Story Updated 10/19/13 4:25PM

Microsoft took its Windows RT 8.1 update offline until further notice on Saturday, after users reported that it resulted in bricked devices and lost data.

The Redmond, Wash. company posted the following a message to its website:

Microsoft is investigating a situation affecting a limited number of users updating their Windows RT device to Windows RT 8.1. As a result, we have temporarily removed the Windows RT 8.1 update from the Windows Store. We are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.

Mashable Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff offered an early warning regarding the problem on Friday, when he tweeted the following message and screenshot:

The Windows 8.1 RT update just cooked my original Surface RT #notgood #microsoft pic.twitter.com/3DSkI7bMq8 — Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) October 18, 2013

Quickly after, several other users confirmed the same results by replying via Twitter:

@LanceUlanoff DITTO! How Easily MS RUINS Its Reputation & A Good Product :( Lost All DATA Too #microsoft #surface — Ram Prasad (@ramvee) October 19, 2013

And while there are, as of this writing, no official instructions from Microsoft regarding the issue, Ulanoff said the company advised him download an ISO file to a USB stick as a possible recovery tool for his device. Unfortunately, when Ulanoff attempted to retrieve the ISO file that Microsoft provided, he was unable to download it.

So far, the problem appears to be limited to Windows RT devices. How long will those who attempted to update their Windows RT devices have to wait for answers? According to Microsoft's website: “We will provide updates as they become available.” Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Correction, 10/19/13 4:25PM The headline for a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Microsoft removed its Windows 8.1 update. The company only removed its Windows RT 8.1 update. This article has been updated to reflect the correction.