Many Still Can't Download Windows 8.1 from Windows Store

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There may be a way to get the Windows 8.1 update if it still hasn't appeared.

Softpedia is still trolling Microsoft's forums looking for signs of Windows 8.1 issues, and has come across a number of posts regarding the update's availability. According to the site, which doesn't point to any specific post, many customers still don't see the Windows 8.1 upgrade in Windows Store even though it was released to all on October 17.

The problem actually began on day one, and was even experienced by several here at Tom's. The problem, at least initially, was that the Windows 8 platform needed to be updated with specific patches released before the update finally appeared on Windows Store. Naturally, one month later, we'd expect that Microsoft would have resolved the issue, but many users reportedly still don't have access despite fully patching their systems.

As a way around the problem, Softpedia points to this page, which provides information about updating from Windows 8.1 Preview to the full-blown Windows 8.1 RTM build. Customers are instructed to click on the "I installed the preview from the Windows Store or I installed the preview using media while Windows 8 was running" in the "Updating to Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1" section, and then hit the "from the Windows Store" link in the expanded text.

The following link should actually launch the Windows Store and load up the Windows 8.1 update, regardless if customers are trying to update on a Windows RT device or a Windows 8 x86-based machine. However this "fix" will not install the update on machines running the Enterprise version of Windows 8.

Although the Windows 8.1 update is praised to be the platform's savior, its arrival hasn't come without issues for many Microsoft customers. As previously reported, some users are experiencing screen lockups; only mouse input works, and forces users to reboot the device. The update has also caused a BSOD for those trying to create a ramdisk. Gamers are also reporting mouse lag in a number of games after installing the update.

Kevin Parrish
69 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jimmysmitty
    I just did it on a HP Elite Pad running 8 pro with no issues. It even popped up with a message for me to do it.

    Maybe people should check their updates first then go to the Windows Store?
    Reply
  • ssdpro
    I own a retail "full" license to 8.1 Pro and a license that was upgraded from 8 w/media center.

    Now if only they would think "customer first" and allow those who updated from 8 to 8.1 get an ISO of Windows 8.1. If you ever have a catastrophic failure you must reinstall 8 then download the 3.5GB "patch" and install 8.1 over what you just installed. Yes, it is like installing an OS twice just to get one working copy.


    /splat on that nonsense
    Reply
  • soldier44
    No thanks, Win 7 ultimate will do me fine for a long time Start menu in 8.1 or not.
    Reply
  • JefferyD90
    Why this was released as a whole new OS and not just a service pack, Ill never know. I have been a major advocate of Windows 8, and I love 99% of the changes of Windows 8.1, I don't like the way it has been done. All the OEMs are taking their dear sweet time releasing 8.1 drivers (not all Microsoft's fault, but Microsoft could have more than certainly pushed them into it) and it is a major issue. My Sabertooth build is having some major issues where it blue screens when it trys to enter a power saving mode. It might be the video card (I am using the 8.1 CCC from AMD which is officially a beta driver) but still... We need better than this. Maybe there is a lot more changes under the hood than I realize, but honestly I don't see it. Oh well, Ill live on.
    Reply
  • soccerplayer88
    @soldier44

    Pretty much the same for me. Short of Microsoft coming out with DX12 that has some revolutionary changes with 8 or a newer OS. Windows 7 is the new Windows XP as far as I'm concerned.
    Reply
  • SlitelyOff
    Been getting random NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE BSOD's since 8.1. For some reason they initially occurred about every couple hours, drove me to the point of almost going back to W7. However, lately, they have only been every week or two...still way too many times, for sure.

    What I hate about 8.1 is that they eliminated many of the shortcuts that I used to use (right click on an SSID to get to status, etc.) that I used to use all the time and have made it more difficult. I am not 100% sure that the 8.1 is a fundamental update to 8, they simply added/removed different little things, from I can tell, that give it a slightly different appearance and a few things actually work differently than in W8 (running Pro of both, btw)

    I am also a little confused why several of my drivers no longer work from 8 to 8.1 and I can't find updated ones for 8.1 on several devices. Also, for some reason 8.1 broke my ability to connect to certain SSID's that were working just fine in 8 and a driver update did not fix the issue.

    I guess that I am either missing something OR 8.1 is not the panacea of updates that it was made out to be.
    Reply
  • Quarkzquarkz
    8.1 is a joke, windows 8 is a joke. vista was a fail, xp and win 7 are the best. nuff' said.
    Reply
  • hpolk
    It's exactly the same thing Balmer did when Windows Vista failed badly. He made a ton's of money from the case and instead of releasing service pack to Vista he made Windows 7 and resell this 'new' OS once more to all stupid people, like me. Well, I just stopped using Windows since.....Windows 7 will be the last good Windows as we know ....
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    11915696 said:
    Been getting random NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE BSOD's since 8.1. For some reason they initially occurred about every couple hours, drove me to the point of almost going back to W7. However, lately, they have only been every week or two...still way too many times, for sure.

    What I hate about 8.1 is that they eliminated many of the shortcuts that I used to use (right click on an SSID to get to status, etc.) that I used to use all the time and have made it more difficult. I am not 100% sure that the 8.1 is a fundamental update to 8, they simply added/removed different little things, from I can tell, that give it a slightly different appearance and a few things actually work differently than in W8 (running Pro of both, btw)

    I am also a little confused why several of my drivers no longer work from 8 to 8.1 and I can't find updated ones for 8.1 on several devices. Also, for some reason 8.1 broke my ability to connect to certain SSID's that were working just fine in 8 and a driver update did not fix the issue.

    I guess that I am either missing something OR 8.1 is not the panacea of updates that it was made out to be.

    8.1 is a change, a change to quite a few things so drivers are not always going to work from 8 to 8.1. You need to go to the manufacture but if they don't provide drivers, there is nothing Microsoft can do really.

    11915880 said:
    8.1 is a joke, windows 8 is a joke. vista was a fail, xp and win 7 are the best. nuff' said.

    XP is meh. It was good. It hasn't been for quite a while. & is still a good OS. Nothing bad staying with it. But 8/8.1 has a lot of great improvements that 7 will never see.

    And at some point 7 will become the next XP, such as native GPT support (you cannot boot to a GPT partition in 7, requires if you want a single partition larger than 2TB).

    11916027 said:
    It's exactly the same thing Balmer did when Windows Vista failed badly. He made a ton's of money from the case and instead of releasing service pack to Vista he made Windows 7 and resell this 'new' OS once more to all stupid people, like me. Well, I just stopped using Windows since.....Windows 7 will be the last good Windows as we know ....

    I think you forgot the 2 service packs that came out for Vista and the platform update that pulled a lot of the new features from 7 and integrated them into Vista.

    Vista got plenty of love. 7 was just still better.

    And people said the same thing about XP being the last good Windows, and 2000/98. And DOS. Its a vicious cycle where people act like in the future Windows will be horrible and fail and yadda yadda yadda.

    8 is a great OS. Good improvements to the desktop UI and good improvements under the hood, which is what a OS needs.

    Most people are taking one feature and solely focusing on that as if that's all you ever see or use in the OS and therefore it is BAD.

    Really wish people would get off the whole Metro thing.
    Reply
  • vipervoid1
    Actually ~
    There are a site named : AskVg ~
    U will need to update your OS with a Windows Update before u can see it in windows store ~
    This is the article :http://www.askvg.com/guide-how-to-upgrade-to-windows-8-1-from-windows-8/
    Reply