Mark your calendars for Windows 8.1!

I know a lot of folks are eager to find out when they will be able to get Windows 8.1. I am excited to share that starting at 12:00am on October 18th in New Zealand (that’s 4:00am October 17th in Redmond), Windows 8.1 will begin rolling out worldwide as a free update for consumers on Windows 8 through the Windows Store. Windows 8.1 will also be available at retail and on new devices starting on October 18th by market. So mark your calendars!



Windows 8.1 continues the vision we began with Windows 8 and is an example of our commitment to continuous innovation and improvement for our customers. And Windows 8.1 brings many improvements in areas like personalization, Internet Explorer 11, search which is powered by Bing, built-in apps including a few new ones, an improved Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity with SkyDrive (and much more) that people will enjoy. If you haven’t already, you can give many of the new features and improvements in Windows 8.1 a try with the Windows 8.1 Preview. Business customers can begin testing Windows 8.1 for deployment in their environments with the Windows 8.1 Enterprise Preview.

Now is a great time to buy a Windows 8 device in a range of different form factors like Microsoft Surface, the Acer Iconia W3, the Lenovo Yoga 11s, the Toshiba KIRAbook or the Dell XPS 18 . For students going back to school, we have Windows Chip-in which is a crowdsourcing program to help students and parents purchase a new Windows device for school. And the Windows Store Only at Best Buy store-within-a-store experiences will be launching throughout August and September, just in time for the back-to-school shopping season to check out all the latest Windows devices! If you buy a Windows 8 device today, you can look forward to the new features and improvements from Windows 8.1 in October.

It’s very exciting to be delivering Windows 8.1 to consumers just before Windows 8 celebrates its 1-year anniversary. You can expect to read more from us on Windows 8.1 leading up to availability on October 18th!

More...

 

[labeeman]

Did they ever say, definitively, whether the people on preview will have to re-install?

Microsoft announced earlier this month that all users who would install Windows 8.1 Preview would have to remove all apps, including both Metro and desktop software, and settings when switching to the stable version of the operating system.

Microsoft: You Won

 

[Mustang]

If you want to do a clean install from a DVD is there any way to get 8.1 on disk free? I'd guess not, and that you would have to download and burn an ISO disk? But can anyone confirm definitively either way?

 

[DavidY]

If you want to do a clean install from a DVD is there any way to get 8.1 on disk free? I'd guess not, and that you would have to download and burn an ISO disk? But can anyone confirm definitively either way?

It seems from the comments that "consumers" won't be able to download an ISO.

I guess Technet subscribers etc. may be able to get them, but for most people it will be a Clean 8 install and then head to the Windows Store...

The comments are worth a read too, especially those from Brandon LeBlanc.

Consumers will only be able to get Windows 8.1 for free through the Windows Store. ISO images won’t be made available broadly for consumers. For most consumers, the Windows Store is the easiest and most efficient route for updating a Windows 8 device to Windows 8.1. ... installing Windows 8.1 through the Windows Store even on slow connections should work.

However... I imagine that sooner or later the Upgrade Assistant-style mechanisms to upgrade from XP/Vista/7 will be updated to go straight to 8.1 rather than via 8. For one thing 8 will go out of support before Windows 7 I believe.

So I don't entirely believe the lack of ISO will last forever. But I assume they won't be there on day 1.

 

[Mustang]

When downloading from the Windows Store does it give an option to clean install rather than load over the top of the existing W8?

 

[Superfly]

ISO images won’t be made available broadly for consumers

I'm assuming it will be available, just not for everyone...

BTW there are ways to convert the downloaded Install.esd to an Install.wim by syspreping a VM - if you want to make an iso for re-install.

 

[Brink]

For students going back to school, we have Windows Chip-in which is a crowdsourcing program to help students and parents purchase a new Windows device for school. And the Windows Store Only at Best Buy store-within-a-store experiences will be launching throughout August and September, just in time for the back-to-school shopping season to check out all the latest Windows devices! If you buy a Windows 8 device today, you can look forward to the new features and improvements from Windows 8.1 in October.

It’s very exciting to be delivering Windows 8.1 to consumers just before Windows 8 celebrates its 1-year anniversary. You can expect to read more from us on Windows 8.1 leading up to availability on October 18th!

More...

Careful there Shawn, some may accuse you of pushing an unholy OS

Anyway that's good news. Guess that's when I'll be reinstalling my Win 8 copies.

LOL, at least it's not being released on Halloween.

 

[Mustang]

ISO images won’t be made available broadly for consumers

I'm assuming it will be available, just not for everyone...

BTW there are ways to convert the downloaded Install.esd to an Install.wim by syspreping a VM - if you want to make an iso for re-install.

Thanks for the thought but it's a bit over my 'pay grade' experience wise! Will wait for release to public to see what's on offer.

Cheers M :thumb:

 

[sygnus21]

I was so ready to do a clean install of 8.1 at then end of this month...so the agony of waiting continues.

Same here. Will finally go to a SSD and wanted a clean install of 8.1. With no ISO available without TechNet or MSDN it looks like a clean install of 8 and then an upgrade to 8.1 is in my future. I have about 90 updates to 8 and hope there will be a way to updated to 8.1 without doing all those 90 updates first. Hopefully that procedure will be clearer when 8.1 is released.
Jim

Yeah I'm looking to do a clean install as well as finally running a copy on my desktop. Oh well, the wait continues.

More...

Careful there Shawn, some may accuse you of pushing an unholy OS

Anyway that's good news. Guess that's when I'll be reinstalling my Win 8 copies.

LOL, at least it's not being released on Halloween.

Oh god; you guys would definitely be busy that night, especially the mods

 

[theog]

If you want to do a clean install from a DVD is there any way to get 8.1 on disk free? I'd guess not, and that you would have to download and burn an ISO disk? But can anyone confirm definitively either way?

It seems from the comments that "consumers" won't be able to download an ISO.

I guess Technet subscribers etc. may be able to get them, but for most people it will be a Clean 8 install and then head to the Windows Store...

The comments are worth a read too, especially those from Brandon LeBlanc.

Consumers will only be able to get Windows 8.1 for free through the Windows Store. ISO images won’t be made available broadly for consumers. For most consumers, the Windows Store is the easiest and most efficient route for updating a Windows 8 device to Windows 8.1. ... installing Windows 8.1 through the Windows Store even on slow connections should work.

However... I imagine that sooner or later the Upgrade Assistant-style mechanisms to upgrade from XP/Vista/7 will be updated to go straight to 8.1 rather than via 8. For one thing 8 will go out of support before Windows 7 I believe.

So I don't entirely believe the lack of ISO will last forever. But I assume they won't be there on day 1.

There has never been an ISO download version for OEM manufacturer's Pre-installed Windows PC's.

 

[Mustang]

There has never been an ISO download version for OEM manufacturer's Pre-installed Windows PC's.

So basically it's the same as downloading a Service Pack and installing it?

Like others have said, I'll do a clean install off the retail OEM DVD for Win8 Pro, then download 8.1 from the Windows Store.

So I guess to get the download you have to sign in with a Microsoft Account, not a local account.

 

[andyparks]

Will it be region restricted or they going to release to every body

 

[HippsieGypsie]

I don't go for upgrades because for the most part they suck, but I thought I'd give it a go from 8Pro to 8.1RP via the store just for the experience. Not a good one. Twice I tried downloading, but never did get it to work. That was doing it by the book with the update then downloading. Approximately 4 hours each download at my data speed. I forget the blasted #@*% message it gave me and quite frankly I don't want to know anymore. I finally ended up downloading the ISO and installed directly from the HD, which was convenient.

The last couple of days I redid my system to get rid of 7 to dual boot 8Pro and 8.1Pro RP. I needed the 8Pro for my new Office Pro 2013 and, quite frankly, I got tired of 7. It's as slow as molasses in January. It's ancient to me now after using 8 for awhile.

Anywho, all went well and quick installing 8Pro from my DVD and 8.1 from the downloaded ISO, of which I burned to a DVD. They had better get their Store upgrade correct this time or give us the ISO to burn. I vote ISO myself. They're convenient for reinstalls and fixes also.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
IE11 still is quite useless for a lot of business applications -- and also a lot of sites render poorly or incorrectly too --major show stopper in spite of other good changes in W8.1

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Hopachi]

I don't go for upgrades because for the most part they suck, but I thought I'd give it a go from 8Pro to 8.1RP via the store just for the experience. Not a good one. Twice I tried downloading, but never did get it to work. That was doing it by the book with the update then downloading. Approximately 4 hours each download at my data speed. I forget the blasted #@*% message it gave me and quite frankly I don't want to know anymore. I finally ended up downloading the ISO and installed directly from the HD, which was convenient.

The last couple of days I redid my system to get rid of 7 to dual boot 8Pro and 8.1Pro RP. I needed the 8Pro for my new Office Pro 2013 and, quite frankly, I got tired of 7. It's as slow as molasses in January. It's ancient to me now after using 8 for awhile.

Anywho, all went well and quick installing 8Pro from my DVD and 8.1 from the downloaded ISO, of which I burned to a DVD. They had better get their Store upgrade correct this time or give us the ISO to burn. I vote ISO myself. They're convenient for reinstalls and fixes also.

I did the Store upgrade 3 times:
- 2 sucesses and 1 faliure*.

The success was great: you had all your programs and most settings kept (VBox networking errors were the only weird thing but I think I can fix that now).

*The failure was pretty bad: it downloads all those files (4-5GB) and then... does nothing, nothing for ages, you can just reboot and it won't even bother anymore, setup files are ignored. For guys like me with slow connections, Store failures like that are not pleasant at all.

 

[Mustang]

I don't go for upgrades because for the most part they suck, but I thought I'd give it a go from 8Pro to 8.1RP via the store just for the experience. Not a good one. Twice I tried downloading, but never did get it to work.

Yeah totally agree. I abandoned it after upgrading W98 to XP and haven't gone back since. All versions since have been retail discs from retail computer shop, including W8 Pro.

I spoke to the salesman from PC shop today and he said he had tried three times to install the upgrade and it failed every time.

I finally ended up downloading the ISO and installed directly from the HD, which was convenient.

How did you get the ISO because previous posts suggest it is not available? Or are you a Technet Subscriber?

 

[HippsieGypsie]

I did the Store upgrade 3 times:
- 2 sucesses and 1 faliure*.

The success was great: you had all your programs and most settings kept (VBox networking errors were the only weird thing but I think I can fix that now).

*The failure was pretty bad: it downloads all those files (4-5GB) and then... does nothing, nothing for ages, you can just reboot and it won't even bother anymore, setup files are ignored. For guys like me with slow connections, Store failures like that are not pleasant at all.

Perhaps the third time would have been the charm. Simply ran out of patience. Approximately 8 hours of download time. Another 3 for the ISO. Not that I was waiting around for I was doing other things, but geez.....

 

[HippsieGypsie]

I don't go for upgrades because for the most part they suck, but I thought I'd give it a go from 8Pro to 8.1RP via the store just for the experience. Not a good one. Twice I tried downloading, but never did get it to work.

Yeah totally agree. I abandoned it after upgrading W98 to XP and haven't gone back since. All versions since have been retail discs from retail computer shop, including W8 Pro.

I spoke to the salesman from PC shop today and he said he had tried three times to install the upgrade and it failed every time.

I finally ended up downloading the ISO and installed directly from the HD, which was convenient.

How did you get the ISO because previous posts suggest it is not available? Or are you a Technet Subscriber?

For 8 Pro and Enterprise:

www.eightforums.com/showthread.php?t=27188

 

[Mustang]

@HippsieGypsie: Thanks mate for the info. Question is, will it be available in final release?

Cheers M :thumb:

 

[Explorertml]

Hi Everyone,

I wont be touching or have anything to do with Windows 8.0 or this new Windows 8.1

I will be sticking with Windows 7 until Windows 9 comes into the market in 2015

 

[SIW2]

You never know, there might be even more METRO in 9.

It depends, if MS are able to shift 8.1 , through whatever means they can - they will keep building the metro monster/empire , depending on your point of view.

If the public reject it, then MS will have to think again.