#Windows 8.1 update 1: What's in #Microsoft's latest #Windows update

It would be fair to say, at this point, that Windows 8 has not been a success. Beyond the typically harsh technology community, even the everyday users of Windows 8 are not content. 

The fragmentation between the elements of Windows 7 that made it into Windows 8 and the more 'Modern UI'/Metro elements are confusing, with basic Microsoft products such as the Office suite awkwardly flipping between the two states. 

Things that people loved, such as the Start Menu, have been removed and replaced with a more Windows Phone-style Start screen, signaling a change of focus on Microsoft's part from desktop to tablet - a change that is not intrinsically good. 

Things that people loved, such as the Start Menu, have been removed and replaced with a more Windows Phone-style Start screen, signaling a change of focus on Microsoft's part from desktop to tablet - a change that is not intrinsically good. 

Thankfully, Microsoft has been listening and produced Windows 8.1, which made amends for some of the features that were omitted, or removed, from previous versions of Windows. Unfortunately, 8.1 didn't go all the way in fixing Windows as it currently is, which is why Microsoft is going to release Windows 8.1 Update 1 (a mouthful, to say the least). 

A copy of Update 1 was accidentally leaked by Microsoft itself on its software updates page but will be formally announced at Build 2014. Here we'll take a look at what's new. 

What's new in Update 1 With Update 1, Microsoft has aimed to create an operating system that will work better on low-range hardware, requiring only 1GB of RAM and 16GB of mass storage to run (Windows 8.1 required at least 2GB of RAM and 32GB of mass storage). 

The focus is obviously on spreading Windows across as many PCs as possible, especially in business where Microsoft is considered to be losing its edge against Android and Apple tablets and smartphones. 

Microsoft has also moved the software power button onto the home screen for easier access, as well as chafing the right-click behaviour when clicking on the Live Tiles or Modern UI elements of the OS. Right-clicking now brings up a regular Windows context menu, even in Modern UI apps, as opposed to the options pane as before. 

OS mismatch Unfortunately this introduces yet more fragmentation, as the new contextual options don't always match those within the app. While many users won't notice, it does further increase the sense that Microsoft has essentially bolted two OSes onto each other and called it a day. 

With Windows 8, Microsoft chose to rather turn their backs on keyboard and mouse users, choosing instead to hastily focus on the touchscreen aspect of the OS. Update 1 goes some way to retrace their steps and make features which were previously difficult to access with a mouse far easier to find. 

We've used a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 with both fingers and a mouse, so it's easy to see how neglected laptop and desktop users would feel. Some operations that were easily completed with your finger would take multiple mouse movements and clicks before being completed on a desktop. 

Desktop boot Another added bonus for desktop users is the ability to boot directly to the desktop, meaning you can use Windows 8.1 as you would have used Windows 7. Internet Explorer also shows the tabs and address bar by default, again cutting down the clicks. Clicking on photos and videos in the desktop mode opens them in the desktop, not Metro, apps, too. 

Not all of Windows 8.1 Update 1's changes are positive, however. Microsoft have decided to make the taskbar accessible throughout the OS, regardless of which environment — Modern UI or classic Windows — you're in. 

Summoning the taskbar in Modern UI apps forces the taskbar to overlay over the bottom of the content, obscuring some of it from view and click-ability. Not only is the implementation ugly, but it is also a usability nightmare and something Microsoft should address before releasing Update 1 to the public. 

OneDrive SkyDrive has been rebranded to OneDrive and is making its debut in Update 1, however, very little has changed from the SkyDrive app in Windows 8.1. 

While Windows 8.1 Update 1 doesn't address all of the issues that users have with the operating system, it certainly goes some way towards amending some of the more gaping holes. Desktop, and laptop, is now easier with the integration of the two modes — desktop and Metro — becoming a little closer. 

The fact that Microsoft is even considering an Update 1 is a sign of progress, having left previous OSes for years without major updates. Choosing to follow Apple's yearly update calendar will serve Microsoft well in the eyes of their users, and that's what matters.

#WindowsPhone 8.1 notification center leaked online

The much awaited Windows Phone 8.1 Notification Center has made its first appearance, courtesy of a screenshot from an internal Microsoft presentation that details the feature. 

Microsoft is reportedly working on a majorWindows Phone 8 update which is expected to bring the much demanded Notification Center which will offer all notifications in a centralized location in addition to toggles for commonly used settings. 

The screenshots, published by Winphollowers, reveal that the Windows Phone 8.1 version is inclusive of the notification center, dubbed 'Action Center', which comes out when a user takes a short swipe from the top of the screen. 

According to a report by The Verge, the center displays four basic quick settings that are shortcuts to options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other system settings, apart from showing date and a battery level percentage. The four settings toggles are customizable, as per the report. 

When the Notification Center is pulled down further, a full 'Action Center' is displayed, showing notifications from apps, which can also be silently added, updated and deleted in the view. 

Previously leaked screenshots had revealed that Microsoft was finally splitting volume controls for ringer, notifications and media, and apps in the upcoming update.

Ref - TOI

#Nokia's dual-sim Lumia phone Moneypenny leaked

It looks like Nokia's first dual-sim Lumia smartphones could hit developing markets pretty soon.

An alleged screenshot of the home screen of one such phone was posted online by Twitter user @evleaks. The tweet didn't reveal much except the codename of the phone, mentioned as 'Moneypenny.'

The screenshot though, offers a peek in to the next iteration of the Windows Phone OS, complete with onscreen navigation keys for Back, Start and Search. The onscreen keys were also leaked by @evleaks, earlier this month. The home screen of the phone features two network bars, both indicating support for 3G networks, and two separate tiles for Phone and Messaging, most probably corresponding to the different phone lines for the two sims.

@evleaks had first tweeted in November that Nokia was planning a dual-sim version of Windows Phone-Blue (Windows Phone 8.1) powered Moneypenny. A report by The Verge had also reiterated that Nokia's Moneypenny handset will feature on-screen navigation buttons that are being offered to device makers with the latest iteration of the OS. Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to be unveiled at Build 2014 scheduled to be held in April 2014.

It was reported that two of the major new features of the Windows Phone 8.1 OS would be a notification centre and Siri-inspired personal voice assistant. Sources have revealed that the mobile operating system would feature the highly requested notification center, which will be enabled by swiping down from the top of the screen, similar to iOS and Android. The personal voice assistant, dubbed 'Cortana', is expected to replace the existing Bing search on Windows Phone and allow users to interact using voice or text input.

Meanwhile, @evleaks has also posted a new picture of a big-screen Nokia Asha-like handset, codenamed Normandy. The picture just features six colour variants of the phone. It was previously reported that the Normandy was Nokia's Android phone which was being tested by the company. The phone was running a special "forked" variant of Android that's not aligned with Google's own version, akin to what Amazon does with its Kindle Fire line and was believed to be an equivalent to the company's low-cost Asha range and support Android apps.

The rumour was dismissed by another report that claimed that Nokia had dumped plans for Android smartphone and tablets completely as it cannot launch any phones under its own branding for two years after the completion of the sale of its mobile unit to Microsoft. However, it is reported to be focusing on nascent technologies in the field of wearable computing, such as smartglasses, flexible displays, wireless power transmission and electromagnetic energy generation.

How to fix 7 #Windows 8.1 upgrade issues

Microsoft recently released Windows 8.1, an upgrade to Windows 8 which arrived with mixed reviews. Most people see Windows 8.1 as a type of Service Pack. The updates introduced by Windows 8.1, however, are much more pervasive and consequently seem to be causing more trouble than Service Packs in previous Windows versions.

Windows 8.1 can cause several issues during the process of upgrading and even more afterwards. If you're faced with one of them, read on to see if there's a potential fix. Alternatively, if you're considering an upgrade, make sure to prep your computer for Windows 8.1 beforehand.

Hardware support 

An issue that is often experienced is reduced hardware support. For one reason or another, Windows 8.1 changes something deep in the system that can affect drivers, resulting in unrecognized or malfunctioning hardware. In this case, the backlight of the laptop was no longer controllable — it was ridiculously too dim, and the brightness buttons on my keyboard wouldn't change the setting.

Ultimately, to fix issues like this, make sure that all of your drivers are up to date via various channels. The best places to look are at the manufacturer's website or Windows Update, as sometimes it can deliver driver updates. A personal issue here was resolved whenSamsung released a "brightness fix patch" via their SW Updater software package. Make sure to check your respective sources as well.

Bad drivers

On a related note, Windows may refuse to upgrade to 8.1 if it doesn't like certain drivers. For example, a select number of people have a specific driver which Windows asks you to remove in order to upgrade. Of course, you'll need to do so in order to continue. Alternatively, you may be able to just update your drivers to a possibly Windows 8.1-friendly version, so that you don't have to remove it completely.

SkyDrive files gone "Online Only"

If you're an avid SkyDrive user, you may come across an issue where SkyDrive claims that all of the files that were once downloaded to your computer are now "online only". This is incorrect, and the files are actually still on your computer as they previously were. All you need to do to resolve this "blemish" is to open Windows Explorer, right click on SkyDrive in the left-hand pane of common folders, and click on "Make available offline". This should make sure that all your SkyDrive files will be synchronized, or just mark them as synchronized if they're already present.

Upgrading from Windows 8.1 preview

If you were a user of the Windows 8.1 Preview, you will probably face issues upgrading to the real release. Microsoft already announced the problem ahead of time, stating that you'd most likely be able to upgrade to the final code, but you would have to reinstall all of your desktop and Windows Store apps. If that's the case, you might as well go ahead and do a complete reinstall when upgrading to the final code, as clean installs are much less buggy than upgrades.

Error screens

If you received a "Couldn't update to Windows 8.1″ error with a code of 0xC1900101 - 0x40017 or something similar, you can attempt to get around the problem by unplugging all of your peripherals — except the necessary ones like your mouse and keyboard, obviously — and make sure that your graphics card driver is up-to-date before performing the upgrade. The bug still remains at large, but these tips can give you a better chance at beating it. The good thing about this error, at least, is that the installer rolls your system back to Windows 8, so you're not stuck with a bricked system.

If you receive an error stating "Sorry, it looks like this PC can't run Windows 8.1. This might be because the Users or Program Files folder is being redirected to another partition.", and this is actually the case, then you'll need to move your User or Program Files folder back to the primary system hard drive/partition. Since this error wouldn't show up without you having changed the location of those folders, just follow the same instructions to move them back.

Secure boot watermark 

If, after successfully upgrading to Windows 8.1, you see a watermark in the corner of your desktop saying "Secure Boot isn't configured correctly", then you'll need to head into your computer's BIOS and mess with the Secure Boot settings to enable or configure it. Afterwards, Windows should stop complaining.

Conclusion

Windows 8.1 introduces many new and improved features, including the option to boot to the desktop, deep SkyDrive integration, and an updated UI, which now supports dynamic Snap for multiple apps or sharing the desktop wallpaper with the Start screen. Most of the changes, however, are behind-the-scenes, which may be why so many people are having issues. Generally, it is recommended that you stick with Windows 8, unless you read about a Windows 8.1 feature that you absolutely need. In that case you should prepare to upgrade to Windows 8.1 with the option to roll back.

Microsoft released #Windows 8.1 again

Microsoft released Windows 8.1 again, check your store and update your windows 8 to 8.1

Windows RT 8.1 rollback leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the tech world

Microsoft’s much-awaited Windows 8.1 update started to rollout over the weekend but the fanfare was cut short thanks to Microsoft rolling back the Windows RT 8.1 update citing a situation as the reason for it. It isn’t clear what went wrong or when it is expected to be fixed, leaving a lot of users who were looking forward to the update in the lurch. 

Add to it the fact that some users are reporting certain boot data being damaged and the dreaded BSoD affecting their Surface devices post the update, and Microsoft surely seems to have a situation on their hands. “To call this embarrassing for Microsoft is something of an understatement,” says Peter Bright of Ars Technica. “While x86 PCs have extraordinary diversity, in terms of hardware, software, and drivers—all things that can prevent straightforward upgrading—the Windows RT devices are extremely limited in this regard. Upgrading Windows RT tablets should be absolutely bulletproof. It's very disappointing that it isn't.”

Computerworld too echoes the sentiment, “The snafu was an embarrassment for Microsoft, as its Surface RT tablet, which debuted a year ago, has been the only Windows RT-powered device that has sold in any meaningful quantity,” writes Gregg Keizer.

Feeling the blues

The struggle to update Surface tablets has been a particularly painful one for most Microsoft users. Mary Jo Foley for ZDNet writes, “I managed to update my Surface RT to Windows RT 8.1 on October 17 after several attempts to get the device to find the update. I have heard from a number of other Windows RT users who've had similar difficulties in locating and getting the update process to begin on their ARM-based Microsoft-made and OEM devices.” Or you could have just gone with Engadget’s headline that hits the nail right on the head, “Don't even bother trying to upgrade to Windows RT 8.1 today.”

Spare a thought for Microsoft amidst all the upgrade drama, though. TechCrunch’s Alex Wilhelm points out, “Microsoft is likely pissed that it had to yank the update – it was hoping for a very smooth Windows 8.1 update cycle.” The company better be counting its blessings, he suggests,“Still, if the error had been present in the vanilla Windows 8.1 update, and not its RT flavor, the embarrassment would have been greatly magnified. Windows RT, of course, is a sliver when compared with Windows 8.”

Does the embarrassment get magnified considering factors like other manufacturers abandoning RT? “As it stands now, Microsoft is the only vendor that has stuck with Windows RT; other OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners have dumped the operating system from their lineups. Dell, the last besides Microsoft to support the tablet-specific OS, said three weeks ago that it had no plan to refresh its Windows RT tablets,” Keizer points out in his article. 

PCWorld’s Brad Chacos looks at the brighter side instead, “And for what it's worth, the Surface 2 tablets launching on Tuesday ship with Windows RT 8.1 preinstalled, so you don't have to worry about running into upgrade woes if you've already plunked down preorder cash for Microsoft's self-made tablet.” However, if you still are upset about your precious Surface tablet being troubled by this update, Kick That Computer has a solution. 

Take a look at what the social world seems to be saying about the failed update:

 

Microsoft Releases Windows 8.1 for Download

Microsoft has officially announced the global availability of Windows 8.1. The update is available to customers in more than 230 markets via the online Windows Store. Starting tomorrow Windows 8.1 will be available on new devices and as boxed software at retail locations.

Windows 8.1 evolves the Windows vision for highly personalized computing while showcasing Microsoft’s continued commitment to rapid and responsive development. It marks a wave of new, innovative devices coming for consumers and businesses — from the convenience and mobility of tablets and 2-in-1s to the productive experience expected from laptops, all-in-ones and specialized industry devices. Many of these new devices are touch-enabled and will deliver advancements in processing power, battery life and design, across a range of price points.

Refinements and Improvements:
● Highly personal. An improved and more customizable Start screen offers variable tile sizes, more background designs and colors so each Windows device looks unique and personal to the individual. In addition, customers can choose how to start their Windows experience — at the Start screen or directly in the familiar Windows desktop — while all their Windows devices stay in sync with their Microsoft account.

● More familiar and easy to navigate. As an iconic part of the Windows experience, Windows 8.1 brings back the Start button as a familiar point of navigation. An updated apps view lets users see all their apps at once for easy access and new clicks and cues, as well as a Help + Tips app that gets them up to speed quickly.

● Enhanced search. The new Bing Smart Search provides the easiest way to find what users need on the device or on the Web in one beautiful and easy consolidated view that’s built for touch. Simply swipe or type from the Start screen, and Smart Search will find it — whether it’s a document on a PC, a photo album on SkyDrive, a favorite app, a song from Xbox Music or a website.

● Wide range of apps and services from the Start. Windows 8.1 is the most complete out-of-the-box experience. It offers a range of apps and services from the Start screen, allowing customers to quickly and easily do the things they love on Windows, such as catching up with friends and family via Skype, emailing effortlessly in the Mail app, watching movies and TV shows on Xbox Video, finding new recipes with the Bing Food & Drink app, or listening to free streaming music via Xbox Music. Windows 8.1 also comes with the new Internet Explorer 11, which is fast, fluid and perfect for touch. Internet Explorer 11 brings enhanced touch performance, speed boosts, and synchronized browsing history, favorites and settings across all Windows 8.1 devices. Windows 8.1 also provides native support for 3-D printing, meaning it will have plug-and-play support for 3-D printers, enable apps to seamlessly print 3-D jobs and understand 3-D file formats.

● The best for multitasking and productivity. Windows 8.1 includes the display and use of up to four apps side by side, flexible windows sizing for each app on the screen, the ability for one app to launch another app, and improved multimonitor support so users can view the desktop or apps from the Windows Store on any or all monitors.

● Deep cloud integration with SkyDrive. Windows 8.1 makes it easier than ever to work from anywhere and know that files are always accessible — across devices and locations. With SkyDrive, users can create, edit, save and share files anywhere, anytime, on whatever device they’re using.

● A beautifully redesigned Windows Store. The new design of the Windows Store improves how great apps are showcased and makes it easier for customers to get the apps they want. Fresh layouts and categories, such as New & Rising, make it easier to stay up to date on the hottest new entries to explore. Personalized recommendations use the Bing advanced recommendation and relevance system to help find new favorites. And with Windows 8.1, apps are updated automatically by default, so users always have the newest and best version of any app, such as Fresh Paint, which now includes watercolor, a new graphite pencil set and a new clean, modern user interface for the latest painting or drawing creations. New and updated apps are also continually being delivered to the Windows Store, including Evernote, Facebook for Windows 8.1, Hulu Plus, Adobe Photoshop Express, eBay, Netflix and NOOK.

Take a look at the video below for more information...

Early Build of 'Windows Blue' Leaked Online

An early version of Microsoft's upcoming 'Windows Blue' operating system has been leaked online.

Neowin notes that this is a Microsoft partner build and is the first publicly available leaked build of Windows since well before the launch of Windows 8. 

The build, believed to be of Windows Blue Milestone 1, has only been leaked in the 32-bit edition as a 2.63 GB ISO, and with a partial filename of 9364.0.FBL_PARTNER_OUT13.130315-2105_X86FRE_CLIENT it appears to be sourced from France.

Screenshots and video of the new build are popping up on various sites. One noticeable difference is both bigger and smaller Live Tiles on the home screen.

Windows 8

                             

Welcome to Windows 8. Windows has been reimagined to focus on your life. The beautiful, fast, and fluid design is perfect for a range of hardware: from compact, touch-enabled tablets and lightweight laptops, to PCs and large, powerful all-in-ones with high-definition screens. It’s smooth, intuitive, and gives you instant access to your people, apps, and stuff, so you spend less time searching and more time doing.