Curious about the latest Windows 8.1 Update or not sure what this is about? KB2919355 is a cumulative set of important updates and new features, delivered via Windows Update. If you want to keep your system up to date and secure, you should apply this update. And you may appreciate some of its novelties.

Microsoft is rolling out the Windows 8.1 Update via automatic updates over the next weeks. If you want to be ahead of the curve, you can manually install KB2919355 right now. Or maybe you were one of the first people to receive it automatically and it's already installed.

How Do I Know Whether Windows 8.1 Update Is Already Installed Or Not?

Microsoft released Windows 8.1 Update on April 8th and has been rolling it out via Windows Update. If you enabled automatic updates, your system might be up to date already. To be sure, check your Start screen and look for the Search button in the top right, next to your account name. If you see it, you are running the latest Update.

New Start Screen

What Is Windows 8.1 Update About?

Among security updates and the latest drivers, this update also comes with new features and software. The key objective of the update is to make Windows 8.1 more convenient for all its users, whether they're on a desktop or a mobile device. The updated Windows 8.1 will selectively cater features to users, based on what type of device they are using.

On mouse and keyboard operated PCs without a touch screen, Windows 8.1 should now offer the following default behaviors:

  • boot to desktop (was a possible setting earlier)
  • power button on Start screen
  • Taskbar shows on any screen, even while using Modern / Metro / Store apps
  • desktop software style title bars in Modern / Metro / Store apps

Ars Technica reports that these device-sensitive features are not without fault, yet. Fortunately, it's possible to customize them.

Other new features include:

  • search button on the Start screen (next to the power button, if applicable)
  • open and pinned apps are listed in the Taskbar (can be disabled)
  • context menus for mouse users, e.g. upon right-click on app tiles
  • improved disk space management tool

Do I have To Install Windows 8.1 Update?

Yes! If you are already running Windows 8.1 and skip this update, Microsoft will eventually stop issuing security patches and other updates, meaning your system will be increasingly insecure. Interestingly, Windows 8 will continue receiving updates until January 12, 2016. So if you have been unsure about upgrading to Windows 8.1, you can wait a little longer.

How Can I Manually Install Windows 8.1 Update?

Assuming you already upgraded to Windows 8.1, you need to apply other important updates before you'll be shown KB2919355, aka Windows 8.1 Update. This will take some time and you will need to reboot your computer.

Open the Charms bar, go to Settings, and click Change PC settings in the bottom right. Open Update and recovery and in the Windows Update tab, click the Check now button, and proceed to install all due updates. You will have to reboot your computer, wait for updates to be installed, and you might have to repeat this process if you have not installed updates for a while.

Install Windows Update

The size is a good indicator of whether or not the update contains KB2919355, which is around 880 MB large. To manually initiate the installation, click View details, look for KB2919355, select it, and click Install. Downloading and installing this update can take a significant amount of time; you should calculate at least one hour.

Important Windows Update

If the update fails to install, maybe you didn't have enough disk space available and need to free up space first.

Is It Possible To Remove Windows 8.1 Update?

Yes! Downgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 8 was impossible, unless you made a full system backup. But since Windows 8.1 Update is delived via Windows Update, it's easily removed via the Windows Control Panel.

Open the Charms bar, go to Settings, click Change PC settings in the bottom right, click Control Panel in the bottom left, go to Programs, and under Programs and Features click View installed updates. Select the update you want to remove and click the Uninstall button.

Uninstall Update

Windows 8.1 Update Isn't Installing Or Has Caused Issues, What Can I Do?

A common problem is that the update fails to install with errors like 80070020 or 80073712. Not all of these issues have been solved, yet. To ensure success, you can check a few basic things before upgrading:

  • Do you have enough disk space available for the several hundred MB update?
  • Is your computer connected to the Internet?
  • Have you connected your computer to the Internet via a LAN cable for better bandwidth and download speeds?

We cannot cover all possible issues here and we are also not able to provide tech support in response to this article. You can, however, post your issue in the Microsoft Community or ask for help on MakeUseOf Answers.

Have You Updated?

I updated as soon as I had some time to sit down and let the computer do its thing. So far, I'm enjoying the new features.

How did your update go and what do you think about the new features?