Windows 8.1 Preview for RT

[Delin95]

Just to clarify, apps won't have to be reinstalled for the Preview release, but they will need to be reinstalled when the final 8.1 release is out.

It's actually only partly coming through the Store though. You get a small update in Windows Update under "Optional Updates" that then triggers the Preview release to show up in the Windows Store.

I suspect that the final release will be in Windows Update as you say though.

If the preview is not available in your language, then you will need to reinstall all your apps from the beginning.

 

[inteller]

bottom line, clarified or not, you are going to have to reinstall ****, and the "improvements" are just not enough for me to deal with that hassle. Everyone talks about 8.1 like its the second coming but it is just a point upgrade and not that great. Service Packs did more in the past. I don't need a start button or other dumb luddite stuff like boot to legacy desktop....especially on Surface RT. I really wish Microsoft would port all the remaining Desktop Apps and office to Metro and turn Desktop completely off on the Surface RT.

 

[infinidim]

bottom line, clarified or not, you are going to have to reinstall ****, and the "improvements" are just not enough for me to deal with that hassle. Everyone talks about 8.1 like its the second coming but it is just a point upgrade and not that great. Service Packs did more in the past. I don't need a start button or other dumb luddite stuff like boot to legacy desktop....especially on Surface RT. I really wish Microsoft would port all the remaining Desktop Apps and office to Metro and turn Desktop completely off on the Surface RT.

I agree with you inteller, they really do need to port all the remaining Desktop Apps and office to Metro and turn Desktop completely off on the Surface RT

 

[Robert Carpenter]

bottom line, clarified or not, you are going to have to reinstall ****, and the "improvements" are just not enough for me to deal with that hassle. Everyone talks about 8.1 like its the second coming but it is just a point upgrade and not that great. Service Packs did more in the past. I don't need a start button or other dumb luddite stuff like boot to legacy desktop....especially on Surface RT. I really wish Microsoft would port all the remaining Desktop Apps and office to Metro and turn Desktop completely off on the Surface RT.

Service packs have never added this many things to a version of Windows before. I'm sorry, but that is a completely incorrect statement.

I think you need to do some research to learn more about what changes are coming in Windows 8.1.

There are still unannounced features in Windows 8.1. Microsoft has only publically released certain information about the update. They haven't stated what's included in the entire update yet.

All of the updates in Windows 8.1 are going to enhance Windows RT devices the most. Sure, there are minor improvements for the desktop, but these improvements are dwarfed by the changes made to the metro side of Windows 8.1.
.

 

[stmav]

Are you sure the email was legit? It's being called a public preview so anyone should be able to try it w/o having to sign up.

Yes, I have several certifications with MS so I receive these program tests regularly. In fact the mail called it 8.1 Preview test program, so it might be something different from the public preview, or not. I submitted a report asking if the program was full or if the message was in error. I'm waiting for the reply, they said they would respond within 36 hours.

 

[inteller]

if you are lucky they will send you a full build ISO you can put in a VM and test like the consumer preview of 8.

 

[HeyCori]

Report: Windows 8.1 Preview ISO files to be released by Microsoft - Neowin

The alleged Microsoft Q&A says that these files are meant to be used in case users want to give their PCs a way to dual boot to the preview version of Windows 8.1 while also keeping their current versions of Windows running on their rig. However, PCs must already be set up as a dual-boot system ahead of time as downloading the Windows 8.1 preview ISO files won't allow users to select another partition on their PC.

The Q&A also states that people who have Windows 8 Pro with Media Center on their PC who decide to download the Windows 8.1 Preview via the ISO method will find that their Media Center features have been removed. They can be put back in if users reinstall the Windows 8 Pro pack or the Windows 8 Media Center product key.

 

[EDDS]

Yes, I have several certifications with MS so I receive these program tests regularly. In fact the mail called it 8.1 Preview test program, so it might be something different from the public preview, or not. I submitted a report asking if the program was full or if the message was in error. I'm waiting for the reply, they said they would respond within 36 hours.

The public preview will be out tomorrow so you will probably be able to install that before you get a response.

 

[stmav]

if you are lucky they will send you a full build ISO you can put in a VM and test like the consumer preview of 8.

That's exactly what I did with the 8 preview. Ran it in a VM on my Win7 laptop.

 

[Narse77]

Does anyone here use a VHD on a SD card for the primary storage of My Documents. My Music and My Videos like myself? I have the 10gb free but just thought of how having these folders on a vhd might screw the upgrade. May try it nonetheless.

 

[smoledman]

Considering this is a tablet only OS, it's sad that it takes 10GB. iOS only takes 2GB.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Considering this is a tablet only OS, it's sad that it takes 10GB. iOS only takes 2GB.

considering as the ipad which uses ios cant double as a laptop hybrid like the surface, that's not even an accurate comparison.

 

[smoledman]

considering as the ipad which uses ios cant double as a laptop hybrid like the surface, that's not even an accurate comparison.

So keyboard drivers take an additional 8GB?

 

[inteller]

no, a real OS takes 8GB.

 

[smoledman]

no, a real OS takes 8GB.

Windows RT is not a real OS because it can't run legacy apps.

 

[inteller]

that is a horse **** definition. It can run any number of legacy apps that ship with the Surface, including calculator, powershell, and Office. It can connect to a myriad of devices natively without glommed on accessories.

Legacy apps are legacy for a reason, and they need to go away. I hope by Win9 there is no "Desktop" on my Surface.

 

[pbankey]

By that logic Lion/Mountain Lion are not real OS's because they can't run PowerPC applications.

 

[realwarder]

Windows RT is not a real OS because it can't run legacy apps.

Oh yeah, I remember that from my CompSci course at Uni... definition of a real OS: #1: Must run legacy apps. /s

There is no such thing as a "real OS".

The reason Windows RT uses more drive than an iPad is simple - the Windows OS is more capable because it is shared from Server to Phone. RT includes a massive driver database which supports 420 million devices and of course eats up disk space because of this.

The OS could be made much smaller - Windows Phone is an example where the same Windows actually only uses 1.6GB - less than iOS 2GB - when it is on targeted and specific hardware without a massive driver database.

 

[EDDS]

The preview is now available.

Download Windows 8.1 Preview - Microsoft Windows

having trouble installing though....

 

[kashk5]

Has anybody installed this on their Surface RT yet? I want to give it a try, but I want to make sure it's doesn't make my tablet unusable as a daily driver.