We had a similar issue on our lab machines, there was a GPO that we created to fix the issue, I need to look in Group Policy though.
I'd be interested to see that if you can take a moment to dig it up.
And what is so wrong with Windows 8.1? Part of our speed issues were resolved by reimaging onto 8.1 Enterprise.
From a lab management perspective? It's fine. I'm just not a fan of the UI changes. Your mileage may vary.
Will
