8.14 Windows 8.1 Update not available in the Windows Store

So you have clicked on the Windows Store icon only to find that when the Store window opens the link for the Windows 8.1 update is nowhere to be seen.

There are, of course, a number of reasons why the link is not currently available, with the top most reason being that, perhaps, the Windows 8.1 update has already been installed.

To check to see if the Windows 8.1 update has already been installed do the following.

Right click on the Start Button and, from the drop down menu, click on Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click on the System Icon.
Once the System window has opened take a look at the Windows Edition section displayed under View basic information about your computer.
If the Windows 8.1 update has been installed the Windows Version details should read: Windows 8.1 ©2013 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights reserved. (see fig 8.15.1 below). Incidentally, if you have the Pro version, it will say Windows 8.1 Pro.

Fig: 8.14.1 Windows version

If the Windows version is still showing Window 8 then Windows hasn't discretely installed the Windows 8.1 update, so what next?

Do you have the latest Windows updates?

To obtain the Windows 8.1 update your system needs to have installed two very important updates. These are KB2871389 and KB2917499.

Please note that without these two important updates you will not see the Windows 8.1 update option in the Windows Store.

In order for you to find out if you already have these updates on your PC you should proceed as follows:
1. Right click on the Start Button and, from the drop down menu, click on Control Panel.
2. In Control panel, click on the Programs and Features icon.
3. When the Programs and Features window opens, click on the View Installed Updates on the top left of the Programs and Features Window.
  
  Fig: 8.14.2 Click on the View Installed Updates link
4. The Windows Installed Update screen will now appear and will begin to populate with all of the available installed updates.
5. You can now either scroll down to the Microsoft Windows section of the update list or, much easier, type KB2871389 into the Search Installed Updates box at the top right corner of the window.
  
  Fig: 8.14.3 Search for the relevant update by using the search option
6. Once you have located KB2871389 you can then search for KB2917499.
7. If you have previously checked that the Windows 8.1 update has not been installed and you cannot find either of the KB updates then the chances are that you need to check Windows Updates to see if they are still awaiting download to your PC.
If you still can't find the updates via Windows Updates you may have a version of Windows 8 that doesn't support updating to Windows 8.1 via the Windows Store.

The relevant versions of Windows that do not support updating to Windows 8.1 via the Windows Store are as follows:
Windows 8 Enterprise.
Windows 8 Pro installed using a Volume Licence.
Windows 8 Pro installed using MSDN or TechNet ISO that uses Multiple Activation Keys.
Windows 8.1 Preview or Windows RT 8.1 preview.
If after going through all of the above procedures, you still are unable to locate the Windows 8.1 update in the Windows Store you may have to try updating the Store to the latest content. To do this see: How to Reset the Windows Store

If the updates are then available they should be downloaded and installed on your PC.

Once the updates are finally installed a further update KB2919355 will be made available for download. This is the Windows 8.1 update.