VT Technology Blog: BUILD 2014: Windows 8.1 Update, Windows Server 2012 R2 Update

On Wednesday, 04/02/2014 Microsoft announced major updates to Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Phone. Windows 8.1 Update and Windows Server 2012 R2 Update are available for download on MSDN and TechNet today (with automatic updates beginning April 8).

The List of all sessions for the Build 2014

Windows 8.1 updates:

Power and search buttons on start.
Smart mouse tweaks.
Boot to desktop.
Modern Apps on the taskbar.
Desktop clicks don't open modern Apps.
Title bar for Store Apps.
Newly installed Apps are more obvious

Downloads:

Windows Server 2012 R2 updates:

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Here is what is included in Windows Server 2012 R2 Update:

Cumulative roll-up – Windows Server 2012 R2 Update includes all of the previously-released monthly roll-ups, individual updates, and security updates released since RTM.
Bug fixes – In response to customer and partner feedback, this update includes a range of performance and reliability improvements.
Enhancements – A range of enhancements are also included in the update including:

Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer (EMIE). This is focused on delivering better compatibility for server line of business applications.
Active Directory fix for Office 365, to enable sign-on using an Office 365 email address. This would also make the RDS end user experience the same as on Windows 8.1 Update.
User interface. On a typical server installation, end users will see a Search and a Power button on the modern Start page.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Update:

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After the update is installed, the following features are present:

Internet Explorer 11 now includes an “Enterprise Mode.” This mode is available if you disable Enhanced Security Configuration and provides better compatibility for sites designed for Internet Explorer 8, along with tools to manage which web apps use it. You can specify a list of web apps to render dynamically in Enterprise Mode, avoiding compatibility problems with web apps written for older versions of Internet Explorer. For more information, see the Internet Explorer 11 FAQ for IT Pros or TechNet documentation.
The user interface includes buttons for Search and Power on the Start page. If you install the Desktop Experience feature, other changes introduced with Windows 8.1 Update will also be visible. For details, see What's new in Windows 8.1 Update and Windows RT 8.1 Update. The specific Windows 8.1 features installed when you install Desktop Experience have not changed from those in Windows Server 2012 R2 (see Desktop Experience Overview).
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) has added the capability for an administrator to enable signing in with an alternate login ID that is an attribute of the user object in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). This enables customers to adopt Azure Active Directory without modifying on-premises User Principal Names (UPNs). It also allows users to log in to the computer using an Office 365 email address instead of a UPN. This change does not affect the Active Directory schema. For more information, see Configuring Alternate Login ID.
The update includes all other updates released since Windows Server 2012 R2 was released.