Table of Content
And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. For enterprise device management, Windows 8.1 adds support for the Workplace Join feature of Windows Server 2012 R2, which allows users to enroll their own device into corporate networks with finer control over access to resources and security requirements. Windows 8.1 also supports the OMA Device Management specifications. Remote Data Control can be used to remotely wipe specific "corporate" data from Windows 8.1 devices. Windows 8.1 with Bing is a reduced-cost SKU of Windows 8.1 that was introduced by Microsoft in May 2014 in an effort to further encourage the production of low-cost Windows devices, whilst "driving end-user usage of Microsoft Services such as Bing and OneDrive".
We'd be deeply grateful if you'd join the one in a thousand users that support us financially. When it’s done, you’ll receive a message that your computer needs to be restarted. It will restart several times while the 8.1 updates is being installed. Windows 8.1 also removes the graphical user interface for the Windows System Assessment Tool, meaning that the Windows Experience Index is no longer displayed. The command line variant of the tool remains available on the system.
Installation and use rights of your Operating System
That resulted in a chaotic support calendar, and customers practically needed a whiteboard to figure out support deadlines. A post-RTM build of Windows 8, build 9364, was leaked in March 2013. The update adds more apps and more features to make your device more useful. It also points to new customization options that IT pros might want to deploy to make the experience more comfortable for users who work primarily in a desktop environment. Because Windows 11 follows the Modern Policy, it is currently listed asIn Support, with no defined end date. Each annual feature update, which is released at the end of the calendar year, has its own support life cycle.
Windows 8.1 is a release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its predecessor, and succeeded by Windows 10 on July 29, 2015. Windows 8.1 was made available for download via MSDN and Technet and available as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows RT users via the Windows Store. A server version, Windows Server 2012 R2, was released on October 18, 2013. The Modern Lifecycle Policy, which applies to Windows 10, Windows 11, and Office 2021, no longer follows that calendar.
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro ISO Download Overview
Those running Windows 8 can update to Windows 8.1 for free through the Windows Store . To get started, visit the Microsoft download page to acquire the Windows 8.1 ISO. The support pages forWindows 10 Home and ProandWindows 10 Enterprise and Educationpromise that "Microsoft will continue to support at least one Windows 10 release until October 14, 2025."
The Start screen received several enhancements on Windows 8.1, including an extended "All Apps" view with sort modes , small and extra-large sizes for tiles, and colored tiles for desktop program shortcuts. Additional customization options were also added, such as expanded color options, new backgrounds , and the ability for the Start screen to use the desktop background instead. Applications were no longer added to the Start screen automatically when installed, and all applications now have colored tiles .
Server versions
In non-touch environments, the default image viewer and media player programs were changed back to Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Media Player in lieu of the Xbox Video and Photos apps. To improve the usability of the desktop interface, a visible Start button was restored to the taskbar for opening the Start screen, and the Quick Links menu (accessed by right-clicking the Start button or pressing ⊞ Win+X) now contains shutdown and sign-out options. To assist users in learning the Windows 8 user interface, an interactive tutorial was also offered, along with a new Help + Tips app for additional information. In contrast, Windows RT 8.1 downplays the desktop interface further by not displaying the Desktop tile on its default Start screen at all . Windows 8.1 aimed to address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers on launch. For older versions of Windows and Office, Microsoft provides at least five years of mainstream support, followed by another five years of extended support.
Unless otherwise provided in these license terms, you may not use the software on any other computer. Anyone running Windows 8 can update to Windows 8.1 without visiting the Windows Store and do it for free. Those who already own a license for Windows 8 can use it to get the Windows 8.1 ISO file from MSDN. The ISO image for Windows 8.1 Pro is available from Microsoft’s official website. The Office 2013 support schedule goes roughly three months past that of Windows 8.1. It not only has most functions of Windows 8 Pro, but also provides enterprise with PC Management and Deployment, Windows To Go and other functions.
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The end-of-support date listed in the table refers to Home and Pro editions. The date for other editions, such as Education and Enterprise, may differ. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations became a Windows 10 edition starting with version 1709.
October 14, 2025 is the general end-of-support date for Windows 10. Specific versions and editions of Windows 10 have different end of support dates; see Windows 10 version history for a breakdown of dates by version and edition. Windows 8.1 comes with Internet Explorer 11 and a search system powered by Bing. Windows 8.1 also has the ability to show desktop after login by default in place of the Start screen. Windows 8.1 has enhanced Start screen, All Apps view, additional snap views, a number of backgrounds and color options, more bundled apps, support for high resolution displays, better integration with OneDrive, etc.
The messaging app from Windows 8 has been replaced by Skype, which also allows users to accept calls directly from the lock screen. Windows 8.1 also includes Internet Explorer 11, which adds support for SPDY and WebGL, and expanded developer tools. The Metro-style variant of IE11 also adds tab syncing, the ability to open an unlimited number of tabs, and Reading List integration. Myerson stated that these changes would occur in a future update, but did not elaborate further. A distinction is the removal of the tooltip with the preview thumbnail of the Start screen.
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