Find out which version of Windows 8 you are running
Back when I worked in tech support I encountered many customers who did not know a thing about the computer they were using.
It took a while usually to find out which operating system and web browser they were using. If you'd ask them right away, they'd usually tell you Windows but not the version of the operating system.
The Windows 8 situation reminds me a bit of that. Can you tell if you are running Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Update 1?
If you know the ver or winver command, you can tell the difference between Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 right away.
The ver command displays either Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9200] if you are running Windows 8 or Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600] if you are running Windows 8.1. Winver does the same, but displays the information in a new window on the screen instead of the command line window that you ran the command on.
The problem here is that Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update 1 share the same version so that it is not possible to determine which version you are running using the two commands.
So how can you determine whether you are running Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 update 1?
While you may determine this based on changes that shipped with Windows 8.1, like the new store interface or the shutdown and search buttons on the Start Screen, you may determine this with 100% certainty using the update history.
- Tap on the Windows-key to open the start page of the Windows 8.1 operating system.
- Type Windows Update and select that option from the list of results.
- This opens the Windows Update control panel applet on the desktop.
- Click on View Update History displayed on the left sidebar.
Here you need to locate the following updates. If they are listed on the page, you have windows 8.1 Update 1 installed. If not, then you are not running that version of the operating system yet.
- Feature Pack for Windows (KB2932046)
- Feature Pack for Windows (KB2934018)
- Feature Pack for Windows (KB2937592)
- Update for Windows (KB2919355)
Please note that additional updates may be installed as part of that, but if you have the following installed, you have Windows 8.1 Update 1 installed.
Note that there is no option to search the updates. You can however use a program like Nirsoft's View Windows Updates which allows you to search the installed updates or export the listing.
If you don't run Windows 8.1 Update 1 yet you may want to consider installing the update. Microsoft announced previously that it won't support updates for Windows 8.1 for long, so that users need to update to Windows 8.1 Update 1 to keep their systems patched with the latest security updates and patches.
Update: As Christophe has pointed out, it is possible to find out if Windows 8.1 Update 1 is installed. Visit HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ and check the the value of BuildLabEx. If it is larger than 17031, Update 1 is installed.
You can either visit Windows Store on the system to download the patches, or download the following updates manually from Microsoft to install them directly on the system.
- Update 1 for Windows 8.1 (32-bit)
- Update 1 for Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
- Update 1 for Windows Server 2012 R2
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277