There will be no ISO downloads of Windows 8.1 for the public.

Anonymous
2013-10-17T19:50:01+00:00

Microsoft has made it known there will be no .ISO file for Windows 8.1 available to the general public.

"Consumers" here really means any copies of Windows 8 that weren't purchased through Microsoft's Volume Licensing programs. So a small business with 20 PCs to upgrade, for example, will have to do them one at a time via the Windows Store – so that's 20 separate 3.5GB downloads.

The Windows Store is the only way for consumers (non-enterprise, non-IT Pro) to download and install Windows 8.1. No ISOs will be made available, so each device needs to be updated individually via the Windows Store.

UPDATE:

Since I started this discussion, Microsoft has introduced a Media Creation Tool that makes it easy to download a .ISO file and create bootable media:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

The new downloader allows for selection of:

⦁ Language

⦁ Windows 8.1 Version

⦁ Architecture

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Install and upgrade

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-10-25T11:56:14+00:00

    It is all the same upgrade, just a different means to do it.  This will wipe everything from your system, however, so make sure to have a backup.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-10-25T11:45:07+00:00

    Hi Andre,

    The specified route is for the purpose of upgrade from windows 7 or windows 8.1 preview, so wether the version downloaded will be stable on windows 8. Wether the version downloaded is the same version as downloaded though windows store.

    In short wether

    upgrade from windows store = upgrade through above route

    Kindly clarify.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-10-25T05:27:14+00:00

    Totally disheartened :( I have tried the workaround on two pcs both running genuine W8, and I get a failed download reporting too many error blocks, every time...

    Both pcs are kept perfectly clean of  any rubbish and work perfectly well.

    This is my worst experience to date with a major Windows upgrade.

    Please please please Microsoft make the ISO available same as it is to MSDN subscribers.  Trust your customers; listen to your customers.

    What is the point of a free update if countless of us are not even able to download it?

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-10-22T08:55:31+00:00

    I followed the steps above and cancelled Windows 8 (after somewhat partial download already) to install Windows 8.1, how can I make sure all temporarily downloaded files are cleaned after setup to regain some disk space? (from both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 asisstans) Thank you

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-10-21T01:53:53+00:00

    1). As a WIndows 8 user am I entitled to get free upgrade to Windows 8.1?

    2). Isn't signing in to Windows 8 with online account optional?

    3). Do I have to sign up to Windows Store to use Windows 8 on my machine or is it optional?

    If the answer is "yes it is optional (hxxp://www.thefreedictionary.com/optional)" then Microsoft must provide me with a way to get my Windows 8 upgraded without using Windows Store for that otherwise I would like to return all the disk instalation media of Windows 8 I have and get my money back.

    I had installed 8.0 with a local account. The upgrade did not work after downloading. In the end I created a "dummy account" with admin privileges, added a Microsoft Live account, downloaded again and installed (with difficulty - more later). Afterwards deleted the dummy account and am using the dummy account. Deleted the Skydrive app. Am not using Microsoft's included email either.

    Re difficulty installing: Since I use partition imaging backup I have turned off system restore / backup. This caused the upgrade to fail. Best is before downloading to test if other updates in the Apps will be applied.

    I rank this 8.1 on a scale worse than Windows Millennium.

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