I was just wondering if this works on windows 8.1 as well as 8 etc. Because it doesn’t seem to work on mine. When installing Plug-ins it doesn’t respond and freezes making it unusable. I would appreciate any help on how to fix this. Thanks 
Audacity 2.0.5 works on Windows 8.1.
Audacity 2.0.5 is available here: http://audacityteam.org/download/windows
As with other programs you will probably need administrative permission to install Audacity.
Download the Audacity 2.0.5 installer
When the download is complete, run the installer and select the “Reset Preferences” option during the installation.
When you launch Audacity, confirm that you wish to reset preferences.
Do not start adding plug-ins or making other customizations until you are sure that Audacity is working correctly.
If you get any error messages, please make a note of exactly what they say so that we can try to assist.
As Steve says you should try without adding plug-ins first, but if you reset Preferences Audacity will search for VST plug-ins to load and you will be asked to confirm installation of these in the “Install VST Effects” dialogue. This dialogue will also ask about “SC4” and “Hard Limiter” but those plug-ins are shipped with Audacity and will be installed in any case.
So, click “Cancel” in “Install VST Effects” to be sure you don’t install any third-party effects.
If Audacity launches after the Cancel, the “Install VST Effects” dialogue will appear again the following time you launch Audacity. You can check (tick) selected VST effects in that dialogue (or check one effect for each launch) then click OK to diagnose if there is a problem with specific effects.
If you click OK in the dialogue then want to scan for more effects at next launch, Edit > Preferences, choose “Effects” then check the “Rescan VST effects…” box and click OK.
Let us know if a particular plug-in caused the problem.
Note: If the “Install VST Effects” dialogue itself freezes up, there is probably a prompt box for a VST effect hidden behind the dialogue. Try dragging the dialogue downwards to reveal the prompt, then OK the prompt.
Gale