Windows 8.1 is an update to Windows 8, similar to service packs from previous editions of Windows. It includes some small usability changes to help make the new Windows 8 user interface more friendly to traditional keyboard / mouse input: the return of a Start button and the ability to boot directly to the desktop are the main additions. This should make it much easier to transition from an older version of Windows to 8.1, but the interface is still quite different and make take some getting used to.
Windows 8.1 comes in two primary editions. This is the standard version, which is aimed at home users. It has support for most of the features a normal PC user needs, but does not include BitLocker, Boot from VHD, Client Hyper-V, Domain Join, Encrypting File System, Group Policy, Remote Desktop Hosting, Media Center, or DVD playback. It can be upgraded to add those features at a later date with the Windows 8.1 Pro Pack.
Windows 8.1 comes in two primary editions. This is the standard version, which is aimed at home users. It has support for most of the features a normal PC user needs, but does not include BitLocker, Boot from VHD, Client Hyper-V, Domain Join, Encrypting File System, Group Policy, Remote Desktop Hosting, Media Center, or DVD playback. It can be upgraded to add those features at a later date with the Windows 8.1 Pro Pack.
William George (Marketing Project Manager) Says:
Windows 8.1 is definitely a step in the right direction with the user interface, returning some familiar aspects of it like the Start button on the desktop. The ability to boot directly to the desktop is also handy, since most desktop and even laptop systems are going to be more at home there than with the touch-centric Start interface and apps. Still, users who are accustomed to Windows XP, Vista, or 7 may be better served by sticking with 7 as long as possible. Now Windows 8.1 does have some cool features 'under the hood'. The Storage Spaces functionality allows easy setup of multiple drives as a large single drive, with redundancy as an option. Support for multiple monitors is improved compared to previous versions of Windows as well. Some features have gone away, though, like portions of the nice Windows 7 backup utility - and Media Center, a feature I use heavily at home, is only available via an add-on pack from Microsoft. For more of my thoughts on the original incarnation of Windows 8, check out this blog post.
Windows 8.1 is definitely a step in the right direction with the user interface, returning some familiar aspects of it like the Start button on the desktop. The ability to boot directly to the desktop is also handy, since most desktop and even laptop systems are going to be more at home there than with the touch-centric Start interface and apps. Still, users who are accustomed to Windows XP, Vista, or 7 may be better served by sticking with 7 as long as possible. Now Windows 8.1 does have some cool features 'under the hood'. The Storage Spaces functionality allows easy setup of multiple drives as a large single drive, with redundancy as an option. Support for multiple monitors is improved compared to previous versions of Windows as well. Some features have gone away, though, like portions of the nice Windows 7 backup utility - and Media Center, a feature I use heavily at home, is only available via an add-on pack from Microsoft. For more of my thoughts on the original incarnation of Windows 8, check out this blog post.
Model: Microsoft WN7-00615
Specifications
Minimum Specifications | |
| CPU | 1 GHz |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| HDD Free Space | 20 GB |
| Graphics | DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver |
Maximum Specifications | |
| Physical Processors | 1 |
| Logical Processors (CPU Cores) | 256 |
| RAM | 128 GB |
