Compatibility update is available for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Update information

How to obtain this update

Windows Update

This update is available from Windows Update.

Microsoft Download Center

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services

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The kinds of problems that are resolved by application compatibility updates

When you try to install and run certain games or applications in Windows 8 or in Windows Server 2012, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• The game, the application, or the driver is installed incorrectly.
• The game, the application, or the driver causes system instability.
• The primary functions of the game, of the application, or of the firmware do not work correctly.

Applications or devices that experience a change in behavior after you install this update

The following table lists the applications and devices that were included in this cumulative update package. This table also describes the behavior of these applications and devices after you install the update.

Compatibility updates trigger several changes in Windows 8. The following are the three most common:

Hard block

The update puts a hard block on the application. A hard block prevents an application that is incompatible with Windows 8 from running on the system.

Note Microsoft enables Windows to put a hard block on a non-Microsoft application only if the manufacturer is notified.

Soft block

This update puts a soft block on the application. A soft block notifies you when one of the primary functionality of the application is broken on Windows 8 or causes instability to application experience.

Driver Block

This action may block an existing driver on your computer. When the driver is migrated during the upgrade, an Inbox driver will be installed.

Applications and devices that are included in this update

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

Windows Update replacement information

This update replaces the following updates:

• 2792476 The compatibility update for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012: December 2012
• 2764462 The compatibility update for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012: November 2012