Windows Vista SP1: are we there yet?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 20:31

Opinion and Analysis

Just as a new OS can affect stability, so can a service pack – with Windows XP’s SP2 introducing major new features that took time for corporations and consumers alike to fully digest. Likewise, some corporations will want to see how SP1 fares for a bit longer before adding it to the menu.

There are no major, show stopping new features in Vista SP1, aside from numerous reports improved copy times in certain scenarios, and the very annoying removal of the very handy 'search' button in the Vista Start menu to comply with regulatory requirements (although the search bar within the Start menu remains), with the entire update really transforming Vista into the OS it should have been when it was first released.

Even if Vista SP1 does arrive within the next 24 to 48 hours, it will only arrive for Vista users running English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish language versions.

Users of other language versions of Vista, or other language packs in Vista Ultimate, will have to wait until at least April, and possibly beyond before they can access the SP1 update.

So, with Vista SP1, we’re still not there yet for, but for some, SP1 should be around the next bend, happily installing on millions of machines – and hopefully not driving us around the bend instead!