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Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Released
After months of testing and tweaking Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is finally available to the public.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is an update to Windows Vista that addresses feedback from our customers. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability, performance, and compatibility issues; supporting new types of hardware; and adding support for several emerging standards. SP1 also will continue to make it easier for IT administrators to deploy and manage Windows Vista. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Five Language Standalone version can be installed on systems with any of the following language versions: English (US), French, German, Japanese, or Spanish (Traditional).
Download: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone version
Download: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Standalone version x64
View: What's new, technical details, guidelines and changes
Windows Vista SP1 RC released to public
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC is now available through Windows Update. Experience the WU based Vista SP1 installation by following 4 simple steps. Windows Vista SP1 RC distributed through Windows Update will be applicable to Windows Vista machines that are running on any of the 36 languages supported by Vista RTM.
If you already installed the Service Pack to your machine by using the standalone package, you must uninstall before you scan Windows Update for Windows Vista SP1.
Systems running on Windows Vista RTM require as many as three updates before SP1 can be installed. These updates are permanent to your Windows Vista systems. Windows Update will detect your system configuration and offer the prerequisite packages that are applicable to your system.
Download: Windows Vista Service Pack 1
Vista hotfix improves multi-GPU performance
Gamers who run Windows Vista with SLI or CrossFire setups will be happy to know that Microsoft has released a hotfix just for them. The KB945149 hotfix resolves an issue that, in some cases, could cause systems with multiple graphics cards to "perform more poorly than expected" in both games and benchmarks. Microsoft describes the issue as such:
A graphics processing unit (GPU) or part of a GPU link may incur a small scheduling latency on a new Direct Memory Access (DMA) packet. This is true if the DMA packet is submitted to the GPU that has previously run out of work and if another GPU in the linked configuration is very busy. In some scenarios, significant starvation of one or more GPUs in the linked configuration reduces the expected performance of an application.
The hotfix may resolve the problem, but it isn't freely downloadable. Instead, users must visit this page and submit a request to Microsoft's Online Customer Services. The company also warns, "if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix."
View: KB945149 Hotfix
Windows Vista Pre-SP1 Performance and Reliability Updates Officially Released
Last Week I posted about the leaked performance and reliability patches for Windows Vista, and now they have have been officially released.
So for those of you that didn't download the leaked patches here are the official download links.
Windows Vista Performance Update:
Download: x86 Download
Download: x64 Download
Windows Vista Reliability Update:
Download: x86 Download
Download: x64 Download
Windows Vista SP1 Released To Small Group
As Mary Jo Foley forecasted, a Windows Vista SP1 drop was made in mid-July. We're hearing, however, the drop was made to a small group of random testers for "pre-beta" testing. Pre-beta testing is usually conducted to test software that is more mature than a first-stab, annihilate-your-machine alpha (VS2008 anyone?) but doesn't quite implement all the required functionalities to be labeled a true beta.
The service pack comes labeled with a build string matching its recently released WDK brother and smells of Server 2008 kernel, which is A Good Thing™ -- 6001.16549(longhorn_sp1beta1.070628-1825). (Thanks C.)
Queried Microsoft and beta participants are denying the program's existence, as expected. We'll have to suffer with our malfunctioning Windows Vista installs for just a tad longer.
Source: AeroXP
Microsoft Leaked Vista hot fixes all around!
Microsoft Corp. confirmed today that the Vista hot-fix packs that have leaked to the Web will be issued to all users.
"We plan to make these two updates broadly available via Windows Update in the near future," a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
The two updates, dubbed "Vista Performance and Reliability Pack" and "Vista Compatibility and Reliability Pack," were posted over the weekend to a third-party download site after being leaked from a group of Windows Server 2008 testers. The list of fixes -- which include performance improvements to Vista's sleep mode and speed increases in copying or moving large directories -- led some users yesterday to speculate that the updates were the forerunner of Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), a major upgrade that many businesses want to see before they widely deploy the new operating system.
Although the spokeswoman was also asked to confirm that the hot-fix packs would serve as the core for SP1, she declined to comment directly. However, she did emphasize -- as Microsoft executives and other spokespeople have before her -- that a service pack is not the only way Microsoft intended to refresh Vista. "We also continue making regular improvements to Windows via Windows Update, which is an excellent channel for providing our customers with the most significant updates as they happen," she said.
Microsoft has, in fact, consistently downplayed the importance of SP1, even to the point of regularly squelching talk of it.
Although the spokeswoman would not pinpoint the release date of the two hot-fix packs, an assumption is building among bloggers and users that they will be included in the Aug. 14 monthly updates already on Microsoft's schedule.
Source: Computerworld
View: Vista Performance and Reliability Patches Unofficial Release
Vista Performance and Reliability Patches Unofficial Release
Microsoft has apparently decided to release some updates for Windows Vista x86 and x64 versions to select testers.
Please note: These fixes break all current methods of bypassing driver singing requirements except the good old F8 during boot (that you have to do every single time you start vista)
IF you are using Rivatuner, atitool and or Peerguardian on 64bit vista, you will have to use F8 every single time to disable driver signing requirements to use those two programs. x86 version is unaffected.
These updates should go official on the next patch Tuesday (in one weeks time). Please read more for the download links and information on these updates.
938979 Vista Performance and Reliability Pack
This update resolves a number of individual issues which may be affecting some computers running Windows Vista. These issues have been reported by customers using the Error Reporting service, product support, or other means. Installing this update will improve the performance and responsiveness for some scenarios and improves reliability of Windows Vista in a variety of scenarios. Some examples of the improvements contained in this update are:
Improves performance in resuming back to the desktop from the Photo and Windows Energy screensaver.
Resolves an issue where some secured web pages using advanced security technologies may not get displayed in Internet Explorer on Windows Vista.
Resolves an issue where a shared printer may not get installed if the printer is connected to a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 system and User Access Control is disabled on the Vista client.
Resolves an issue where creating AVI files on Vista may get corrupted.
Improves the performance in calculating the ‘estimated time remaining’ when copying/moving large files.
Improves performance in bringing up Login Screen after resuming from Hibernate.
Resolves an issue where synchronization of offline files to a server can get corrupted.
Resolves a compatibility issue with RAW images created by Canon EOS 1D/1DS Digital SLR Camera which can lead to data loss. This only affects RAW images created by these two specific camera models.
Resolves an issue where a computer can lose its default Gateway address when resuming from sleep mode.
Improves the performance when copying or moving entire directories containing large amounts of data or files.
Improves the performance of Vista’s Memory Manager in specific customer scenarios and prevents some issues which may lead to memory corruption.
938194 Vista Compatibility and Reliability Pack
This update resolves a number of individual issues which may be affecting some computers running Windows Vista. These issues have been reported by customers using the Error Reporting service, product support, or other means. Installing this update will improve the reliability and hardware compatibility of Windows Vista in a variety of scenarios. Some examples of the improvements contained in this update are:
Improved reliability and compatibility of Vista when used with newer graphics cards in several specific scenarios and configurations.
Improved reliability when working with external displays on a laptop.
Increased compatibility with many video drivers.
Improved visual appearance of games with high intensity graphics.
Improved quality of playback for HD-DVD and Blue-Ray disks on large monitors.
Improved reliability for Internet Explorer when some third party toolbars are installed on Vista.
Improved Vista reliability in networking configuration scenarios.
Improved the reliability of Windows Calendar in Vista.
Improved reliability of systems that were upgraded from XP to Vista.
Increased compatibility with many printer drivers.
Increased reliability and performance of Vista when entering sleep and resuming from sleep.
Download: Vista Compatibility and Reliability Patches | Mirror (AIO)
Source: Neowin
Vista Codec Package v4.4.5
With Vista Codec Package installed, you won't need to install any other codec or filter. Many user suggested default settings are implemented. It does not contain a media player. It does not associates filetypes. With this package installed you will be able to use any media player (limited only by the players capabilities) to play DVD's, movies and video clips of any format. Streaming video (real and quicktime) is supported in web browsers. Visit the homepage to get a 64bitAddon which enables xvid, divx and DVD playback in Vista's MediaCenter.
Changelog:
- improved flv1/4 support
- add new support for SVCD's
- improved MPEG2-TS playback
- moved all icons into a DLL
- improved M2P playback
- fix xvidcore.dll issues (Vista)
- update ffdshow components 1187
- AC3Filter is default AC3 decoder
- x64 users - get the v123 update
Download: Vista Codec Package 4.4.5
View: msfn forum