Microsoft Removes Windows 8.1 August Update For Causing Black Screen at Boot Error

Microsoft released Windows 8.1 August Update (also called Windows 8.1 Update 2 or Windows 8.1 August 2014 Update) this month. August Update was stated to bring many new improvements and features to Windows 8.1 Update 1. Details about the new features and improvements are at the bottom of this post. But it seems all didn’t went well for some users who installed this update. After installing this update, some Windows 8.1 users complained of a Black Screen at Boot.

Microsoft acknowledging the issue and withdrew all the four patches that were part of the August Update. The four patches identified are KB2982791, KB2970228, KB2975719 and KB2975331. Download links of Windows 8.1 August Update are no longer available to users.

Windows 8.1 Update

Windows 8.1 August Update caused Black Screen at Boot erros

Windows 8.1 users who installed the August 2014 Update started facing Black Screen at boot issues. The issue occurred after users restarted their computer systems after installing the updates. Soon, affected users started complaining on Microsoft’s community support forums about the issues.

Microsoft later identified that KB2982791 and KB2975719 patches were behind the cause of the issue. The tech giant later posted workarounds for users who were facing the issue.

How to remove Windows 8.1 August Update?

Microsoft advised users who were able to boot into Windows after installing the updates and faced the problem, to uninstall August 2014 Update.

Follow the steps below to uninstall Windows 8.1 August Update:

  1. To uninstall Windows 8.1 August Update, open Program and Features present in the Control Panel
  2. Click on View installed updates
  3. Find and remove KB2982791, KB2970228, KB2975719 and KB2975331 updates.

List of Windows 8.1 August 2014 Update patches that are no longer available for download

  • KB 2982791: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers
  • KB 2970228: Update to support the new currency symbol for the Russian ruble in Windows
  • KB 2975719: August 2014 update roll-up for Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
  • KB 2975331: August 2014 update roll-up for Windows 8, Windows RT 8 and Windows Server 2012

New features that were a part of Windows 8.1 Update 2

Windows 8.1 August Update included the following new features and improvements for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2:

  • Settings changes for Update and Recovery
  • Precision touchpad improvements
  • Ruble symbol update
  • Out-of-date ActiveX control blocking
  • Wi-Fi Direct APIs for Discoverability
  • Video capture metadata for MP4
  • Minimizing Logon Prompts for Microsoft SharePoint Online

According to the Windows blog, following are some of the new features and improvements included in the August 12th Update Tuesday:

  • Precision touchpad improvements – three new end-user settings have been added: Leave touch pad on when a mouse is connected; allow right-clicks on the touchpad; double-tap and drag.
  • Miracast Receive – exposes a set of Wi-Fi direct APIs for Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) drivers or OEM drivers to develop Windows 32-bit applications that run on all supported x86-based or x64-based versions of Windows 8.1, enabling the computer as a Miracast receiver.
  • Minimizing login prompts for SharePoint Online – reduces the number of prompts with federated use in accessing SharePoint Online sites. If you select the “Keep me signed in” check box when you log on for the first time, you will not see prompts for successive access to that SharePoint Online site.

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