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While Windows 8.1 launched in late 2013, the first major evolutionary patch for 2014 arrived in April. This update was crucial because it addressed the "mouse versus touch" war.
The concept behind "Evolution" builds was to take the core of Windows 8 (usually Windows 8.1 Pro) and strip away the "bloatware," integrate necessary updates, and inject features that Microsoft forgot or removed. The goal was to create the "ultimate" user experience—an OS that was faster, more beautiful, and more functional than the stock installation.
Many of these custom ISOs included a "rescue" environment. When booting from the USB or DVD, users could often access tools like Mini Windows XP or Linux-based rescue tools to fix a broken system before installing the main OS.