Windows 8.1 Update 1 is scheduled for a Spring 2014 roll out, according to Microsoft. Unfortunately the company did not provide a specific date for the highly-anticipated update. Rumors have suggested this update will roll out during the April 2014 Patch Tuesday, which takes place April 8th. Well, here are three ways to get this update.
The first method involves a registry tweak. This was discovered earlier today and we were one of the first to report on it. The process is relatively simple and involves making a change in your registry settings. If you are not familiar with editing the registry, we highly suggest avoiding this step. Simply press WINKEY+R and type REGEDIT, and then navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\”, once there, right click on “Windows” and select new > Key. Name this new key “SHWindowsPoolS14” and then restart your system. Check for Windows Updates and install the two new updates which have appeared. Restart once those updates have installed and then check for updates again, you should see an even bigger update ready for you this time.
The second method involves downloading the individual update files – there are six total. You must download the files specific to your flavor (x86, x64, or ARM) and install them in order. There are several small files and one large 707MB file (for the x64 version). Once you finish installing the updates, reboot, and you will now be running Windows 8.1 Update 1!
The final method is the safest method. Simply wait for Microsoft to officially release the update. It’s always best to say away from registry tweaks, or if you feel daring, remember to make a backup of your system just in case you need to do a restore. Good luck!
Windows 8.1 Update 1 is set to bring forth numerous new changes and improvements to Windows 8.1, with quite a few improvements for those on a non-touch device. Modern apps are now able to minimize to the taskbar! We’ll have a full review of Windows 8.1 Update 1 up shortly, so stay tuned!
Let us know below if you were successfully able to install Windows 8.1 Update 1 or if you plan on waiting for the official rollout.
