Window 8.1

Window 8.1

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Windows 8.1 is an operating system developed by Microsoft, released as an update to Windows 8 in October 2013.

It was primarily designed to address many of the criticisms and usability issues that users had with the original Windows 8, which introduced the touch-friendly Start screen and "Metro" interface.

Key aspects and features of Windows 8.1 include:

Restored Start Button: It brought back a visible Start button to the desktop taskbar (though it still launched the Start screen, not the traditional Start Menu).

Boot to Desktop: Users were given the option to boot directly to the traditional desktop interface instead of the Start screen.

Improved Start Screen: It offered more customization options for the Start screen, including new tile sizes, more background options, and the ability to use the desktop wallpaper as the Start screen background.

Unified Search: The new Bing Smart Search aggregated results from the PC, settings, apps, the Windows Store, and the web into a single, unified results page.

Enhanced Multitasking (Snap): It improved the "Snap" feature, allowing users to display more than two Store apps on the screen at once (up to four, depending on resolution) and use variable, continuous sizes for the snapped windows.

OneDrive Integration: It introduced tighter integration with Microsoft's cloud storage service, OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive), including "smart files" for accessing cloud content without downloading everything.

Internet Explorer 11 (IE11): It included an updated version of the web browser.

Important Note on Support:

Windows 8.1 reached its end of extended support on January 10, 2023. This means that Microsoft no longer provides:

Technical support for any issues.

Software updates.

Security updates or fixes.

Continuing to use Windows 8.1 after this date is generally not recommended due to increased security risks. Users are advised to upgrade to a supported version like Windows 10 (which has a set end of support date of October 14, 2025) or Windows 11 if their hardware supports it.