Amid Download Issues, Microsoft Pulls Windows RT Version of 8.1 Update
"Why can't I find Windows 8.1 update in Windows Store?"
"Why won't Windows 8.1 load?"
"I'm hating Microsoft right now. Windows 8.1? Forget it."
These were some of tech search queries I and likely many other mobile Windows users have plugged into Google search over the last several days. Since Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 update last week, many users have been unable to download the RT version of the operating system for mobile devices. Like me, many were unable to even locate the update in the Microsoft Store in the first place.
It turns out Microsoft removed the update from the Windows Store on Saturday. In a statement sent to ZDNet, Microsoft said it decided to remove the update as it investigates "a situation affecting a limited number of users updating their Windows RT devices to Windows RT 8.1."
With Windows 8.1, Microsoft was aiming to assuage many of the complaints that longtime Windows customers had when the company rolled out the dramatically different Windows 8 interface last fall. The update includes the return (sort of) of the beloved Start button, as well as a handful of other improvements like improvements include better cloud integration, more customizability and a native Bing search bar.
Microsoft is expected to unveil next-generation Surface tablets at an event tomorrow. There is still no word about when a working Windows 8.1 RT update will be available.
Related: A Year Later, Microsoft Finally Releases Windows 8.1 Update to Appease Angry, Confused Customers
