If your Windows 8 Enterprise comes from a company, ask your admin to perform the upgrade. If you're an admin, you should know what to do.

You're assuming that the admin wants to backup all data, then perform an "update" (in our case, an installation from zero is required, so it's not an update, it's a clean install), re-install all previously installed software and do the same thing on every single computer that had Win8 installed. You're assuming too much.

You're assuming that the admin wants to backup all data, then perform an "update" (in our case, an installation from zero is required, so it's not an update, it's a clean install), re-install all previously installed software and do the same thing on every single computer that had Win8 installed. You're assuming too much.

Win 8.1 Enterprise can be updated in-place. It just can't be done through Windows Store. In my case I only need Win 8.1 Enterprise ISO image with the same bits and language as the installed 8.0, and the new 8.1 key. I bet that an experienced admin can set up rule so you only require some automatic installation and reboot into 8.1. If you're working in a small company, the admin can perform a manual update, without any need to reinstall software. http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-windows_install/upgrade-from-windows-8-enterprise-to-81-enterprise/eef7cdf2-ff44-4e41-87fe-462dc313e51b

I still don't know why MS decided to make it so difficult to update the Enterprise systems. It's a huge waste of time (money) not to enable the Store update or a Windows Update (Enterprise solutions can restrict whether to enable MS WUpdate or leave only the SysAdmin WUpdate enabled, so as to restrict certain problematic updates).