Joe Belfiore holds a pair of mobile phones featuring the new Windows 8.1 operating system during the company's "build" conference in San Francisco
Joe Belfiore, vice president of the operating system group at Microsoft, holds a pair of mobile phones featuring the new Windows 8.1 operating system during the company's "build" conference in San Francisco, California April 2, 2014. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Windows 8.1 users will be able to migrate to 'Windows 8.1 Update' starting 08th April 2014.

According to Microsoft, this is a mandatory and recommended update for Windows 8.1. Failure to install this Update will prevent Windows from patching the system with any future updates from May 2014. Although the Windows 8.1 Update is set out to be a security update, it packs a lot of new features. This update is available for both MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

Windows 8.0 users need not panic because Windows 8.0 will be supported untill January 12, 2016. But in case, Windows 8.0 users are interested in getting this new update, they have to first upgrade to Windows 8.1 and then should get the new Update, it is a two-step upgrade.

Important Pointers From Microsoft's TechNet blog:

1. If the device that is up for an update is not a Windows "Tablet," after update the system will boot to the desktop by default. But the users can manually change the settings to Start Screen.

2. This update does not include the much talked about "Start menu." This is a feature marked for the near-future update.

3. With Windows 8.1 as a pre-requisite, Windows 8.1 Media/WIMs/TechNet ISOs/Store bits will be slip-streamed with this Update in the near future.

4. The update released in March 2014 i.e. KB2919442 is a pre-requisite update. According to the blog, users should get this update before 2919355 can be recognized. For information on update "2919355" - Click here.

5. The Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) has been updated in order to accommodate the changes to Windows with this Update. For more information on ADK - Click here.

Reminder: In order to get the new Update, users are expected to have Windows 8.1 in their system and then hit Windows Update or the Windows Download Center.

Additional Information:

According to ZDNet, Windows Server is also getting this update along with Windows Client. It is dubbed as 'Windows Server 2012 R2 Update'. Apparently, Microsoft started rolling this server-side update for TechNet and MSDN subscribers on April 2, 2014.

Just like Windows 8.1 users, Windows Server 2012 R2 users should also apply this update if they need patches and regular fixes to be delivered to their system periodically.