My Windows 8 laptop acts up if I update anything?

I've noticed something wrong with my PC over the last year or so. Every time I update something (Java, iTunes, Chrome, etc.) things act up pretty badly. For example, if I update any of those things, my internet would act up. By that I mean certain pages won't load (I'd have to refresh once or twice), there would be random toolbars/plugins I didn't even ask for in my browser, anything that I stream (YouTube, pandora, etc) will stop loading randomly or buffer very slowly (it's not my internet speed that's the problem), and sometimes iTunes won't recognize my iPhone that is linked to it, giving me unknown errors. The only solution I've been using is System Restoring my PC to an earlier point to where it was working properly (it would have to downgrade my iTunes, chrome, etc.) The thing is, I need these things updated at this point, I can't have them downgraded anymore. Does anyone know why my computer does this to me every time I update anything? Any help will be immensely appreciated.

If your laptop is more than 2 years old, doesn't have a fast i3 or higher processor, that could be a contribution to the problem. I have a brand new, reasonably fast computer with oodles of memory and I also have Windows 8.1 problems. Not with updates, just the OS itself which seems to have been designed for something other than computers and loaded with applications that were designed by idiots who had no concept of what the application was supposed to do or how people would interact with it. And then, Microsoft has the gall to insist you purchase a maintenance package so that they will fix their software problems.

My suggestion, switch your OS. Since Mac won't run on a PC, consider Linux. It does have a GUI interface so that you don't need to learn all the actual commands, and it does work with Java, etc. Not sure how well it works with iTunes, but probably no worse than Windows.

RE:>> And then, Microsoft has the gall to insist you purchase a maintenance package so that they will fix their software problems.
I have never heard of a maintenance package that you can buy from Microsoft… Which one is that? All the software updates and minor version updates all come out for free on Windows Update.