what did you pay for the rig?
did you purchased it new or second hand?
anyway stay with linux distros as they are very stable compared to windows
£1100 - Second hand
I am currently using SMOS - Might try HiveOS next.... but I have it up and running and hopefully configured right... I will have to wait until my first payout to confirm this - But It is mining to my specified wallet address so lets see what happens.
I am going to do more reading up which coins etc... but just starting with ETH at the moment.
Really depends on your taste. Havent used SMOS for while now, as i switched on hiveos and very happy with it. Just in that time when i started to use it was much more advanced. Dont know if SMOS has integrated same main features as hive does, but if they do then hive is always first to update their software with latest features like telegram notifications, aggressive undervaluing, mem tweak tool....etc. Would suggest you to try it out, at start it seems very complicated, but when starting to use its very easy.
I have made installation guide also
https://mineshop.eu/2018/07/27/how-to-install-hiveos-and-setup-for-mining/