Windows 8.1 Core

This is the first and original version of Windows 8.1. This version has actually no name, so it is generally named as Windows 8.1 Core edition. You can consider it Windows 8.1 Home Edition; which is not officially released.

Content Highlights

Windows 8.1 Core has limited features as compared to Windows 8.1 Pro and Enterprise edition. 32-bit edition only supports 4 GB RAM while 64-bit supports up to 128 GB of RAM.

Though core edition of Windows 8.1 has limited set of features, it has almost all necessary features like Metro UI, password protection, Windows Store, apps and more. This version is suitable for home use.

Windows 8.1 is an improved version of Windows 8, the start of modern desktop operating system by Microsoft.

Windows 8 was released after Windows 7 and before Windows 10. Microsoft almost overhauled the operating system to make it a modern desktop OS. Windows 8 had some serious flaws which were badly criticized by public. Therefore Microsoft released Windows 8.1 to fix those issues and introduced some new features.

Windows 8/8.1 was expected to become the best desktop OS, but it was a flop! Actually. Despite of years of efforts, Windows 8/8.1 could not prove itself a usable OS (while Microsoft was dreaming it would rock).

Windows 8.1 has its own features. Some users prefer Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 and Windows 7. That makes sense. Windows 8.1 has its own advantages and features that are not found in any other operating system.

Windows 8.1 Features

Boot direct to desktop

In Windows 8, the start screen used as first screen after user login. The users had to click desktop tile from start screen. That was kind of painful extra step. It got fixed in 8.1 where traditional desktop is the first screen after login.

Set default apps

Do you like to keep old Internet Explorer browser as your default Internet browser? Nobody likes it (even Microsoft employees, unless forced, probably). Windows 8.1 allows switching default browser and other apps like photo viewer, media player etc.

Start button

No, it is not that you are thinking. It is the same Windows 8 start button but with some improvements like right click options and a few more enhancements. Yet it does not bring start menu like Windows 7 or Windows 10 etc.

If you ask us, start button and start menu contributed above 70% towards Windows 8/8.1 failure. Microsoft stuck with it unless total destruction of Windows 8 usage.

Resize Tiles

Tiles could be resized to small, medium. large and wide sizes. Though not amazing, it was useful feature to organize start screen.

Auto app update

Windows metro apps can be set up to update automatically to newer version. You can enable/disable Automatically update apps option.

Download Windows 8.1 Core ISO

Choose 64-bit (x64) or 32-bit (x86) ISO file.

Windows_8.1_X64_English.iso

Windows_8.1_X86_English.iso

What’s New?

Stability and bugs fixed.
Overall features improved.
Refined interface.

System Requirements

Minimum:

Processor : 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
RAM : 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
Disk Space : 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics : DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver or later
Display Resolution : 800 x 600

Windows 8.1
Processor. 1 gigahertz (GHz)* or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
RAM. 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
Hard disk space. 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
Graphics card. Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
If you’re running Windows 8 you can get a free update to Windows 8.1. Just tap or click the Windows Store tile on your Start screen. Once you’ve moved up to Windows 8.1 you should get the update automatically. If you don’t, follow these steps to get it manually using Windows Update.
Additional requirements to use certain features:
To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch
To access the Windows Store and to download, run, and snap apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
Microsoft account required for some features
Internet access (ISP fees might apply)
Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database
Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance
Watching DVDs requires separate playback software (more info)
BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (Windows 8.1 Pro only)
BitLocker requires either Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or a USB flash drive (Windows 8.1 Pro only)
Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (Windows 8.1 Pro only)
A TV tuner is required to play and record live TV in Windows Media Center (Windows 8.1 Pro Pack and Windows 8.1 Media Center Pack only)
Miracast requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.3, and a Wi‑Fi adapter that supports Wi‑Fi Direct
Wi‑Fi Direct Printing requires a Wi‑Fi adapter that supports Wi‑Fi Direct and a device that supports Wi‑Fi Direct Printing
Free internet TV content varies by geography, some content might require additional fees (Windows 8.1 Pro Pack and Windows 8.1 Media Center Pack only)
To install a 64-bit OS on a 64-bit PC, your processor needs to support CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, and LAHF/SAHF
InstantGo works only with computers designed for Connected Standby
We also recommend that you visit your PC manufacturer’s website for info about updated drivers and hardware compatibility.
* Prior versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, have limited support when running on new processors and chipsets from manufacturers like Intel, AMD, NVidia, and Qualcomm. For more information, please see the Support Lifecycle FAQ. A device may not be able to run prior versions of Windows if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period.

Windows 8

Processor. 1 gigahertz (GHz)* or faster with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2 (more info)
RAM. 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
Hard disk space. 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
Graphics card. Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
Additional requirements to use certain features:
To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch
To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768 Internet access (ISP fees might apply)
Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database
Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance
Microsoft account required for some features
Watching DVDs requires separate playback software (more info)
BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (Windows 8 Pro only)
BitLocker requires either Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or a USB flash drive (Windows 8 Pro only)
Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (Windows 8 Pro only)
A TV tuner is required to play and record live TV in Windows Media Center (Windows 8 Pro Pack and Windows 8 Media Center Pack only)
Free Internet TV content varies by geography, some content might require additional fees (Windows 8 Pro Pack and Windows 8 Media Center Pack only)
* Prior versions of Windows, including Windows 7 and Windows 8, have limited support when running on new processors and chipsets from manufacturers like Intel, AMD, NVidia, and Qualcomm. For more information, please see the Support Lifecycle FAQ. A device may not be able to run prior versions of Windows if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period.

Find detailed requirements HERE.