Download and Install Windows 8.1 Preview
By: Arie Slob
Today at the Build 2013 in San Francisco, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the availability of the Windows 8.1 Preview.
Before you download and install the preview, I would recommend you take a few minutes to read the Windows 8.1 Preview FAQ.
WARNINGS:
- If you're running Windows RT you won't be able to restore Windows RT after you install Windows RT 8.1 Preview. You'll be able to upgrade to the final version of Windows RT 8.1.
- If installation of Windows RT 8.1 Preview fails on your PC, you may need to contact your PC manufacturer.
- When you install subsequent editions of Windows 8.1 you'll be able to keep your personal files, but you'll need to reinstall your apps.
So you should only run this preview if you:
- Are omfortable backing up a PC, formatting a hard drive, and installing an operating system from scratch.
- Feel comfortable troubleshooting PC problems yourself.
- Have or can create installation or recovery media and have the knowledge to restore your previous operating system after you're done testing Windows 8.1 Preview.
Now we got that out of the way, you can go to this page to start the update
If you're running Windows 8 Enterprise or the Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation on your PC, you'll need to download the Windows 8.1 Preview ISO files (these should be available tomorrow June 27th).
Once you have downloaded the initial update file, run it to update your system (Figure) 
.
After the update finishes you'll be asked to reboot, and once Windows re-starts you'll be offered the Windows 8.1 update from the Windows Store.
Since the file size is close to 2.5 GB (or just under 2 GB for the 32-bit version) it may take some time to download (depending on your bandwidth and how busy Microsoft's download servers are).
After downloading Windows will update itself. I'll publish a review of Windows 8.1 in the next few days.