Until further notice, all desktops, laptops, and tablets put to use by central state agencies cannot run Windows 8.
Microsoft is facing another hurdle in its bid to encourage adoption of Windows 8: China has reportedly banned Redmond's latest OS on government computers.
As reported by the official Xinhua news agency, all desktops, laptops, and tablets used by central state agencies must run on an OS other than Windows 8, according to China's Central Government Procurement Center.
"All computer products are not allowed to install [the] Windows 8 operating system," says a translated post on the center's website.
The center did not specify why it was banning Windows 8, but Xinhua said the country wants to avoid losing support for an operating system like it did recently with Windows XP. Last month, Redmond stopped providing support for the aging operating system, despite the fact that many public and private users were still using it.
The ban applies only to government offices; the personal computer market remains unaffected.
"We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8" a Microsoft spokesman told PCMag in an email. "Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement requirements."
In the wake of the XP support shutdown, some local industry leaders are making a push for a new home-cooked OS, likely based on Linux, Xinhua said. So far, the few Linux-based operating systems already in place in China, including KylinOS and StartOS, have not made much of an impact.
But Redmond will continue to provide Windows 7 to the Chinese government, while the company is also "working on the Windows 8 evaluation with relevant government agencies," the spokesman said.
For more, see PCMag's review of Microsoft Windows 8.1 Update and the slideshow above. Also check out 8 Things You Need to Know About Windows 8.1 Update.
Editor's Note: This story was updated Wednesday with comment from Microsoft.
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