by Brad Linder on March 24, 2008 at 02:00 PM

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 ...
by Brad Linder on March 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM

It's been about a day since Microsoft officially released Windows Vista SP1. And after uninstalling the SP1 release candidate and running Windows Update a few dozen times, we've finally got it up and running on our test system. The good news is that our test PC does seem to be a bit more stable. The bad news, well, not really bad, but other news is that as we knew all along there aren't any real ...
by Brad Linder on March 18, 2008 at 02:00 PM

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 ...
by Brad Linder on March 13, 2008 at 01:00 PM

There've been a thousand and one ways to get your hands on Windows Vista SP1 or various beta versions over the past few months. But Microsoft is set to post the manual installer for Vista SP1 on March 18. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait until April when the update will be available through the Windows Update service. In other news, Microsoft has confirmed that Vista's successor, which ...
by Brad Linder on February 12, 2008 at 10:00 AM

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. ...
by Brad Linder on January 23, 2008 at 11:00 PM

Release candidates of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 have been available for a couple of months. But if you've been holding off on updating your Vista system until SP1 gets the official Microsoft seal of approval, it looks like you may not have to wait much longer. There's a rumor going around that Microsoft is set to release Vista SP1 on February 15th. This shouldn't come as a huge shock. ...
by Brad Linder on November 29, 2007 at 06:00 PM

While Microsoft doesn't plan to release the final version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 until early next year, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reports that you may be able to get your hands on the release candidate of SP1 in just a few weeks. Foley's sources tell her that Microsoft will be sending out the SP1 RC to beta testers next week with a public release available in mid-December. Of course, while a ...
by Brad Linder on November 26, 2007 at 02:02 PM

You may not be able to download Windows XP Service Pack 3 yet without resorting to risky registry hacks, but software developers at Devil Mountain Software took a beta of the upcoming service pack for a spin, and they like what they saw. In a nutshell, Devil Mountain reports that they saw a 10 percent performance boost over Windows XP SP2. Microsoft has said SP3's primary purpose is to provide ...
by Brad Linder on November 19, 2007 at 03:00 PM

Weren't able to make it up to Redmond Washington in October for Microsoft's first Windows Vista SP1 install fair? No problem, Microsoft's holding another one, this time at the company's Silicon Valley campus in Mountain View, CA. Yeah, it's not exactly Des Moines or Wichita, so if you're not on the west coast, good luck checking out the updated version of Vista. But if you're wondering whether ...
by Brad Linder on October 13, 2007 at 11:35 PM

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:
There's no guarantee this ...
by Brad Linder on October 2, 2007 at 08:00 PM

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 ...
by Brad Linder on September 30, 2007 at 08:00 AM

Now that a few thousand beta testers have got their grubby paws on Window Vista SP1, a few more details are leaking out. One feature we hadn't heard about until now is a new utility for creating a Windows recovery disc. This isn't the same as a system restore disc you get from your computer manufacturer that will restore your system to its factory default settings. Instead, it's a disc that ...