Windows 8.1 Update 1 to be released April 8th; MSDN gets it April 2nd

  • 28 February 2014
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A new claim from noted Microsoft reporter Paul Thurrott states, via unnamed sources, that Windows 8.1 Update 1 will be made available to download April 8th for the general public. However, MSDN subscribers will still get access to the final build ahead of that date, although not as early as usual.
"Windows 8.1 Update 1 will hit MSDN on April 2, Windows Update on April 8"
— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) February 27, 2014
According to a message on his Twitter account, Thurrott says that MSDN users will be able to access Update 1 on April 2nd, less than a week before the final build will be launched. Usually, MSDN subscribers can get new Windows builds several weeks ahead of their general availability date.
Previous rumors put an early April date for the release of Update 1, but this is the first indication about when MSDN users could get their hands on it. Leaked builds of Update 1 indicate it will bring a number of small but significant changes to Windows 8.1, mostly for its use by desktop PC owners who work with the old fashioned keyboard and mouse.
April 8th also happens to be Microsoft's "Patch Tuesday" for that month where it will release a number of software and firmware updates for a number of products besides Windows 8.1. It also happens to be the last day Microsoft will officially support Windows XP with any patches or security fixes after 12 years of support.
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Windows 8.1 update aims to win over mouse-and-keyboard users, arrives April 8th as an automatic download
 
Since this update is aimed mostly at keyboard-and-mouse users, let's start where those folks are likely to spend a lot of their time: the desktop. For starters, depending on what kind of machine you have, the PC manufacturer might program it to boot into the desktop by default. Of course, that was already an option in Windows 8.1; the difference is that if you buy, say, a mouse-and-keyboard machine, like a clamshell laptop, the OEM can make that the default so that you never even have to bother with the settings. And yes, if you'd rather go straight into the modern Start Screen, you can do that too by unchecking a box in Taskbar settings.
 
Speaking of the Taskbar, the rumors were true: You can now pin Windows Store apps to the bottom of the screen, along with traditional legacy programs. In particular, the Windows Store shortcut will come pinned by default on every Windows machine, though you can, of course, remove it if you're so inclined. As for everything else, you'll have to pin those programs manually. In fact, the default setting is not to show Windows Store apps on the Taskbar at all, which means another visit to the Taskbar settings is in order.
 
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And the traditional start menu is back!
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Tradional what? I'm on it!!:D
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Here's an article with a picture:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2138443/rejoice-the-start-menu-is-coming-back-to-windows.html
 
It looks like a combo of some of the Metro tiles plus the original menu.
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Just like Windows 9 almost! LOL
 
Daniel
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Looking very good! :D
Although my laptop has a touch screen  I don't like and I rarely use the Metro.
 
Cheers,
 
Mike
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 It's fair to say that much of the surprise behind Windows 8.1 Update 1 was ruined by leaks, including the final version of the code, which has indeed been floating around out there for several weeks. But no matter: Update 1 matters, and is the clearest indication yet that Microsoft remains committed to listening to feedback and writing the wrongs of the original release of Windows 8.
 
Windows 8.1 Update 1 Review | Windows 8 content from Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows
 
 

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