14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve already told you that Microsoft has made the Windows 8.1 Update mandatory for Windows 8.1 users, so if you do not install this new release, your computer could become vulnerable to attacks.
That’s what Microsoft has been saying for the past 7 days or so, urging Windows 8.1 users to install 8.1 Update by May 13, the date when the new Patch Tuesday fixes will be rolled out.
The reason is as simple as it could be: Windows 8.1 machines that won’t be running 8.1 Update at that time won’t receive any other patches and fixes.
The company today issued a statement to explain that Windows 8.1 Update will be considered a new support baseline, which means that Windows 8.1 more or less loses support.
Here’s a quote from a comment made by a Microsoft engineer:
“Since Microsoft wants to ensure that customers benefit from the best support and servicing experience and to coordinate and simplify servicing across both Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 RT and Windows 8.1, this update will be considered a new servicing/support baseline.
“What this means is those users who have elected to install updates manually will have 30 days to install Windows 8.1 Update on Windows 8.1 devices; after this 30-day window - and beginning with the May Patch Tuesday, Windows 8.1 user's devices without the update installed will no longer receive security updates.”
No other Windows users are affected by this change, so in case you’re running Windows Vista, 7, or 8, you can continue using your computer without any other update. The new baseline only exists for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, the company explained.
Windows 8.1 Update was launched last week with plenty of improvements for the traditional desktop computer, brining options to pin Metro apps to the taskbar, but also new tools on the Start screen. Users can now shut down or reboot their computers with a mouse, while context menus give them the power to resize tiles or uninstall apps faster than before.
Of course, Windows 8.1 Update is offered free of charge to all those running Windows 8.1 and they can get it via Windows Update or manually using Microsoft’s download links. The Windows Update method, however, is recommended to everyone, as it’s performed automatically and it also includes all the other necessary files to make sure that everything is running smoothly on both PCs and tablets.