June 26th will be the first time for the general public to, legitimately, experience the preview build of Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and the all blue'd-up Windows Server Essentials. This preview will be available through the Windows Store, but will not be upgradable to the final code.
Again, this preview will require, basically, Windows re-installation when final code hits.
Disclaimer aside, MSDN and TechNet subscribers got the updates ahead of time for server operating systems. Included with this release, a feature dubbed "Desktop Experience", providing the same interface as Windows 8.1.
Ars Technica played around with the updates and compiled several captioned screenshots into a carousel. Check them out. Of course, things could change, but this should be a better indication than — for instance — Windows 8 Developer Preview.
The final version of Windows 8.1 is expected to be released at some point later this year. The update will be free for current Windows 8 users.
Windows 8.1 more M$ windows 8
Windows 8.1 more M$ windows 8 madness, 8 + .1 times more M$ madness, I’ll stick with 7, and hopefully full sanity will return by 9! There is going to be great business in the windows 7 old PC/laptop repair market, I think I’ll go and buy another new windows 7 laptop before the supply runs out! I am currently testing some Linux distros, for my laptops new life after windows 7’s end of life! No secure boot for me, as windows 8 is the biggest rootkit of them all, and secure boot was made to keep M$ rooted in everyone’s wallets!
nugget
nugget
Yeah, i’m hoping WINE catches
Yeah, i’m hoping WINE catches up by the time that win 7 goes out of support. Win games are the only thing really holding me back.
Again, this preview will
Again, this preview will require, basically, Windows re-installation when final code hits.
Considering the importance of this point, it would be nice if it were in English.
It is in English (US). AFAIK,
It is in English (US). AFAIK, MS has said that you will at the very least have to reinstall all metro and desktop applications if you revert to Windows 8 or want to use final Windows 8.1 RTM (and beyond) code. Essentially, in order to get off of the beta code and use the full retail Windows 8.1 code (once it is released), you will effectively need to re-install Windows 8 and apply the Windows 8.1 update via Windows Update
So the major updates seem to
So the major updates seem to be a redesigned setting menu/panel/area, a start button that sends you back to the start page, some down arrow thing, and some Bing integration in the search pane.
Wow. What a freakin’, pointless mess.
I hope all you retailers, who
I hope all you retailers, who did not keep a back stock of windows 7 laptops, are kicking your yourselves in the A$$, as you are losing A$$ loads of cash! I have a backstock of windows 7 laptops, that I own, enough for me to wait out the M$ TIFKAM, TIFSCAM(The Interface Scam Conceived At M$)! I am triple backed up with windowe 7 laptops, so eat your M$ hot air and flatulence Monkey boy from Redmond!
I installed Win 8.1 on my Win
I installed Win 8.1 on my Win 8 desktop. I like the new features. I enabled the feature to boot into the desktop. I did have a problem with a couple of applications that didn’t like the new OS, so I reverted back to Win 8. I had made an image of my system prior to the update and it was no big deal to go back. Had it not been for those glitches, I’d continued to use Win 8.1. I assume the application developers will bring their apps up to date.
The developers of the apps
The developers of the apps that I was having a problem with said to uninstall the the apps and re-install them. I did notice that during the Win 8.1 installation, the installer did that automatically for several programs. The two I had problem apps must not have been on the list. When I went to the list of installed programs in the control panel, there was a list of programs that had an installation date that coincided with the Win 8.1 installation.