Microsoft will soon release Windows Vista Service Pack 2, the second major update to the operating system. We look at what's in the update and when and how you can get it.
What is a Service Pack?
A Service Pack is a major update to a piece of software (usually an operating system). It brings together a collection of improvements, fixes and new features in a single download.
Most editions of Windows will have a few Service Packs over their lifetime (XP had three).
When is it coming out?
The beta version was released on 4 December – this is the first time it’s gone out to the public. However, the finished version won’t be until 2009.
Credible reports suggest the release candidate (the final version for testing and feedback) will be out in February, with the finished product in April. This will likely be the release to manufacturing date, meaning hardware firms get copies to install on the computers they make.
The Service Pack will be available for public download fairly soon after this, though the actual date will depend on Microsoft’s schedule for other updates (to spread the load on servers for both Microsoft and customers.)
Is the timing significant?
Service Pack 1 came out in February this year; the short time between that and Service Pack 2 is unusual though not unheard of. There is a lot of speculation that Microsoft wants to get Service Pack 2 out before Windows 7’s release so that Vista comes across as an important and worthwhile product and people are less likely to write it off and wait for its successor.
What is in it?
Service Pack 2 should contain all the security updates which have been released by Microsoft since Service Pack 1. It will also contain fixes to some technical problems which have arisen in the system in the past year.
The update will also add several new features, most notably:
- Windows Search 4.0 (see my article at http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/1952.aspx for an explanation of how this works and why it is an improvement)
- Support for Blu-ray drives, including the ability to burn data and video to discs
- Support for Bluetooth 2.1, the latest edition of the mobile device technology which improves security and usability.
- Windows Connect Now, a simpler system for setting up wireless networks.
How do I get it
You can download the beta edition now from Microsoft’s website. However, it’s best only to do this if you are particularly anxious to get your hands on the new features and are fairly confident about Windows. As a beta edition, the system may still have some significant bugs in it.
The finished edition should download to your computer automatically through the Windows Update system upon release. You’ll also be able to download it manually from the Microsoft site at that time.
To minimize the file size of this download, Microsoft has decided Service Pack 2 will only work on copies of Vista which already have Service Pack 1 already applied. This means that if you haven’t yet applied Service Pack 1, it’s worth downloading it now rather than waiting until Service Pack 2’s release.