Windows Vista SP1 beta due in September, final release in 2008

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Vista SP1 beta due in September, final release in 2008

by Brad Linder Aug 29th 2007

Microsoft has announced plans for Windows Vista SP1. As we've previously noted, a small group of PC users have been testing a pre-release version of SP1. Apparently this is pre-beta stuff, as Microsoft now says it will launch a private beta within the next few weeks. The full version of Windows Vista SP1 is scheduled for release during the first quarter of 2008. There will probably be a public beta somewhere between the private beta and the final release, but no word on when we can expect that.

So what's included in Windows Vista Service Pack 1? Microsoft has published a white paper on that topic, and here are a few highlights:

All of the updates that had been previously offered through Windows Update
Improved reliability and compatibility with newer graphics cards
Improved reliability when working with external displays on a laptop
Improved reliability of systems that were updated from Windows XP to Vista
Improved printer driver compatibility
Increased reliability and performance when entering and returning from sleep mode
Includes APIs by which third party security and malicious software detection applications can work with kernal patch protection on x64 versions of Vista
Improves the security of running RemoteApp programs and desktops by allowing Remote Desktop Protocol files to be signed
Enhances BitLocker Drive Encryption to offer an additional multifactor authentication method that combines a key protected by the Trusted Platform Module with a startup key stored on a USB storage device and a user-generated PIN
Faster copying and extracting of files
Improves the time to become active from Hibernate and Resume modes.
Reduces Internet Explorer 7 CPU utilization and speeds up JavaScript parsing
Improves battery life by not redrawing the screen as often on certain computers
Support for exFAT file system which will be used in forthcoming flash memory storage devices
Support for Secure Digital Advanced Direct Memory Acces
Support for Direct3D 10.1

Service Pack 1 will be about 50MB if installed using Windows Update. As you can see, there aren't many new features included, but there are a ton of fixes that should improve compatibility with your hardware and generally make Vista run more smoothly.

Tags: service pack, ServicePack, sp1, windows vista, windows vista service pack 1, WindowsVista, WindowsVistaServicePack1

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