And I thought Vista SP2 is going to be released by June 2009. But it’s all good!

Standalone installer hits public, Microsoft details workaround for install problem

Microsoft’s Windows Vista has officially entered its Service Pack 2 (SP2) phase, with the release of the second service pack for the operating system to the public.  Windows Vista SP2 — beta and release candidate versions have been tested over past months — brings many security and bug fixes, as well as some performance improvements.  Among the most significant performance improvements are the inclusion of Bluetooth v2.1 and Blu-ray recording.

Accompanying the Vista pack is a Server 2008 SP2 release.  The two SP2 updates are available together in a standalone installer.  The installer is available in 32-bit and 64-bit varieties.

Some looking to install the new service pack may encounter an unpleasant issue.  The tool vLite, used to create leaner installs of Windows Vista, inadvertently removed files need for the SP2 install.  For vLite users, Microsoft has posted a workaround to help them get the service pack up and running.

Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2 should be posted on Windows Update within a couple weeks.  The new service packs are good news for late adopters, like the U.S. Army, as they should help to bring the security and improved functionality of an established release, much like Windows XP’s service packs did.

Source: DailyTech

Microsoft hopes to entice customers who are waiting for Windows 7 instead

The big news this week is that Microsoft has released its first Release Candidate of its new Windows 7 operating system. However, what most enthusiasts are looking forward to is the Release-To-Manufacturing version, which is the final version that will be mass produced on DVDs for retail and OEM channels. When the RTM version is produced, the project is stated to have reached Gold status, i.e. “gone gold”.

Since Windows 7 won’t be available for retail sales until October, Microsoft has been working on Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista to boost sales until Windows 7 hits the market. Microsoft has made the RTM version of Vista SP2 downloadable to the members-only MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) and Microsoft TechNet. Vista SP2 torrents have already started to appear.

Vista SP2 contains all Vista updates released by Microsoft since Service Pack 1. Since Vista and Windows Server 2008 share the same codebase, SP2 for Vista includes the same updates for Server 2008. SP2 isn’t cumulative, so a fresh Vista installation will require SP1 for SP2 to be slipstreamed. Although the security and convenience of installing all updates at the same time is important, there are a few new features that come with SP2.

Source: DailyTech