windows versions is best to install?

[Sumarokov]

I am planning to set up an Electrum wallet.

I will use it on my PC, which is currently running Windows 8. However, it is quite an old PC and I think it might give up the ghost at any minute.

In which case, I have another PC, which runs on Windows 10 (which I like less, so I use less).

In my case, is there any Windows version which is better for me? I mean Standalone Executable, Windows Installer or Portable version?

I just want to be sure that I will have no hassles moving over to another computer (which I guess everyone has to do at some point).

In general, I prefer safety over everything else.

[Oshosondy]

I will advise you to use Linux OS  for privacy, but if you still want to use Windows OS for your electrum wallet, then you can try windows 10 which is the latest version. Having the updated version of software and OS is very important. There can even be attacks on some old OS due to further lack off support from the company that created the OS.

[OmegaStarScream]

You can go with either Standalone Executable or Windows Installer. It doesn't make much difference since you can always restore the wallet using your seed instead of the wallet.dat file.

[nc50lc]

I just want to be sure that I will have no hassles moving over to another computer (which I guess everyone has to do at some point).

In general, I prefer safety over everything else.

Your best option is the "Installer version", not because of safety but because it's slightly faster than the "Stand-alone Executable".
You don't have to worry about losing your coins when moving between machines because you'll not actually move your bitcoins when you change your PC.
It's your private keys that'll be copied or restored and those can be reproduced from your "seed" phrase, so keep it in a safe place, not in a vulnerable environment like cloud storage/emails.

The portable version can be used if you want to automatically set the data directory where the portable electrum executable is located for easy access of wallet files.
But if you know where is the default data dir, there's no reason to use it if you're not storing Electrum in a flash drive.

[Lucius]

I will use it on my PC, which is currently running Windows 8. However, it is quite an old PC and I think it might give up the ghost at any minute.

When it comes to cryptocurrencies then you really don't need to play with the environment in which you store and use them. Official support for Windows 8 stopped in 2016, and you really should send that OS into history.

In which case, I have another PC, which runs on Windows 10 (which I like less, so I use less).

I also used the W7 until the very end when the official support stopped, and I can tell you that there is no reason not to use the W10 - it is no worse OS than the W8, on the contrary. Of course when it comes to security I agree with others that Linux is far better here - and if you have a significant amount of crypto, then every hot wallet is not a safe option.  Since you have 2 computers, you can use one to make a cold wallet - or you can invest in a hardware wallet, which is definitely a better option when it comes to security.

[Sumarokov]

I just want to be sure that I will have no hassles moving over to another computer (which I guess everyone has to do at some point).

In general, I prefer safety over everything else.

Your best option is the "Installer version", not because of safety but because it's slightly faster than the "Stand-alone Executable".
You don't have to worry about losing your coins when moving between machines because you'll not actually move your bitcoins when you change your PC.
It's your private keys that'll be copied or restored and those can be reproduced from your "seed" phrase, so keep it in a safe place, not in a vulnerable environment like cloud storage/emails.

Thanks for this helpful advice. Will it make any difference that I was given 16 words when I joined up to Blockchain? I believe they now use 12.

In this case, which steps should I take? Are the 16 words still good?

[nc50lc]

-snip-

Thanks for this helpful advice. Will it make any difference that I was given 16 words when I joined up to Blockchain? I believe they now use 12.

In this case, which steps should I take? Are the 16 words still good?

They can't be compared because it's actually just a backup of your 'WalletID' and 'Password', the new 12-word phrase is now a BIP39 seed which can be imported in Electrum or other BIP39-supported wallets.

Electrum only produces 12-words by default unless specified in the console and has its own seed version system, anyways, 12 has enough entropy and long enough to be safe from bruteforce but there's no harm in using more words than the default.

[bob123]

I also used the W7 until the very end when the official support stopped, and I can tell you that there is no reason not to use the W10

You might not see any reason to use Win10 over Win7. But the overall consensus is that Win10 is definitely more secure.
That's not a matter of opinion, it is a fact.

There are multiple security concepts implemented in Win10 which are not present in Win7.
There are multiple known vulnerabilities in Win7 which are not fixed (and also weren't fixed before End-of-Life).

I have only ever heard one argument to use Win7 over Win10. And this was "privacy". Well, for privacy you wouldn't want to use Windows in the first place. So that argument isn't really valid too.

[NotATether]

Your best option is the "Installer version", not because of safety but because it's slightly faster than the "Stand-alone Executable".

Not to mention that the installer creates a shortcut on the desktop and start menu - you won't believe how much hard time some people have finding programs that are not on the desktop!

You'll also have an easier time updating Electrum because you won't have a bunch of old versions floating around in various folders. The installer cleans the old version inside Program Files for you before upgrading.