Windows 8.1 Preview Support Comes to an End

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Microsoft is pulling the plug on the preview build of Windows 8.1

Softpedia points out that Microsoft has discontinued supporting Windows 8.1 Preview, meaning those still running the beta will need to revert their system back to the way it was before, and upgrade to the Windows 8.1 retail release.

“Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview are prerelease versions of Windows 8.1 and are scheduled to expire soon,” reads this forum entry from Microsoft. “Therefore, the Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview communities are scheduled to retire on 14 January 2014.”

Once the communities retire, the Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows RT 8.1 Preview versions will be removed from all forum dropdowns. Users will not be able to create new threads, all threads will become locked (read-only), and hidden from search engine indexes. Threads users participated in will be archived to their profile.

For those still running the preview, they reportedly won’t be able to update to the full-blown Windows 8.1 without losing apps and settings. The best bet is to perform a clean install to get the most out of what Windows 8.1 brings to the desktop or laptop.

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Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • The Grave Digger
    Yeah..Rip Windows 8.1 Preview, and don't forget to bring your little brother(windows 8.1 final version) to Die with you :kaola:
    Reply
  • virtualban
    Yeah..Rip Windows 8.1 Preview, and don't forget to bring your little brother(windows 8.1 final version) to Die with you :kaola:
    Hahaha!! Good!
    Reply
  • qlum
    I wonder why Microsoft even bothers supporting such preview versions even for this long, I mean its a build meant to test it out really so you can't expect people to have the latest security fixes after it has been made obsolete. Windows 8.0 support I can get as a lot of people still have not updates (microsoft hiding the update far away also helps here) Not to mention the fact that pirates and corporations can't update as easily but windows 8.1 preview is just bs to support.
    Reply