Table of Content
For Home and Pro editions, the end date for support is two years after a feature update is released. Thus, the original release of Windows 11 Home and Pro, version 21H2, will stop receiving updates on Oct. 10, 2023; the end date for version 22H2 is Oct. 8, 2024. Once those dates arrive, customers need to install a newer feature update to remain in support. Microsoft continues to sell traditional versions of Office with a perpetual license. These products receive regular security and reliability updates but don't qualify for feature upgrades. They also require activation and can only be installed on a single PC.
October 14, 2025 is the general end-of-support date for Windows 10. Specific versions and editions of Windows 10 have different end of support dates; see Windows 10 version history for a breakdown of dates by version and edition. Windows 8.1 comes with Internet Explorer 11 and a search system powered by Bing. Windows 8.1 also has the ability to show desktop after login by default in place of the Start screen. Windows 8.1 has enhanced Start screen, All Apps view, additional snap views, a number of backgrounds and color options, more bundled apps, support for high resolution displays, better integration with OneDrive, etc.
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Microsoft reportedly removed the graphical Windows Experience Index in order to promote the idea that all kinds of hardware run Windows 8 equally well. This version includes the core features, but none of the business features. Basic Edition is great for those general consumers (mother, grandmother, father, step-uncle, far removed cousin). Get the ISO file for Windows 8 without the Media Creation Tool or a product key. Support for the original release of Windows 8 ended "two years after the General Availability of the Windows 8.1 update," or Oct. 18, 2015. Microsoft's officialWindows 8.1 Support Lifecycle Policytreats Windows 8.1 as if it were a service pack for Windows 8.
These life cycles apply equally to business and home versions of Windows and Office. ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites.
List of Microsoft Windows versions
The Windows 10 support life cycle follows the full 10-year support calendar, with the operating system scheduled for "retirement" on Oct. 14, 2025. The assurance of support is especially important for business customers, who tend to be conservative in their approach to upgrades. It provides customers with same features as Windows 8, such as easy-to-use interface, Mail, SkyDrive, other built-in apps, touch function, etc. Meanwhile, it also offers different characteristics like enhanced BiLocker technology, Office 2013 RT and so on. Please don't scroll past this—the Internet Archive is growing rapidly, and we need your help. As an independent nonprofit, we build and maintain all our own systems, but we don’t charge for access, sell user information, or run ads.
Shortly after its release, Windows RT 8.1 was temporarily recalled by Microsoft following reports that some users had encountered a rare bug which corrupted the operating system's Boot Configuration Data during installation, resulting in an error on startup. On October 21, 2013, Microsoft confirmed that the bug was limited to the original Surface tablet, and only affected 1 in 1000 installations. The company released recovery media and instructions which could be used to repair the device, and restored access to Windows RT 8.1 the next day. Peter Bright of Ars Technica praised many of the improvements on Windows 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.
History
This system is mainly designed for technology lovers and professionals, which offers more technologies. Apart from all the functions of Windows 8.1, it owns EFS , virtualization, PC Management, Windows Media Center and so forth. July 2007 is when it was reported that the Vista's successor was codenamed "7," rather than "Vienna," indicating that Vienna's discontinuation had occurred by then.
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The messaging app from Windows 8 has been replaced by Skype, which also allows users to accept calls directly from the lock screen. Windows 8.1 also includes Internet Explorer 11, which adds support for SPDY and WebGL, and expanded developer tools. The Metro-style variant of IE11 also adds tab syncing, the ability to open an unlimited number of tabs, and Reading List integration. Myerson stated that these changes would occur in a future update, but did not elaborate further. A distinction is the removal of the tooltip with the preview thumbnail of the Start screen.
In February 2013, ZDNet writer Mary Jo Foley disclosed potential rumors about "Blue", the codename for a wave of planned updates across several Microsoft products and services, including Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Outlook.com, and SkyDrive. In particular, the report detailed that Microsoft was planning to shift to a more "continuous" development model, which would see major revisions to its main software platforms released on a consistent yearly cycle to keep up with market demands. Lending credibility to the reports, Foley noted that a Microsoft staff member had listed experience with "Windows Blue" on his LinkedIn profile, and listed it as a separate operating system from 8. Despite these improvements, Windows 8.1 was still criticized for not addressing all issues of Windows 8 (such as poor integration between Metro-style apps and the desktop interface), and the potential privacy implications of the expanded use of online services.
Confusingly, Microsoft does not offer extended support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021, which ends support on Jan. 12, 2027. For customers running Windows 11 Enterprise and Education editions, the support life cycle for a feature update is three years instead of two. These customers have until Oct. 8, 2024, to update from version 21H2; the end date is Oct. 14, 2025, for version 22H2. In 2012 and 2013, Microsoft released versions of Windows specially designed to run on ARM-based tablets; these versions of Windows were based on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, respectively, although the standard versions could run on x86-based tablets without modification.
Mainstream support for the Embedded Industry edition of Windows 8.1 ended on July 10, 2018 and extended support will end on July 11, 2023. Those dates are calculated under the Modern Policy, which requires that the device in question be running a supported feature update. For Windows 10, feature updates were originally released every six months, with a support life cycle that lasted 18 months for each.
Leonhard considered this to be ironic, given that Microsoft had criticized Google's use of similar tactics with its "Scroogled" advertising campaign. 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. In early May, press reports announcing the upcoming version in Financial Times and The Economist negatively compared Windows 8 to New Coke. Shaw rejected this criticism as "extreme", adding that he saw a comparison with Diet Coke as more appropriate. Includes all of the same features of Windows 8.1 Pro and then adds things like Windows To Go, DirectAccess, BranchCache, AppLocker, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure , and Windows 8 app deployment. A secure download link will be generated and sent to you automatically by these links.
In non-touch environments, the default image viewer and media player programs were changed back to Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Media Player in lieu of the Xbox Video and Photos apps. 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. To assist users in learning the Windows 8 user interface, an interactive tutorial was also offered, along with a new Help + Tips app for additional information. In contrast, Windows RT 8.1 downplays the desktop interface further by not displaying the Desktop tile on its default Start screen at all . Windows 8.1 aimed to address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers on launch. For older versions of Windows and Office, Microsoft provides at least five years of mainstream support, followed by another five years of extended support.
Windows XP-based tablets
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 editions of Windows 8.1 unlike BitLocker , device encryption requires that the device meet the Connected Standby specification and have a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 chip. Windows 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.
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