back to article Windows 8.1 Update 1 spewed online a MONTH early – by Microsoft

Early leaks of upcoming builds of Windows are common enough, but the latest leak of code purporting to be Windows 8.1 Update 1 comes from an unusual source – Microsoft itself. On Thursday, wily snoops discovered that the set of six updates that make up the forthcoming overhaul of Windows 8.1 can already be downloaded from …

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  1. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Holmes

    Brilliant

    Applying updates with no description of what the update is supposed to be doing. And with no idea if these are the final, official updates, or some kind of beta or internal rc release. And no idea if they have any impact on your drivers.

    Windows users - got to love 'em. Clicking "install" with no idea what the consequences will be since the early '90's. This is what you call "job security" if you work in the PC repair field.

    1. Michael Habel

      Re: Brilliant

      >Implying that Person (or Persons), attempting this are somehow inept at re-installing Windows again, should they fail. Or that they somehow haven't quite come to grips with why owning an Off-(Workstation)-Site NAS Box, and keeping their "Important Crap" is a good idea!

      The only "Job Security" I see here is in MicroSoft selling even more Hard Copies of Window (H)8, to cover those that nuked there Recovery Partition ONLY install. Thankfully in the case of such sh-ty OEMs the first Warranty claim I put in for upon arrival of my new shiny shiny is to get a proper Install Disc sent to me.

      Really though in the case of Windows (H)8, your just better off installing your own Linux of choice on it. Myself I'd recommend Cinnamon Mint.

    2. h4rm0ny
      Linux

      Re: Brilliant

      >>"Windows users - got to love 'em. Clicking "install" with no idea what the consequences will be since the early '90's. This is what you call "job security" if you work in the PC repair field."

      The experimental spirit is not confined to GNU/Linux, you know. Back in my SuSE days (6.4), I'd be installing things from any number of websites if it sounded cool. Not to mention my attitude of "that compile flag sounds cool - lets add it!" The true neophile is not constrained by Operating System.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      Re: Brilliant

      Yup, because it's impossible to get alpha, let alone beta or pre-release versions of Linux.

      And editing the registry is hardly just clicking a download is it.

      BTW how's that Mozilla phone going?

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Brilliant

      Since when does any non business user read what updates do? 99% of people just set them to auto.

      That's why it's great to be able to just do a System State rollback if it screws something up....

      1. cambsukguy

        Re: Brilliant

        Restore has miraculously 'repaired' more than one machine screwed up in some unknown way and gained me plaudits along the way.

        The downside being of course, that I have to do it again in future.

        Still, less and less often - whatever folks here say about bloat-ware and dodgy OSs.

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge

          Re: Brilliant

          >Applying updates with no description of what the update is supposed to be doing. And with no idea if these are the final, official updates, or some kind of beta or internal rc release. And no idea if they have any impact on your drivers.

          Well, there is only one way to find out, hey?

          Seriously though - the sort of people who are keen for these updates would make an image of C:, and just restore it if things go pear-shaped. No problem.

    5. Duke2010

      Re: Brilliant

      Stop talking drivel

    6. Vociferous

      Re: Brilliant

      Home machine with backup, who cares if it gets borked?

  3. Ole Juul

    Someone left the barn door unlocked

    And some people started horsing around.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A question

    Q. I got paid by Microsoft to write this article

    [_} Yes

    [_} No

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A question

      What does that even mean? That's just stupid.

      1. Michael Habel

        Re: A question

        What does that even mean? That's just stupid.

        Its called a "Joke" this One being for the MicroSoft Shrills out there, that always feel the need to White Knight for their beloved Vendor.

        1. h4rm0ny

          Re: A question

          >>"Its called a "Joke" this One being for the MicroSoft Shrills out there, that always feel the need to White Knight for their beloved Vendor."

          I get accused of being a shill for MS here just for liking a lot of their products, but I've never received any remuneration from MS for my posts and never expect to. So which is worse - someone who genuinely likes technology and defends it where appropriate, or someone who just likes to throw out unprovoked character attacks at others because they like a product?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Windows

            Re: A question

            yeah, like the overwhelming majority of Linux users out there....

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: A question

              Both of them then?

              1. h4rm0ny

                Re: A question

                >>"Both of them then?"

                See, moiety? This is what happens - you make an unprovoked dig at MS users. Someone then responds with a stupid (and tired) dig at GNU/Linux, and the whole community just gets that little bit less interested in the actual technology involved and more like a crowd of drunken football supporters. And the mostly neutral people who just want to discuss actual tech get sucked into a massive waste of time and get called shills for putting down flawed attacks.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: A question

                  "See, moiety? This is what happens - you make an unprovoked dig at MS users."

                  Actually, I thought it was a dig at Wikipedia's upcoming "paid edits" policy...

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Thumb Up

                    Re: A question

                    @Anonymous Coward -

                    "Actually, I thought it was a dig at Wikipedia's upcoming "paid edits" policy..."

                    ------------------

                    OK - I could see that. Not a bad bit of trolling after all then - a slight little more info would help the trolling process though. Like sticking Jimmy Wales' name at the bottom or something. Don't want to make your trolling so "insider" that no one even understands what they're being trolled about.

                2. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: A question

                  Point taken h4rm0ny. I was actually referencing the fact that this isn't the first time Microsoft have "accidentally" let an upcoming release "escape" in order to score some free press.

                  I don't have much of an axe to grind against anybodys choice of OS. I don't like the way a lot of the big players operate, is all.

                  Nevertheless, it was a silly thing to post and wouldn't have happened if not for beer. Quite a lot of it. I really should get some sort of breathalyser lock for this keyboard.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Pint

                    Re: A question

                    @moiety - That's freaking hilarious! Nice work - no, please keep posting after the beers. As long as we know, we'll be able to laugh along with you.

                    I like the paid Wikipedia article idea though. I'll have to borrow that one for my blasts against Apple's press-release/articles.

                    1. Anonymous Coward
                      Anonymous Coward

                      Re: A question

                      Maybe we need some sort of user status in the comments, based on the amount of fumbling in the edit box

                      Status: Moiety is twatted and has his random generator turned up to 11. Again.

                      Status: User X is stone-cold sober and is genuinely like that etc.

                      Get on it El Reg!

                  2. h4rm0ny
                    Pint

                    Re: A question

                    Actually, I was more offended by the fact you had mismatched parentheses characters in your post. ;)

                    No worries! Have one more on me - it's the weekend. ;)

                    1. Anonymous Coward
                      Anonymous Coward

                      Re: A question

                      I thought they looked pretty and the fact that it would make programmers dribble and twitch never occurred to me.

                      That's how much beer we're talking about.

          2. LordWilmore

            Re: A question

            I think you'll find the slur used was 'Shrills'. Presumably people with higher voices are staunch supporters of Windows.

          3. Vociferous

            Re: A question

            > I've never received any remuneration from MS for my posts

            You really shouldn't work for free. It drives down wages.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: A question

        Q. I got paid by Microsoft to write this article

        [_} Yes

        [_} No

        "What does that even mean? That's just stupid."

        Can you really not understand that? Really? It is a yes or no question.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: A question

          Actually it's a statement.

        2. Solmyr ibn Wali Barad

          Re: A question

          Yes/no questions are not always simple. Most of the real-world scenarios cannot be approximated to one-bit values. Too much loss in the compression. And if the end result, the gained knowledge, is not useful, there is no good reason to ask at all. It's nothing more than a noise.

          Even worse, question may be set up in a way that both answers would be actually the same - like the good old "have you stopped beating your wife?" or "do you still drink in the morning?"

  5. sam bo

    Too late !

    looks like MS have already shut the door on this one. No updates for this 8.1 machine after doing the registry hack.

  6. solo

    "..or the process will likely fail.."

    They always fail for the first time. So they chose to release it in disguise to let of the first time blues.

  7. John Tserkezis

    I don't have 8.1 desktop around here...

    ...So I'm going to wait for the official April release before not caring about it.

    1. h4rm0ny

      Re: I don't have 8.1 desktop around here...

      You obviously care to some degree because you clicked on article specifically about Windows 8.1 updates and then bothered to post.

      Unreasoning hatred is still caring. ;)

  8. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

    Update to 8,1 NOW!!

    World: "No"

  9. vmistery

    But what do the updates actually do? Now I am an intrepid explorer and all of all things new, beta and shiny but I do normally like to read the release notes or some comments about why it is so amazing first.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "But what do the updates actually do?"

      Apparently make Windows 8 less crappy and more bearable for those that are stuck in the past in a non touchscreen world....Amongst lots of other things.

      "We are making improvements to the user interface that will naturally bridge touch and desktop, especially for our mouse and keyboard users," said Joe Belfiore, vice president of Windows Phone. "We have a number of targeted UI improvements that keep our highly satisfying touch experience intact, but that make the UI more familiar and more convenient for users with mouse/keyboard."

      1. Michael Habel

        Apparently make Windows 8 less crappy and more bearable for those that are stuck in the past in a non touchscreen world....Amongst lots of other things.

        ....Really? Why do I get a rather condescending vibe from this Guy? Like 24" Touchscreen Monitors are the "New BIG DEAL!", and I still just haven't been clued into this fact yet? Even though Touchscreen Monitors, have been 'round since the Vista era?

        1. dogged

          > Why do I get a rather condescending vibe from this Guy?

          Because you're a touchy prick?

        2. Richard Plinston

          > Even though Touchscreen Monitors, have been 'round since the Vista era?

          Actually since the early 80s. See 'HP 150'.

          In the 90s there were many touch monitors avilable, mostly for Kiosk type applications.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Touch screen

          monitors have been around since the nineties...Albeit with an IR grid but touchscreen all the same...

      2. Anonymous Bullard
        FAIL

        has the penny dropped?

        '"We are making improvements to the user interface that will naturally bridge touch and desktop, especially for our mouse and keyboard users,"'

        So it seems that (according to their statement) it wasn't good for mouse/keyboard users after all!

        That should have been their priority!! There wasn't hoards of touch-screen Windows users demanding a touch interface. In fact, even though they've inflicted everyone with an interface designed for touch interface and there still isn't hoards of touch-screen users!

        Sorry, MS. Too little, far too late.

        So when I read this, from the guy behind L-Mint, I switched faster than you can say alt-control-delete: "If we can make things better for people whose screen is tactile, we're happy to do so. If it's at the cost of frustrating desktop computer users based on the limitations of these portable devices, we're not interested"

        [MS's $1bn advertising campaign crushed by 2 sentences.]

        Lesson for MS: Beta testing and previews are important not only for your customers, but also for yourselves.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "more bearable for those that are stuck in the past in a non touchscreen world"

        Touchscreen = fingerprints = a pain in the arse if you'e doing anything visual. You either work through them and risk a flaw in your work because that smudge was part of the image and not the fingerprint you thought it was; or you clean the screen and have to then shut down the 20 apps that you started up whilst wiping.

        Some setups are simply more suitable for some types of work.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "Touchscreen = fingerprints = a pain in the arse if you'e doing anything visual"

          Really? How do you explain the tablet market then?

          I have switched to touchscreen laptops and monitors, and they are great - particularly for visual work - fingerprints aren't any more of an issue...

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Me no click!

    Run away!

  11. h4rm0ny

    So what's in it?

    Surely El Reg. can ferret out someone who's installed them and report back?

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: So what's in it?

      Yeah, that would be nice. Is is a Big Deal update like 8.1?

    2. dogged

      Re: So what's in it?

      Haven't there been tons of stories about this anyway?

      Minimize buttons on metro apps, some new stuff in the main title bars, just pointy-clicky stuff for when you need to be all pointy and clicky.

      1. h4rm0ny

        Re: So what's in it?

        I wish MS had the courage of their convictions. I have never needed a minimize button on a Metro app and I can't see why I ever would. I have a keyboard, for Pity's sake. If I want to get back to the Start screen, it's approximately one centimetre away from my left hand at any moment (Windows key). No mouse, no touch screen needed. Just keyboard. Windows 8 works fine with mouse and keyboard. Just some people are very bad with change.

        1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
          Thumb Up

          Re: So what's in it?

          We finally discovered someone who uses the Windows Key!

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