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By John Callaham

 

Microsoft is now letting Windows 8.1 device owners manually download the new August update, which adds a few new features to the OS.

 

As previously announced, the Windows 8.1 August update includes these new additions:

 


  • Precision touchpad improvements – three new end-user settings have been added: Leave touch pad on when a mouse is connected; allow right-clicks on the touchpad; double-tap and drag.
  • Miracast Receive – exposes a set of Wi-Fi direct APIs for Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) drivers or OEM drivers to develop Windows 32-bit applications that run on all supported x86-based or x64-based versions of Windows 8.1, enabling the computer as a Miracast receiver.
  • Minimizing login prompts for SharePoint Online – reduces the number of prompts with federated use in accessing SharePoint Online sites. If you select the "Keep me signed in" check box when you log on for the first time, you will not see prompts for successive access to that SharePoint Online site.
 

Full Article.

 

Windows 8.1 August Update (aka Update 2) Now Available for Download

UPDATE: Recently Microsoft pulled August Update files because a few users were facing various issues such as BSOD, font rendering issues, etc after installing these updates. Now Microsoft has re-released August Update with fixes for those issues.



Last week we told you that Microsoft is going to release "August Update" (previously rumored asUpdate 2) for Windows 8.1 on August 12, 2014 and now the update is available for download.



http://media.askvg.com/articles/images5/Windows_Blue_Logo.png



The KB number of August update is KB2975719 and its available for both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) editions of Windows 8.1 operating system as well as Windows Server 2012 R2 andWindows RT 8.1. Please keep in mind that this update is not a major update. It'll bring various performance and stability improvements to the OS.



August update also fixes following annoying issues reported by users:






  • Blank icon in the Jump List after the application is updated in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2
  • You cannot sign in to a web application when you use certificate authentication method in Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Task name is deleted after you link a storage report to a scheduled task in Windows
  • Too few tiles are displayed during image customization in Windows
  • Can't disable security settings in Group Policy Preferences for Internet Explorer 10
  • USB device remove and install repeatedly when it is connected to a Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2-based computer
  • USB device appears with a yellow exclamation mark in Windows Device Manager in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Clicking "Find more" under mobile broadband causes Searching status to freeze in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1
  • Account picture shifts to right side after you unlock a computer from an application in Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1
  • "0x0000009F" Stop error occurs on a Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2-based computer
  • Properties of an item opens randomly when you double-click the item in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Computer does not wake when you disconnect AC power from the Windows 8.1-based or Windows Server 2012 R2-based computer
  • "Set as metered connection" setting for Wi-Fi and MBB connections remains in Off state in Windows RT 8.1 or Windows 8.1
  • Windows Store app still reacts to search text when you delete the text in Search charm in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1
  • Browser icons cannot be unpinned from taskbar when you change the default browser in Windows RT 8.1 or Windows 8.1
  • Delay in turning on display when you reopen lid of a Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2-based portable computer
  • PDF file pages are blank when you open the file by using a Windows Store app in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Desktop isn't shown correctly when network icon in notification area is changed repeatedly in 64-bit version of Windows
August update is already available via Windows Update. If you want to download the update directly from Microsoft servers for offline use, you can download it using following links:



Download August Update (KB2975719) for Windows 8.1 (32-bit) (100 MB)



Download August Update (KB2975719) for Windows 8.1 (64-bit) (170 MB)



Download August Update (KB2975719) for Windows Server 2012 R2 (170 MB)



There are 5 update files available for download on each page:






  • Windows8.1-KB2975719.msu
  • Windows8.1-KB2979582.msu
  • Windows8.1-KB2990532.msu
  • Windows8.1-KB2993100.msu
  • Windows8.1-KB2993651.msu
You need to download and install all of them.



Windows RT 8.1 users will need to download the update only from Windows Update.

 

Full Article
Thanks Petr!

 

Daniel 😉

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