Features:-
Windows 8.1 (codenamed Blue) is an upgrade for Windows 8, a version of Windows NT, a computer operating system released by Microsoft. First unveiled and released as a public beta in June 2013, it was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and reached general availability
on October 17, 2013, almost a year after the retail release of its
predecessor. Windows 8.1 is available free of charge for retail copies
of Windows 8 and Windows RT users via the Windows Store.
Unlike service packs on previous versions of Windows, users who
obtained 8 outside of retail copies or pre-loaded installations (i.e., volume licensing)
must obtain 8.1 through new installation media from their respective
subscription or enterprise channel. Microsoft's support lifecycle policy
treats Windows 8.1 similar to previous service packs of Windows: It is
part of Windows 8's support lifecycle, and installing 8.1 is required to
maintain access to support and Windows updates after January 12, 2016. However, unlike previous service packs, Windows 8.1 cannot be acquired via Windows Update.
Released as part of a shift by Microsoft towards regular yearly major
updates for its software platforms and services, Windows 8.1 aims to
address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers on launch. Visible
enhancements include an improved Start screen, additional snap views, additional bundled apps, tighter OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) integration, Internet Explorer 11, a Bing-powered unified search system, restoration of a visible Start button on the taskbar,
and the ability to restore the previous behavior of opening the user's
desktop on login instead of the Start screen. Windows 8.1 also added
support for such emerging technologies as high-resolution displays, 3D printing, Wi-Fi Direct, and Miracast streaming.
Windows 8.1 received mixed reception, although more positive than
Windows 8, with critics praising the expanded functionality available to
apps in comparison to 8, its OneDrive integration, along with its user
interface tweaks and the addition of expanded tutorials for operating
the Windows 8 interface. Despite these improvements, 8.1 was still
criticized for not addressing all digressions of Windows 8 (such as a
poor level of integration between Metro-style apps and the desktop interface), and the potential privacy implications of the expanded use of online services.
Many of the changes on Windows 8.1, particularly to the user
interface, were made in response to criticisms from early adopters and
other critics after the release of Windows 8.[56][57]
User interface and desktop
The Start screen received several enhancements on 8.1, including an
extended "All Apps" view with sort modes (accessed by clicking a new
down arrow button or swiping upward), small and extra-large sizes for
tiles, and colored tiles for desktop program shortcuts.
Additional customization options were also added, such as expanded
color options, new backgrounds (some of which incorporate animated
elements), and the ability for the Start screen to use the desktop
background instead. Applications are no longer added to the Start screen
automatically when installed, and all applications now have colored
tiles (desktop programs were previously shown in a single color). The
app snapping system has also been extended; up to four apps can be
snapped onto a single display depending on screen size, apps can be
snapped to fill half the screen, and can also be used on any display in a
multi-monitor configuration. Apps can also launch other apps in a
snapped view to display content; for example, the Mail app can open a
photo attachment in a picture viewer snapped to another half of the
screen. Improved support is also provided by apps for using devices in a
portrait (vertical) orientation. The lock screen
offers the ability to use a photo slideshow as its backdrop, and a
shortcut to the Camera app by swiping up. The on-screen keyboard has an
improved autocomplete
mechanism which displays multiple word suggestions, and allows users to
select from them by sliding on the spacebar. The autocomplete
dictionary is also automatically updated using data from Bing, allowing it to recognize and suggest words relating to current trends and events.[58][59]
Similarly to Windows Phone, certain apps now display a narrow bar with
three dots on it to indicate the presence of a pop-up menu accessible by
swiping, clicking on the dots, or right-clicking.[60]
To improve the usability of the desktop interface, a visible Start button was restored to the taskbar for opening the Start screen, and the Quick Links menu (accessed by right-clicking the Start button or pressing ⊞ Win+X)
now contains shutdown and sign-out options. Users can also modify
certain user interface behaviors, such as disabling the upper hot
corners for using the charms and recent apps list, going to the desktop
instead of the Start screen on login
or after closing all apps on a screen, automatically opening the "All
Apps" view on the Start screen when opened, and prioritizing desktop
programs on the "Category" sort mode on "All Apps". To assist users in
learning the Windows 8 user interface, an interactive tutorial is also
offered, along with a new Help + Tips app for additional information.[57][61]
In contrast, Windows RT 8.1 downplays the desktop interface further by
not displaying the Desktop tile on its default Start screen at all
(however, it can still be manually added to the Start screen).[62]
Windows manager Chaitanya Sareen stated that the restoration of the
visible Start button was intended to be a "warm blanket" for users who
had become confused by the removal of the button on 8; the Start button
was originally removed to reflect Windows 8's treatment of the desktop
as an "app" rather than the main interface.[63]
Further interface behavior changes are made on the April 2014
"Windows 8.1 Update", which are oriented towards non-touch environments
(such as desktop and laptop PCs) that use a keyboard and mouse,
and improve integration between Windows Store apps and the desktop.
When a mouse is in use, the Desktop is shown on startup by default, the
Start screen uses context menus instead of a toolbar across the bottom of the screen for manipulating tiles, an autohiding title bar
with minimize and close buttons is displayed within apps at the top of
the screen, the taskbar can display and pin apps alongside desktop
programs and be accessed from within apps, and visible search and power
buttons are added to the Start screen. The update also changes the
default image viewer and media player programs for non-touch devices; Windows Media Player and Windows Photo Viewer are used by default in lieu of the Xbox Video and Photos apps.[64][65]
Apps
The suite of pre-loaded apps bundled with Windows 8 were changed in
8.1; PC Settings was expanded to include options that were previously
exclusive to the desktop Control Panel, Windows Store
was updated with an improved interface for browsing apps and automatic
updates, the Mail app includes an updated interface and additional
features, the Camera app integrates Photosynth for creating panoramas, and additional editing tools were added to the Photos app (while integration with Flickr and Facebook was completely removed). A number of additional stock apps were also added, including Calculator, Food and Drink, Health and Fitness, Sound Recorder, Reading List (which can be used to collect and sync content from apps through OneDrive), Scan, and Help + Tips.[57][66] For Windows RT users, 8.1 also adds a version of Microsoft Outlook to the included Office 2013 RT suite. However, it does not support data loss protection, Group Policy, Lync integration, or creating emails with information rights management.[67] Windows Store is enabled by default within Windows To Go environments.[68]
Online services and functionality
Windows 8.1 adds tighter integration with several Microsoft-owned services. OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive)[69]
is integrated at the system level to sync user settings and files.
Files are automatically downloaded in the background when they are
accessed from the user's OneDrive folder, unless they are marked to be
available offline. By default, only file metadata and thumbnails are
stored locally, and reparse points
are used to give the appearance of a normal directory structure to
provide backwards compatibility. The OneDrive app was updated to include
a local file manager. OneDrive use on 8.1 requires that a user's Windows account be linked to a Microsoft account; the previous SkyDrive desktop client (which did not have this requirement) is not supported on 8.1.[70][71][72]
A Bing-based
unified search system was added; it can analyze a user's search habits
to return results featuring relevant local and online content.
Full-screen "hero" displays aggregate news articles, Wikipedia
entries, multimedia, and other content related to a search query; for
instance, searching for a music performer would return photos of the
performer, a biography, and their available songs and albums on Xbox Music.[57][58] The messaging app from Windows 8 has been replaced by Skype, which also allows users to accept calls directly from the lock screen.[58] Windows 8.1 also includes Internet Explorer 11, which adds support for SPDY and WebGL,
and expanded developer tools. The Metro-style version of IE 11 also
adds tab syncing, the ability to open an unlimited number of tabs, and
Reading List integration.[73][74]
Due to Facebook Connect service changes, Facebook support is disabled in all bundled apps effective June 8, 2015.[75]
Security and hardware compatibility
On compatible hardware, Windows 8.1 also features a transparent "device encryption" system based on BitLocker.
Encryption begins as soon as a user begins using the system; the
recovery key is stored to either the user's Microsoft account or an Active Directory
login, allowing it to be retrieved from any computer. While device
encryption is offered on all versions of 8.1 unlike BitLocker (which is
exclusive to the Pro and Enterprise editions), device encryption
requires that the device meet the Connected Standby specification and have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip.[76][77] 8.1 also introduces improved fingerprint recognition APIs, which allows user login, User Account Control, Windows Store and Windows Store apps to use enrolled fingerprints as an authentication method. A new kiosk mode
known as "Assigned Access" was also added, allowing a device to be
configured to use a single app in a restricted environment.
Additionally, Windows Defender includes an intrusion detection system which can scan network activity for signs of malware. 8.1 also allows third-party VPN clients to automatically trigger connections.[78]
For enterprise device management, Windows 8.1 adds support for the Workplace Join feature of Windows Server 2012 R2, which allows users to enroll their own device into corporate networks with finer control over access to resources and security requirements. 8.1 also supports the OMA Device Management specifications. Remote Data Control can be used to remotely wipe specific "corporate" data from Windows 8.1 devices.[68]
Due to changes to improve its "security effectiveness", the 64-bit
version of Windows 8.1 no longer supports processors which do not
implement the double-width compare and exchange (CMPXCHG16B) CPU instruction
(which the installer reports as a lack of support for
"CompareExchange128"). A Microsoft spokesperson noted that the change
primarily affects systems with older AMD
64-bit processors, and that "the number of affected processors are
extremely small, since this instruction has been supported for greater
than 10 years." Even if the system does have an otherwise compatible
processor, the motherboard must also support the instruction—which can
also cause the problem to occur on Intel processors in select cases.
These changes do not affect the 32-bit version of Windows 8.1.[79][80]
Hardware functionality
Windows 8.1 adds support for 3D printing,[81][82] pairing with printers using NFC tags, Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast media streaming,[83] tethering,[68] and NVMe.[84][85] In response to the increasing pixel density
in displays, Windows 8.1 can scale text and GUI elements up to 200%
(whereas Windows 8 supported only 150%) and set scaling settings
independently on each display in multi-monitor configurations.[86]
Reception
Critical reception
Functionality
Windows 8.1 received better reviews than Windows 8. Tom Warren of The Verge
still considered the platform to be a "work in progress" due to the
number of apps available, the impaired level of capabilities that apps
have in comparison to desktop programs, and because he felt that mouse
and keyboard navigation was still "awkward". However, he touted many of
the major changes on 8.1, such as the expanded snapping functionality,
increased Start screen customization, SkyDrive and Bing integration,
improvements to stock apps, and particularly he considered the Mail app
to be "lightyears ahead" of the original version from 8. He concluded
that "Microsoft has achieved a lot within 12 months, even a lot of the
additions feel like they should have been there from the very start with
Windows 8."[58]
Joel Hruska of ExtremeTech
criticized continuing integration problems between the Desktop and apps
on 8.1, pointing out examples such as the Photos app, which "still
refuses to acknowledge that users might have previous photo
directories", and that the Mail app "still can’t talk to the desktop—if
you try to send an email from the Desktop without another mail client
installed, Windows will tell you there’s no mail client capable of
performing that action." However, he praised the improvements to other
apps, such as People and News (pointing out UI improvements, and the
News app using proper links when sharing stories, rather than
non-standard links that can only be recognized by the app). Although
praising the more flexible snapping system, he still pointed out flaws,
such as an inability to maintain snap configurations in certain
situations. 8.1's search functionality was met with mixed reviews; while
noting the Bing integration and updated design, the system was panned
for arbitrarily leaving out secondary storage devices from the
"Everything" mode.[87]
Peter Bright of Ars Technica
praised many of the improvements on 8.1, such as its more "complete"
touch interface, the "reasonable" tutorial content, the new autocomplete
tools on the on-screen keyboard, software improvements, and the deep
SkyDrive integration. However, he felt that the transition between the
desktop and apps "still tends to feel a bit disjointed and disconnected"
(even though the option to use the desktop wallpaper on the Start
screen made it feel more integrated with the desktop interface rather
than dissimilar), and that the restoration of the Start button made the
two interfaces feel even more inconsistent because of how different it
operates between the desktop and apps.[59]
Privacy
Certain aspects of 8.1 were also cause for concern because of their
privacy implications. In his review of 8.1, Joel Hruska noted that
Microsoft had deliberately made it harder for users to create a "Local"
account that is not tied to a Microsoft account
for syncing, as it "[makes] clear that the company really, really,
wants you to share everything you do with it, and that’s not something
an increasing number of people and businesses are comfortable doing."[87] Woody Leonhard of InfoWorld
noted that by default Windows 8.1's "Smart Search" system sends search
queries and other information to Microsoft, which could be used for targeted advertising. Leonhard considered this to be ironic, given that Microsoft had criticized Google's use of similar tactics with its "Scroogled" advertising campaign.
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