Now you may update your Windows RT tablet!

Microsoft today re-released the Windows RT 8.1 update on its Windows Store.

The re-launch of the update followed an unusual move by Microsoft on Friday, when it yanked Windows RT 8.1 from its official distribution mart after some Surface RT owners reported that their tablets had been crippled.

"The update to Windows RT 8.1 is once again available as a free download in the Windows Store for users with Windows RT devices," a Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed in an email Tuesday.

The company also provided some information about the cause of the borked update.

"A very small number of Surface RT customers ... had experienced an issue that left the update incomplete and their devices unbootable," Microsoft said in the statement. "This was due to a rare situation where firmware updates had not completed at the time of the update to RT 8.1."

Microsoft today repeated its assertion of Monday that the flaw had "bricked" only a small fraction of those who tried to update to Windows RT 8.1, saying that just 0.1% of all updates -- or 1 out of every 1,000 -- ended with a useless device.

On Sunday, Microsoft published instructions and a disk recovery image necessary to restore customers' tablets. Others who had not updated before Microsoft pulled the listing from the Windows Store can now tackle the process. "We now encourage customers to update their Surface RT devices," Microsoft said Tuesday.

The snafu was an embarrassment for Microsoft, as it was limited to the company's own Surface RT tablet, and did not affect any of the few other tablets powered by Windows RT that were sold in the last 12 months by OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners.

Microsoft did express contrition, but did not describe what it would do to make sure there would not be a repeat down the road. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," said Microsoft.

Yes, Apple has recalls too. Check that SSD on your Macbook Air

Apple is warning customers that solid-state drives in some MacBook Airs are failing and is offering free replacements.

The company said that 64GB and 128GB SSDs were failing in MacBook Air laptops sold between June 2012 and June 2013. The drives will be replaced free, the company said in webpage about the SSD recall.

The laptops involved are the previous generation of MacBook Airs, which ran on Intel Ivy Bridge processors. The failure affects users in all countries where MacBook Airs were sold. Users can visit an Apple Store, an authorized reseller or contact the company to replace the SSDs.

Users can determine if their drives are affected through firmware available at the Mac App Store. Users can click on Updates at the Mac App Store and choose "MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1," which will check the drive.

Apple is recommending users back up their data and that they not install any new OSes or applications.

SSD failures have been decreasing over the years as the drives have become more reliable. Intel has recalled SSDs multiple times in the past years after finding bugs in the drives.

So you bricked your Surface RT tablet?

Actually, you probably didn't, since you don't own one, but if you do (like me), and you updated it to Windows 8.1 (I did not), then you already know what a bricked tablet is.  To fix the issue, click here for an article on PCMag on the problem and the fix.

Get a Day Pass for your tablet from AT&T

AT&T plans to offer tablet users a $5 day pass for mobile data service, as well as a $25 prepaid plan for 1GB over three months, in a bid to reach more types of consumers.

The “casual rate plans” are designed for consumers who don’t want tablet cellular service enough to pay a monthly fee, said Chris Penrose, senior vice president of AT&T, who announced the new offerings at the GigaOm Mobilize conference in San Francisco.

The $5 day pass includes 250MB of data. The two new plans are available now for all AT&T tablets, for a limited time, the carrier said.

This might have some potential, a way to get data on your tablet without the handcuff of a contract.  Unfortunately, your tablet has to be AT&T branded.  That stinks....

They come in bunches....Corrupt user profile

Seems tech issues come in waves, meaning you tend to see the same issues in a relatively short period of time.  This week's edition of this is the "Corrupt user Profile".  You will see it upon logging onto your account at startup.  A pain in the rear issue.  Well, rest assure, you can fix it.  Check here for the Microsoft page on the issue. 

Easily Backup Windows Drivers & Restore From Within Device Manager

Let’s face it, we’ve all been in a situation where we needed to reinstall Windows due to some issue, or after getting a warranty replacement because of some faulty component. In such scenarios, reinstalling everything from scratch can be a very tedious task, especially when it comes to hardware drivers that you had configured to a state where they were all working perfectly. While I’ve always been meticulous regarding creating PC backups, hardly have I ever thought of backing up all my device drivers to avoid extra time that would be wasted should I ever need to redo everything from scratch. That’s why when I came across Free Driver Backup – a Windows app that specifically creates driver backups – I found the idea very useful. With one mouse click, it creates driver backups to your computer’s storage that you can restore later at any time.

The tool can also come incredibly handy when you no longer have the original device driver CDs, and drivers for some of your hardware are hard to find on the internet. The backups created by Free Driver Backup can be easily restored using Windows Device Manager, which is another plus.

Due to its barebones design, initiating a backup job using this app is a straightforward process. Once launched, Free Driver Backup automatically scans your system and presents a complete list of all installed drivers. You can then select all or only the required items from the list, and hit Backup button when ready to start the backup process.  To download, head here.