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Microsoft delivers fixes for Windows 8, Windows RT

There are several non-security-specific updates for Windows RT, the operating system for ARM-based tablets and PCS including the Surface RT, as part of this month's Patch Tuesday.

Mary Jo Foley
Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 30 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). She also is the cohost of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT network.
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Mary Jo Foley
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It's February 12, yet another Patch Tuesday. Among the security fixes aplenty that Microsoft is rolling out today are a few other non-security-specific updates for Windows RT and Windows 8.

Microsoft's current Windows RT-based Surface tablet.
Microsoft's Windows RT-based Surface tablet. Josh Miller/CNET

As previously announced, the February cumulative update includes fixes designed to improve Surface Wi-Fi reliability and connectivity, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed.

Microsoft also has provided a fix for the app-store-downloading bug that a number of Surface RT and Windows RT users reported a few weeks back. The problem resulted in Windows RT systems entering "Connected Standby" while the devices were downloading new Windows Updates via Automatic Update. The result was users were unable to get Windows Store applications or related updates. The problem and update are detailed in Knowledge Base article 2808380.

Another update part of today's set of fixes for Windows RT (and Windows 8, as well) are driver updates improving performance with Windows, Volume and Power buttons. Among these fixes is one designed to make sure Windows 8-based devices wake from sleep when users press the Windows key or Home Button. (I've had an issue with this on my Surface Pro loaner, which resulted in me having to restart the device every time I wanted to use it.)

Other non-security-specific updates for Windows RT and/or Windows 8 include improvements for Bluetooth audio playback quality and playback when users stream videos from Windows Media Center to Xbox consoles. There's also a fix for issues some users have had around receiving redundant security confirmations after they connect their Microsoft accounts to Windows 8-based devices.

A bunch of new language packs are also part of the set of updates out today, including support for Slovak, Bulgarian, Solvenian, Croatian, Estonian, Serbian (Latin), Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia), Kazakh and Lithuanian.

To check for and proactively install Windows 8/Windows RT updates, Microsoft advises users to follow this check list:

  • Open PC Settings, by swiping in from right edge (or, if using a mouse, point to upper-right corner of screen)
  • Tap or click Settings
  • Tap or click Change PC settings
  • Under PC settings, tap or click Windows Update
  • Tap or click Check for Updates

Here's more on the security-related batch of Patch Tuesday updates out today.

This story originally appeared at ZDNet under the headline "Microsoft delivers Connected Standby, Wi-Fi and other fixes for Windows 8, Windows RT."