14 DAY TRIAL // Business customers running Windows 8.1 on their computers need to install 8.1 Update by August 12, according to Microsoft’s previous notification on this. Otherwise, no new updates and security patches would be delivered to their devices, Redmond warns.
Microsoft officially launched Windows 8.1 Update on April 8 and announced a deadline of May 13 for everyone running Windows 8.1 in order to install this pack of improvements.
Due to a number of issues experienced during the installation process, plenty of users, including business customers, were unable to deploy Windows 8.1 Update, so Microsoft decided to push back the deadline for everyone.
Consumers were allowed to install Windows 8.1 Update before June 10, while business users need to do the same thing before August 12.
“As we’ve been monitoring the release, we’ve been actively discussing this new approach to servicing with enterprise customers and listening to their feedback regarding managing the deployment timeline. As a result, we’ve decided to extend the timeframe for enterprise customers to deploy these new product updates from 30 to 120 days,” Microsoft said in May, when announcing the deadline extension.
“In order to receive future updates, all customers managing updates using WSUS, Windows Intune, or System Center Configuration Manager have until August 12th to apply the new updates. For those that decide to defer installation, separate security updates will be published during the 120-day window.”
This basically means that those who do not install Windows 8.1 Update won’t get any fresh updates and security patches, with Microsoft explaining that all future improvements are based on this particular OS version, hence the decision to make it mandatory.
After August 12, devices running Windows 8.1 won’t see any other patches in Windows Update beside the 8.1 Update package. After installing this, Windows Update will be refreshed with all the other patches that are available for the device.
Consumers running the core version of Windows 8, without 8.1 installed, do not need to make any change, as this update deadline is only aimed at those who have already deployed Windows 8.1.
Also on August 12, the company is rolling out Windows 8.1 August Update, a new pack of improvements that’s being offered as an optional download. This means that no matter if you’re running Windows 8.1 Update or not, you can decide to either install or refuse the update. As usual, it is going to be shipped via Windows Update free of charge for Windows 8.1 users.