Vista SP1 Beta to package all patches without expecting

If you want to wait until the Windows Vista SP1 release, to upgrade to the new operating system, Microsoft advises you: Don't wait!

"The purpose of the Release Update component (Service PACK;SP) is to package all previously released patches," said Pete McKiernan, senior Microsoft Windows Product Manager, when he received CNET News.com access. Vista SP1 is so, for home users, SP1, there is no other good look forward to.

Unlike Windows XP SP2, the Windows Vista SP1 will not contain any newer versions of Internet Explorer browsers and will not contain new features that are not available. Most of the improvements that are contained in Windows Vista SP1 are hidden, and are primarily tailored to the needs of enterprise users.

In short, the Windows Vista SP1 lacks the astonishing elements.

Currently, Microsoft is in the world about 12,000 PCs on the Vista Service Pack 1 beta test. As the test plan continues, more trials will be invited, but the total will not reach the estimated 5 million in the summer.

CNET has obtained an official Windows Vista SP1 beta test version. To our amazement, Microsoft is really low-key about SP1.

What do you say? Because, unlike Windows Xp,windows Vista, which has an automatic Update feature, the release of Windows Vista SP1 is not a big change for most users. At CNET, we found that the installation of SP1 on a new Vista computer took about two heads. Part of the reason is that we have to install a variety of patches and updates to update the system to the latest state before we can start installing SP1.

What does the upgrade contain? McKiernan mentions two features expected to be included in Vista SP1, but consumers who have upgraded to Vista may not be interested. One is the improvement of the BitLocker Disk Encryption system, only the Enterprise version and the ultimate version of Vista. SP1 BitLocker can encrypt multiple drive volumes, and in fact it works for all drive volumes, except for USB discs.

The second feature is to support emerging hardware and standards. Vista SP1 will support the extended firmware interface (extensible firmware Interface;efi), an Intel developed standard for interfacing with software, operating systems, and firmware.

SP1 also supports the Extended File configuration table (Extended file allocation Table;exfat) system, which is Microsoft's new filing system, which may not be required for disk reassembly (defragmentation) in the future.

McKiernan the remaining foreseeable changes to Vista SP1 as follows:

Security Promotion: Desktop consumers may not be aware of any changes because the changes are hidden under the hood. Microsoft will give third party security software companies more opportunities to tell them about their product status.

Reliability Improvement

Microsoft analyzes the user back to the vista when the case, will be the right remedy, to improve. In particular, improved compatibility with new graphics cards and printers, improved stability with laptop extended displays, various network environments, and system upgrades from XP, and allows the system to go to sleep in Vista or recover from a sleep state.

Performance improvement

Microsoft said that SP1 's performance will be enhanced when performing the following tasks, including speeding up the copying and decompression of files, shortening from hibernation to restore time, CPU utilization in IE 7 and CPU utilization of the pen power, etc. The goal is to reduce battery power consumption and speed up.

However, these improvements do not constitute a consumer hardship such as Windows Vista SP1 after the release of the conditions of upgrade. Users can significantly shorten time when they turn on Automatic Updates and upgrade to Vista SP1. Perhaps that's what Microsoft wants to post: first win, Windows Vista is used more frequently, and you get a higher rate of benefit. So why not move at once?

To put it simply, don't expect SP1 to be an incentive for you or your company to upgrade to Windows Vista, as we've observed.