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 as Update 2) for Windows 8.1 on August 12, 2014 and now the update is available for download.

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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 and Windows 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.

A few important features included in this update are as following:

More information added in Windows Update:

After installing August update, Windows will show new information in PC Settings -> Windows Update about the most recent check for updates and the last updates installation date.

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Precision touchpad improvements:

August update adds following new options in user settings to improve touch pad precision:

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  • Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected
  • Allow right-clicks on the touchpad
  • Double-tap and drag

These settings can be found in PC Settings -> PC and devices -> Mouse and touchpad page.

Ruble symbol update:

This update also adds new Ruble currency support for input and rendering.

Out-of-date ActiveX control blocking:

To improve your system security, Internet Explorer will block out-of-date ActiveX controls in webpages. It’ll help you in browsing safely on Internet. Internet Explorer will also direct you to update the out-of-date controls so you can safely interact with their most recent versions.

Miracast Receiver:

This update provides a set of Wi-Fi direct APIs for Hardware Vendors and OEM companies to develop Windows 32-bit applications that can run on all supported 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) versions of Windows 8.1 and can enable the Windows 8.1 computer as a Miracast receiver.

Also check: How to Use Miracast Wireless Display Feature in Windows 8.1 or Later?

Video capture metadata for MP4:

This feature will allow developers to read and write the “Date taken” and GPS data on MP4 files by using Windows Runtime and Win32 APIs.

Minimizing login prompts for SharePoint Online:

This update reduces the number of login prompts while accessing SharePoint Online sites. If the user enables the “Keep me signed in” check box while logging on for the first time, he’ll not see prompts for successive access to that SharePoint Online site.

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:

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.

Published in: Windows 8

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. updated it already. and stuck with a frozen task bar when you switch between the apps and desktop. what can be done for this bug?

  2. very angry, with this Windows 8.1 is cr*p. I’ll wait for Windows 9.

    Windows 8.1=Windows Vista

  3. Don’t know if this have anything to do with the update 2. Lately after doing windows update, if windows 8.1 doesn’t properly shutted down.The filesystem will be corrupted.

  4. In my PC those are just optional updates, but in important updates they have 10 updates, so I decided to install them both in my system, and now more faster more lighter than before

  5. People who got bugs after installing August‘s update try to do a system restore (restore point shall be created automatically every time when installing system updates).

  6. I just want to provide everyone with a PUBLIC OS HEALTH ANNOUNCEMENT.
    This update HAS BEEN PULLED OFFLINE BY MICROSOFT. This update was also available for Windows 7 SP1 as well, but after it was released, users who updated reported getting 0x50 stop errors upon startup in both operating systems. This is because this update creates a problem with the Windows Kernel in W7 AND W8/8.1. Microsoft is currently investigating the cause of the problem, and in the meantime, they removed the update links.

    If you are currently running Windows 7 or newer, IT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CHECK TO SEE WHETHER THIS UPDATE WAS INSTALLED ON YOUR SYSTEM. This can be done by going to Control Panel>Programs>View Installed Updates. Once you get there, check for two updates: KB2982791 and KB2970228 (if you use W7) or, if you use W8/8.1, the two aforementioned updates IN ADDITION to two others: KB2975719 and KB2975331. If you see either of these in the list, you have two paths: to uninstall them IMMEDIATELY or to uninstall them after you get stop errors (the hard way). If you choose to do preventative action and uninstall them right then and there, you can only uninstall one at a time, and after each, Windows will ask you when to restart. Choose to restart later and uninstall the other updates first. Should you choose not to do this, there is one other way to remove them: To follow the steps on this page under “Known Issue 3”: support.microsoft.com/kb/2982791
    This problem was also described here under “Known Issue 2”: support.microsoft.com/kb/2975719

    I heard about this through my Facebook news feed, and since something like Microsoft removing a Windows Update is a very rare occurrence, I knew that something major was going on. After investigating, I realized that this applied directly to all of the computers in my family’s household (we all have laptops running either W7 SP1 or W8.1). I actually found the two updates that apply for Windows 7 SP1 on my laptop and, thankfully, I removed them before I experienced the symptoms. But I just want to let everyone on here know of this so that they can protect their systems from a premature and imminent demise.

  7. At the moment, I’m updating this on Windows 8.1 through Windows Update so cannot say anything about errors in advance.

    @VG :: I have noticed that Windows Update is extremely slow than downloading offline. Let me know, if you have any solutions to make it faster than offline update.

    10.9 MB of updates took more than 13 hrs.
    2 MB of updates took more than 3 hrs.
    32.6 MB of updates took more than 10 hrs.

  8. I have updated Windows 8.1 with this update in two notebooks through Windows Update, and did not get any errors, even update size was 32.6 MB.

  9. Another black Tuesday fail.
    So I read: I bet you never knew Windows works with the font cache in kernel mode — or rather tries to work with the font cache in kernel mode.

    That’s why it’s important for you to remove the bad patches. Until Microsoft releases new versions that work correctly, you may brick your machine if you install an OTF font file that’s accessed with a link or if an application creates a link to an OTF file in your \Fonts folder.

    But there is a bright side. If you never got Windows 8.1 Update 1 installed — if KB 2919355 refused to cooperate with your machine — you’re fine. The botched patches were never offered to you scofflaws who didn’t meet the mandatory Windows 8.1 Update 1 cutoff date.

  10. These Updates has been Removed

    The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

  11. The updates have been pulled by Microsoft temporarily because some people were facing issues after installing those updates. Wait for sometime and they’ll be available soon.

  12. after installing the fixed updates, Windows Updates from last month, Update 1, and Update 2 are appearing in my Windows Update window again, do you have any fix except hiding them??? ooo and the list of installed updates is taking hours to load and showing 0 updates installed..

  13. Hii vishal..
    I am very to see that I found a lot of info on your site…actually even more than the official microsoft website….
    My ques is…
    Is windows 8.1 update 1 required to install windows 8.1 update 2..
    Thanx

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