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windows-vista-sp1 posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Reminder: Windows Vista SP1 RC expires on June 30

Windowsby Brad Linder Jun 16th 2008

Windows VistaNow that Windows Vista SP1 has been out for a few months, there's no particularly good reason that you should be running an early release candidate of the service pack. But if you're too lazy to have uninstalled it, you've got about two weeks before Microsoft forces you to do so.

Starting June 30th, any machines running a release candidate of Windows Vista SP1 will only be able to run for about an hour at a time. Basically, you boot your system, it runs normally for an hour, and then the kernel shuts down and you get a message that says END_OF_NT_EVALUATION_PERIOD. At least it's fairly easy to understand.

But wait! Didn't Microsoft push Windows Vista SP1 final out through automatic updates? Well, yes, it did. But you can only install Windows SP1 if you've first rolled back any release candidates of the service pack. So if you haven't done that yet, there's no time like the present.

[via Flexbeta]

Tags: release-candidate, sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft offers free phone support for Vista SP1

Windowsby Brad Linder Mar 24th 2008

Vista SP1
While most Download Squad readers who took part in our informal poll say that Windows Vista SP1 has either improved their Vista performance, or at least hasn't broken their PCs, some folks are bound to have issues with any upgrade. And over 100 of you told us that Vista SP1 has caused some problems for you. Fortunately, it looks like Microsoft is offering some help.

The company will offer support for Vista SP1installation and compatibility issues through March 18, 2009. You can either submit your questions via email, login to a support chatroom, or call 1-866-234-6020 to receive free telephone support.

Or you could just uninstall Service Pack 1 and wait for Service Pack 2 or Windows 7, whichever is released first.

[via ZDNet]

Tags: support, vista, vista-sp1, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Vista SP1 available now

Windowsby Brad Linder Mar 18th 2008

Vista SP1 standalone installer
No more betas, release candidates, or other test builds for Windows Vista SP1. Microsoft is pushing the final version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 out the door. You can download standalone installers for X86 and X64 systems from Microsoft starting today.

Microsoft has also released a series of documents detailing the changes in Service Pack 1. But we'll save you the trouble. For the most part, you won't notice any major differences. Service Pack 1 looks and operates a lot like the original version of Windows Vista. Almost all of the tweaks are under the hood, and what you will hopefully notice is that your computer is more reliable (meaning it crashes less often) and works better with all of your peripheral hardware devices and third party software. Microsoft also snuck a bunch of security updates in as well.

The standalone installers weigh in at 450 to 550MB, depending on how many languages are included in the version you download. If you upgrade using Windows Update, you'll only have to download about 65MB.

If you're running a pre-release version of Windows Vista SP1, you'll need to uninstall it before installing the newest version. In fact, if you're running Vista SP1 RC, you won't even see Vista SP1 in Windows Update until you uninstall your release candidate and then check for new updates, install the prerequisites, and reboot a few times.

Tags: sp1, vista, vista-sp1, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

How to download Windows Vista SP1 early

Windowsby Brad Linder Feb 12th 2008

Vista SP1 OEM
Can't wait to get you grubby little paws on the official version of Windows Vista SP1? Microsoft isn't expected to officially release the update to end users until March. But Microsoft has already posted a disc image on its OEM partner site, and if you know where to look you can download it today.

The disc image weighs in at 1.2GB and must be used to perform a clean install of Windows Vista SP1. In other words, you cannot use it to update your system and retain your files and settings. We'd recommend waiting until Microsoft pushes SP1 out through Windows Update if you're not ready to do a clean install.

Microsoft's servers are being hammered at the moment from people attempting to download SP1, so don't expect a speedy download. In fact, if you start downloading today you might not have the full disc image until March anyway.

[via WinBeta]

Tags: oem, sp1, vista, vista-sp1, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Vista SP1 alters WGA behavior

Windowsby Brad Linder Feb 10th 2008

Vista SP1 WGA nag window
Microsoft has a long history of including cumbersome anti-piracy measures in its software. So we were pretty happy to hear that the company is scaling back the Windows Genuine Advantage protection Windows Vista SP1. No longer will you find features like ReadyBoost of Aero disabled if you haven't activated Windows or if you fail a WGA test when trying to download Microsoft software.

But that doesn't mean WGA is gone. ZDNet reports that the new WGA may be less forceful, but it could be almost as annoying. Instead of logging you off or disabling services, Windows Vista SP1 will present you with a nag screen every time you logon. It will also show a pop up window periodically asking you to validate Windows. And once an hour it will change your desktop background to black. You can change it to something else, but since it'll just reset in an hour, you're probably best off learning to love a black background.

Or, you know, you could just validate your copy of Windows.

Tags: sp1, wga, windows-genuine-advantage, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Vista SP1 released to manufacturers

Windowsby Brad Linder Feb 4th 2008

Windows Vista SP1
Microsoft has released Windows Vista SP1 to manufacturers. What does that mean? While public release candidates of SP1 have been available for months, you'll actually be able to walk into a store and buy a computer running the updated version of Windows Vista pretty soon.

Microsoft is also beginning to manufacture Windows Vista installation DVDs with Windows Vista SP1, which means you'll be able to pick up a licensed copy of the software at stores within the next few months as well. In mid-March, Microsoft will make SP1 available as an optional download through the Windows Update service. In mid-April, Windows users who are signed up for automatic updates will start to receive it.

The company has identified some device drivers that are still incompatible with SP1, and promises not to push out the update to computers running those drivers. Overall, Windows Vista SP1 is designed to improve compatibility with hardware and software, and improve system reliability. Users shouldn't expect a huge performance boost, but if you've been having problems running Vista properly on your system, SP1 may be able to help.

Tags: rtm, sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1, windows-vista-sp1-rtm

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Download the latest version of Windows Vista SP1

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 12th 2008

Windows Vista SP1
Microsoft may not have released any more information regarding the actual changes in the latest version of Windows Vista SP1, but the company has widened the release pool to... everybody. When Microsoft first made the update available earlier this week only about 15,000 beta testers were given official download links. Now you can grab the update as a direct download. You can also download the service pack through Windows Update if you jump through a few hoops.

You'll need to uninstall the previous version of SP1 if you have that installed. Vista SP1 RC Refresh will self destruct (or stop operating if you want to be less dramatic about it) after June 30, 2008. That shouldn't be a problem since Microsoft plans to release the final version of SP1 before then. But make sure you uninstall this update and install the final version of SP1 when it becomes available.

Tags: vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1, windows-vista-sp1-rc-refresh

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows releases new build of Vista SP1 to beta testers

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 10th 2008

Vista SP1 RC refresh?
Microsoft has released an updated release candidate of Windows Vista SP1 to about 15,000 beta testers. It's not entirely clear at the moment what changes are included in this update, but the release does show that we can expect at least a few more tweaks before Microsoft releases the final version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

Microsoft pushed out a public release candidate of SP1 last month. Unfortunately downloading and installing that version does not make you a member of Microsoft's inner circle, which means that you won't necessarily be able to download the new version through Windows Update or from Microsoft's password-protected download page.

On the other hand, some members of the Neowin forum have posted what may be a direct download link. This probably goes without saying, but download at your own risk.

[via gHacks]

Tags: release-candidate, sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Vista SP1 release candidate available for download

Windowsby Brad Linder Dec 12th 2007

Vista SP1 registry key
As expected, Microsoft has made the release candidate of Windows Vista SP1 available to the general public. There are several ways to get grab the update. You can download a registry key that will allow you to install SP1 through Windows Update. Or you can just download a standalone installer. Depending on your needs, that file will be between 436MB and 878MB. (There are four versions of the standalone installer, two for x86 systems, and two for x64 systems).

You're probably better off going through Windows Update, as Vista will just install the packages that you need. But you may have to check for updates and reboot several times before you actually get SP1.

We're still test driving our copy of Vista SP1 RC, but we've been hearing so much about this update over the last few months that we almost feel like the magic wore off before it was even released. While there are a ton of bug fixes, reliability, and compatibility enhancements in Windows Vista SP1, users shouldn't expect a major performance boost.

Bear in mind, this is a release candidate, not a final release. That means Microsoft could still make some changes before pushing Service Pack 1 out to all customers early next year. It also means that if you don't want to be a glorified beta tester (we know, a release candidate is more stable than a beta, but no one ever talks about "release candidate testers") you might want to hold off on downloading SP1 RC. For a little while at least.

Tags: release-candidate, sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft releases a ton of details about Windows Vista SP1

Windowsby Brad Linder Dec 9th 2007

Windows Vista SP1 overview
With the public release of the first release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 scheduled for this week, Microsoft is making a ton of documentation available explaining the ins and outs of the service pack.

In a nutshell, the update packs a ton of hardware compatibility, system reliability, performance and power consumption, and security improvements. The standalone installer will be 450MB, but if you download Service Pack 1 through Windows Update, it will probably only take up about 65MB. That's because you may have already downloaded many of the hotfixes, security updates and other features included in Service Pack 1.

Reading through the whole list of updates will probably make your eyes bleed, but here are a handful of features we're excited about:
  • Adds support for Direct3D® 10.1, an update to Direct3D 10 that extends the API to support new hardware features.
  • SP1 addresses issues many of the most common causes of crashes and hangs in Windows Vista, as reported by Windows Error Reporting. These include issues relating to Windows Calendar, Windows Media Player, and a number of drivers included with Windows Vista.
  • Adds support for exFAT, a new file system supporting larger overall capacity and larger files, which will be used in Flash memory storage and consumer devices.
  • Enhances support for high density drives by adding new icons and labels that will identify HD-DVD and Blu-ray Drives as high density drives.
  • Improves power consumption and battery life.
  • Improves the speed of adding and extracting files to and from a compressed (zipped) folder.
  • Improves the speed of copying files, folders, and other media.
  • Improves startup and resume times when using ReadyBoost.
  • Users can control which volumes the disk defragmenter runs on.
[via iStartedSomething]

Tags: sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Download Windows Vista SP1 with a registry hack

Windowsby Brad Linder Oct 13th 2007

Vista SP1 installation
If you're itching to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 but aren't planning to be anywhere near Redmond on October 27th, all may not be lost. Some friendly hackers have posted a registry setting that will reportedly allow you to download Vista SP1 through Windows Update.

We're going to point out a couple of things here, although they should really be obvious:
  1. There's no guarantee this registry hack will work for you.
  2. If it doesn't, you could potentially turn your computer into an overpriced paperweight.
  3. Windows Vista SP1 is still in beta, meaning you can expect some bugs even if you do manage to update your system.
If you're still willing to take the plunge after reading all that, just download the registry hack, check for Windows Updates, and you should be all set. A little "evaluation copy" watermark will show up on the bottom of your screen, but hackers being what they are, there's a fix for that as well.

Tags: registry, registry-hack, service-pack-1, sp1, vista, vista-sp1, windows-vista, windows-vista-service-pack-1, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Vista SP1 gets put through the paces

Windowsby Brad Linder Oct 8th 2007

Windows Vista SP1While you might not be able to get your hands on it yet, Microsoft has released Windows Vista SP1 to a few thousand beta testers. And Neil Randall at PC Magazine has been playing with the update and writes up his thoughts in a thorough review.

In a nutshell, SP1 makes Windows vista a bit snappier and more responsive to requests, which we had expected. Randall reports that Vista returns from hibernation mode about 50% faster than it used to, and his system resumes from sleep mode a bit quicker as well. And it takes less time to copy files and folders.

Many of the updates in SP1 are security enhancements. That means for the most part, you'll never really notice them. Remote Desktop files can be signed and you can use BitLocker to encrypt multiple hard drives.

Windows Vista SP1 also supports Direct3D 10.1 and includes a few extra features for x64 users.





Tags: sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Microsoft holding Vista SP1 Beta Install Fair Oct 27

Windowsby Brad Linder Oct 2nd 2007

Windows Vista SP1
If you're itching to install Windows Vista SP1 but haven't been one of the few thousand beta testers to get an invitation, October 27th could be your lucky day. If you live near Redmond Washington, that is.

Microsoft is holding a Vista SP1 Beta Install Fair. What does that mean? if you've got a PC running Windows Vista RTM and a little free time on your hands, Microsoft will install a beta of SP1 on your system. You'll need a PC with a 1GHz or higher processor, 512MB of RAM, a 4X or 8X AGP video adaptor with 64MB of RAM, 6GB of free hard drive space, and a DVD-ROM drive.

Microsoft is looking for at least 100 PCs with uncommon applications and configurations so they can gather better performance data on Vista SP1. In other words, you'd best back up your data, because there's no guarantee everything is going to work.

There's limited availability, so you should sign up by sending an e-mail to vsp1reg@microsoft.com. Microsoft is offering to install SP1 on 180 desktop PCs and 20 laptops between 9am and 3pm on October 27th.

Tags: redmond, sp1, vista, vista-sp1, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1

Filed under: OS Updates, Microsoft, Beta

Windows Vista SP1 released to small group of beta testers

by Brad Linder Sep 24th 2007

Vista SP1
As expected, the Microsoft Windows Vista Team has released an early version of Vista Service Pack 1 to a selected group of testers. Brandon LeBlanc at the Windows Vista Blog has been running SP1 for a little while already and shares these thoughts:
  • The update will show up through Windows Update, and will show a size range from 51MB to 680MB. Because the update includes a number of hotfixes and compatibility packs that you may have already downloaded and installed, we're guessing your download will be on the lighter side if your PC is pretty much up to date.
  • There's also a standalone installer for IT administrators who don't want to download the same file 400 times.
  • LeBlanc reports that his updated computer is more responsive when logging into a network.
  • The updated Disk Defragmenter will let you choose which volumes to work on.
  • Vista Enterprise and Ultimate users will be able to choose which hard drives to encrypt using the BitLocker Control Panel.
  • LeBlanc says his computer is a bit more responsive overall.
  • Copying files from one directory to another is better.
  • His laptop battery lasts longer.
  • His PC performs better when resuming from Sleep or Hibernation modes.
  • Windows Vista SP1 also lets users change their default desktop search provider. If you like Microsoft's desktop search product you'll have to reenable it. But you can also set Google Desktop as your default desktop search engine.
We don't expect to see a full release until early next year, but it's possible a public beta might be released before that time.

Tags: service-pack, service-pack-1, sp1, vista, windows-vista, windows-vista-sp1, WindowsVista

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