The company has confirmed in a post that ISOs will be released to users as well

Apr 8, 2014 06:30 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft officially posted Windows 8.1 Update on MSDN last week, giving subscribers the chance to download the new version of its operating system either as a ZIP containing all necessary files or as a stand-alone ISO image that allows a clean install of the operating system.

The company has, however, confirmed that Windows 8.1 Update will be delivered to users via Windows Update, but a dedicated ISO will be also be unveiled at some point in the near future.

“Windows 8.1 media/WIMs/TechNet ISOs/Store bits/etc will be slipstreamed with this Update in the near term,” Microsoft said today in a blog post.

Windows 8.1 Update will obviously be available for all Windows 8.1 users as a free update via Windows Update and Microsoft claims that it’s mandatory for everyone running the latest OS version to deploy the build in order to receive more updates and security patches beyond May 2014.

Windows 8 users, on the other hand, do not need to upgrade, so in case you haven’t already updated to Windows 8.1, you can continue running your operating system just like before, without the need for deploying this new version.

Of course, all users are still recommended to install Windows 8.1 Update as possible, as it includes not only a wide array of new options, but also stability and performance improvements that could contribute to a much better experience with the modern OS.