Electrum doesn't run here because I have only XP with SP1 installed (and I won't update for various reasons). Some software requires at least SP2 to run. Of course, MultiBit requires Java to be installed. So, I'm sticking to MultiBit with Java now.

I've given up now using Bitcoin Core with its 21 GB (and growing) database because simply starting it with an up-to-date database, it would take about 20 minutes on my computer to "verify" before the program could be used ...and then it would still take quite some time until the newest blocks were downloaded. That's a no-go for me. Considering that I'll perhaps make one bitcoin transaction every few months and I'd then have to wait for hours to download the newest blocks, MultiBit is the right solution for me.

I'll keep seeding the torrented blockchain for a while and use it to test my new VPN connection (I only started using bitcoin to pay for the VPN service in the first place). I'll also be on the look-out for future improved versions of Bitcoin Core (as hinted at by jgarzik) and test them once in a while. It IS a fascinating project.