Windows 8.1 with Bing for OEMs

The Windows 8.1 with Bing edition sets Bing as the default search engine within Internet Explorer. Users will be able to manually change default search settings and install additional browsers of their choice.

Windows 8.1 with Bing is based on the feature set available in Windows 8.1 Core and incudes all of the latest updates, including Windows 8.1 Update. Windows 8.1 with Bing is available for 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.

What’s new for OEMs?

Windows 8.1 with Bing is similar to other editions of Windows and should be imaged, updated, and deployed the same as any other Windows edition. However, OEMs will not be able to change the default search engine with the SearchScopes unattend setting, Registry key, or 3rd party installation tools. When a user starts Internet Explorer, Bing is automatically set to the default Search Engine and will override any OEM-configured search provider. No other Internet Explorer defaults are changed.

Imaging & deployment testing

Customize and deploy Windows 8.1 with Bing just as you would any other Windows image. Add your unattend settings, apps, drives, and other items to your image. Deploy the image to a reference PC and validate that your apps and services function as expected.

Create Windows 8.1 with Bing Baseline images

To reduce the number of Windows images you maintain, you can create a single Windows 8.1 with Bing image and then use DISM /set-edition to change to a different edition of Windows when you are ready to manufacture. For more information, see DISM Windows Edition-Servicing Command-Line Options.

Windows 8.1 with Bing is available as three different images for OEMs. You can use these as baseline images, depending on the region in which you are selling systems:

• Windows 8.1 with Bing Single Language

  Use this image as a baseline for creating standard Windows images.

• Windows 8.1 with Bing China

  Use this image as a baseline to create Windows images for China.

• Windows 8.1 with Bing N

  Use this image to create any N (or KN) edition for markets in the European Union.

Change edition matrix

The following table shows the different editions of Windows that you can change to by using DISM /set-edition. For more information, see DISM Windows Edition-Servicing Command-Line Options

Windows 8.1 N Editions

Windows 8.1 China editions

Windows 8.1 Single Language Editions