Windows 8.1 August Update Released With Persistent Taskbar

As expected, Microsoft launched their Windows 8.1 August Update (update number 2) for its flagship Windows platform in the last 24 hours.

Presently available manually as a self-selected download for either 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 8.1, the Patch Tuesday rollout will also include the August Update as well.

The update has a handful of bug fixes, but also new features as well. As such, it's not thought of as an essential update, so it will only show up as a recommended one in Windows Update.

Persistent Windows Taskbar

The Windows 8.1 taskbar has become a bit sticky for some users with the August Update. For some users, the taskbar appears when they move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen and the taskbar pop-up as one would expect, but even if the settings are set for “auto hide” the taskbar doesn't hide again. For others, it appears and then disappears again when the auto hide feature is enabled. The experience appears to be inconsistent for each user.

It is understood that this is a new bug introduced with the August Update which included the Tuesday update to resolve bugs. Rather unfortunate indeed.

August Update Improvements

1. Precision touchpad movements. New settings have been added to allow users to select from 3 additional options. Allow right-clicks on the actual touchpad itself, double-tap and drag via the touchpad only, and a choice whether to leave the touchpad on when an external mouse is also connected.

2. Miracast Receiving. Miracast is used for broadcasting computer video image over to another screen for external viewing wirelessly. The PC can now act as a receiver for Miracast. Wi-Fi Direct API control code for IHV hardware vendor drivers and also drivers (OEM) for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8.1 allows software to access these drivers to perform the Miracast functionality inside Windows 8.1.

3. SharePoint Online has seen the log-in process simplified with fewer prompts to login along the way. A “keep me signed in” prompt also offers the choice to log-in just once and not be bothered again until the cookie times out eventually. The SharePoint Online experience is more comfortable from thereon without the too frequent log-in requests.

Monthly Updates

In keeping with the move to more agile computing across a number of their project groups, Microsoft will now be updating Windows far more frequently. Many of the changes will be behind the scenes and not visible to users whereas others may be more obvious. The company has said that they will continue to improve Windows 8.1 to make it a smoother user experience for all.