Vista SP1 to Include Common Security APIs for Partners
A spokesperson for Microsoft Thursday evening characterized as "grossly inaccurate" reports from earlier in the day, including from Reuters, stating that a technical glitch in the company's Live Meeting services led to a dissolution of a meeting between Microsoft and security products vendors.
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21.10.2006 Windows Vista to include two-way firewall
So, for those who've been demanding that Microsoft offer a fully functional two-way firewall, your request has been granted. In articles about the December CTP Build 5270, I've seen vague references to this new feature, but to my knowledge no one has yet published any details. So consider this a scoop.
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20.1.2006 Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2 - Benchmarked
Some people are concerned that in order to get an accurate measurement of boot time the system needs to be booted many times. Let me assure you that the systems here under testing were rebooted more times than most normal PCs are over the course of several months.]
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18.2.2008 Microsoft: Vista SP1 Will Bring Nothing – Not a Repeat of XP SP2
The motto for the first service pack for Windows Vista should be if you wait for very little, or even nothing at all, then you won't be disappointed.
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31.8.2007 SP1 Is Old News, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) Already in the Making
Microsoft made available for download the first service pack for Windows Vista on March 18, 2008, this even though the bits had been released to manufacturing as early as February 4, 2008.
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15.10.2008 Vista SP1 RC1 Flies Past Vista RTM and Windows XP SP2
Despite the fact that Microsoft has expressed its official position regarding testing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ahead of its finalization, there is simply too much of a hunger for the service pack.
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27.12.2007 Download Windows 7 Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 for XP SP3 and Vista SP1 and SP2
While Windows 7 technologies are, as a general rule, available exclusively with the latest iteration of the Windows client from Microsoft, there also are exceptions.
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4.11.2009 Windows 7 – 20 Features to Make Users Forget Vista SP1/SP2 and XP SP3
Microsoft is currently moving onward with the development of Windows 7, having passed Milestone 3 with the operating system.
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15.11.2008 Vista SP1 – Microsoft Could Not Have Given Less – Vista SP2 Anyone?
Microsoft had the chance to position the first service pack for Windows Vista as a panacea for the operating system, giving the platform nothing less than a fresh start and another take at the Wow.
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3.10.2007 Vista SP1 Rolling Over for Vista SP2
Vista SP1 did not do the trick for your RTM copy of the operating system? While such a scenario is highly unlikely, Microsoft is getting closer and closer to taking Windows Vista to the next level, again.
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7.12.2008 Vista SP1 RC Leaves XP SP2 in the Dust, but What About XP SP3?
Although Microsoft has indicated a strong disapproval of benchmarking tests involving development milestones of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, the temptation is simply too big to ignore.
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17.1.2008 Microsoft Makes Its Own Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2, Leaves XP SP3 Out
Ever since the advent of Window Vista, at the end of November 2006 for businesses and in January 2007 for the general public, Microsoft has virtually invited the comparison between the two operating systems.
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8.5.2008 Windows Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP SP2 in file copy
"Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista under performs in every area of the system which is quite an incorrect perception.
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27.5.2008 Microsoft: Some Free Vista (+SP1) to Go Along with the Free XP SP2 Downloads?
Free downloads of Microsoft's operating systems have been made available throughout 2007, and the Redmond company is ready to take it one step further.
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5.2.2008 Fix Endless Reboot of Failed Windows 7 Upgrade from Windows Vista SP2/SP1
Windows 7 RTM is available for download to Technet and MSDN subscribers and by now many users would have upgraded their Vista to Windows 7.
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12.8.2009 Capture Windows 7 and Vista SP2 Images with ConfigMgr 2007 SP2 Beta
Capturing Windows 7 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 images, but also client assessment, updating and deployment are tasks that can be performed with System Center Configuration Manager 2007.
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15.6.2009 Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2 download
Microsoft has released a standalone installer for Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 today.
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27.5.2009 Next "Patch Tuesday" to include 4 Critical Patches
For this month’s “Patch Tuesday” (September 9th) Microsoft is planning to release 4 critical updates.
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5.9.2008 Microsoft adCenter Upgrades Include Firefox Support
Microsoft adCenter has a new release launching Saturday, August 5th, and one of the upgrades includes the long awaited Firefox browser support.
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1.8.2006 Microsoft's Latest Critical Fixes Include Buggy Windows Patch
For the second time in three months, Microsoft has released a buggy patch for problems it had deemed to be "critical."
Messages on Microsoft's newsgroups about problems began accumulating as early as Wednesday Oct. 12, within 24 hours of the patches' debut. Late Friday, Microsoft acknowledged the buggy patch in one of its infrequent security advisories, and said that customers had reported a wide variety of strange behaviors after installing one of the three critical patches released that week.
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Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
Feb 26th, 2008. Principled Technologies has released two Microsoft commissioned reports on Windows Vista SP1 performance. In these tests, Principled Technologies measured responsiveness of Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2 when performing a set of common business and home tasks.
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28.2.2008 Notable Changes in Windows Server 2008 SP2 RC and Windows Vista SP2 RC
Microsoft® continuously improves the Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008 operating systems by providing ongoing updates while working with software and hardware vendors to help them deliver improved compatibility, reliability, and performance. These updates are provided to customers by Microsoft’s hardware and software partners, as well as directly from Microsoft in the form of regularly distributed updates delivered via Windows Update. Updates to Windows are also delivered directly to some affected customers and preinstalled by PC manufacturers.
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1.3.2009 .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 for XP SP3 and Vista SP1
Microsoft has made Service Pack 1 for .NET Framework 3.5 for Windows Server 2008 available for download. Designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is now live on the Microsoft Download Center.
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11.8.2008 Where is Vista SP2?
Even though Microsoft seems increasingly reticent to say the “V” word (Vista), some users still do care. I’ve had several readers ask me when the Redmondians are going to release Vista SP2 on the Microsoft Download site.
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20.5.2009 Making 64-bit Vista SP1 Say It's Vista SP1
Making a 64-bit copy of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 confirm that it is actually Vista SP1 might require a minimum amount of effort on behalf of the end user, such as right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties, but things are a tad different when an application is programmed to identify the operating system versions or the service pack releases.
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25.8.2008 What is inside of Vista SP2?
Microsoft is continuing to broaden the pool of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) testers beyond the fairly small, select group who’ve been working with test builds for the past few months.
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4.12.2008 x64 Vista SP2 JPG Rendering Performance Inferior to x86 Vista SP2's
The JPG rendering process on 64-bit flavors of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is inferior to that on the 32-bit variants of the operating system.
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10.6.2009 Get ready for Vista and Win2k8 SP2!
Just a heads up to prepare for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2.
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21.5.2009 No Critical Patches for Vista SP2
Come June 9, 2009, Microsoft plans to release no less than 10 security bulletins for various supported releases of Internet Explorer, Windows client and server operating systems and the Office System.
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5.6.2009 Details on Windows Vista SP2 emerge
Microsoft has begun to release some details on the enhancements that they intend to bring with Windows Vista Service Pack 2. As we reported on Neowin last week, Microsoft has released an early beta build of Vista SP2 to testers weighing in at around 290MB.
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26.10.2008Windows Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP SP2 in file copy.
"Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista under performs in every area of the system which is quite an incorrect perception. In this demo
I show how Vista outperforms Windows XP and I show the under the covers process traces of just how it achieves it."
"Demo environment
consists of two images. One Vista SP1 and the other Windows XP SP2 both on the same HDD IO and communicating across my home wireless network to a
Windows Server 2008 box on my main LAN. Once the two images get going latency gets introduced and things start to slow down....except Vista doesnt
slow down." Watch and see at
Edge TechNet.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
27.05.2008XP SP2 vs. Vista RTM vs. Vista SP1: Gaming benchmark
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Here are the benchmark results that many of you have been waiting for - a look at how well ten popular games work on XP SP2,
Vista RTM and Vista SP1.
Its been nearly a year since I took a look at the state of gaming under the Vista OS. The last time I
compared XP SP2 to Vista, I was disappointed with Microsofts new OS as a gaming platform because I could get far more bang for my bucks out of XP than
I could out of the new OS. Partly I put this down to immature drivers, but on the whole I was convinced that at the core of the problem was Vista.
So, is Vista worth bothering with as a gaming platform?
winbeta.org -
28.02.2008Mary Jo Foley Will Windows Service Pack History Repeat Itself?
Mary Jo Foley: One of my editors at Redmond magazine -- the ever-doubting Ed Scannell -- recently posed an interesting hypothetical question about the
future of Windows. Might Microsoft yank some features planned for Windows 7 and put them into a Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 2 that would include
not just fixes, but also new features?
In other words: Could Windows history repeat itself, with Vista SP2 taking the form of a
whole new operating system release -- in everything other than name -- a la Windows XP SP2?
Microsoft officials said last year
not to expect Vista SP1 to be anything like XP SP2. Vista SP1 was designed to be a collection of fixes and patches, aimed at improving security,
reliability and performance. But the 'Softies haven't said anything about their thinking in regard to Vista SP2. Might Microsoft use the next Vista
SP to deliver some of the features that otherwise might have to wait for Windows 7, currently slated for 2010?
As tasty as that
option might sound to some, I'd give it a very low likelihood for a few reasons.
winbeta.org -
03.06.2008Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2: watch this space
As some of you may recall, Windows Server 2008 shipped
with SP1 already installed. Microsoft
made this decision in order to synchronize the Windows client and server release schedule. As such, SP2 will be released simultaneously for both Vista
and Server 2008. Earlier this month Microsoft put up
Knowledge Base Article 948465, a
placeholder for both Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008...
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15.10.2008Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2 - Benchmarked
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Over the past few days I posted two sets of benchmarks comparing Windows Vista RTM with Vista SP1 (first post
here, second
here). These posts generated a lot of feedback, and from reading this feedback it’s clear
that what many people are really interested in is not the performance differences between Vista RTM and Vista SP1, but between Vista SP1 and XP
SP2.
A few days ago I posted in reply to several TalkBack comments that I wouldn’t carry out these tests until XP SP3 is
released. There didn’t seem any point. That didn’t satisfy the crowds who wanted to see Vista SP1 and XP SP2 go head to head. So, to
cut a long story short, the pestering continued and I eventually gave in. So what follows are the fruits of nearly two whole days of work at the PC
Doc HQ (the test was hampered by the death of a motherboard, something which rendered hours of work obsolete).
How does Windows
Vista SP1 compare to Windows XP SP2? Read on …
winbeta.org -
15.02.2008Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2
Principled Technologies has released two Microsoft commissioned reports on Windows Vista SP1 performance. In these tests, Principled Technologies
measured responsiveness of Windows Vista SP1 vs. Windows Vista RTM vs. Windows XP SP2 when performing a set of common business and home tasks. The
results show that SP1 performs on par with Vista RTM and Windows XP.
The test show that as with Windows Vista RTM, overall performance is
on par with Windows XP. It’s important to remember that Windows Vista is a more advanced operating system, which includes many more capabilities
than Windows XP. By default, Windows Vista includes antispyware, a search indexer, and the shadow copy service. All these work in the background,
providing important services to customers, but they of course take up a portion of the PCs memory and processor resource.
On several common
business and home operations Windows Vista SP1 was noticeably more responsive after rebooting than Windows XP.
neowin.net -
28.02.2008Microsoft releases Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2
Microsoft has released a standalone installer for Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 today. The software giant posted some things to know
about the service packs last month, one of the warnings is if "vLite" was used to customize your Windows Vista installation, you may have removed
required system components which prevent Service Pack 2 from installing. Microsoft has a workaround for this issue. Microsoft is expected to post the
bits to Windows Update in the coming weeks but if you are eager to install SP2 today then the download links are listed below. Download: Vista
SP2/Server 2008 SP2 32 bit Download: Vista SP2/Server 2008 SP2 64 bit
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
26.05.2009Another CNet Blogger Says No to Vista (SP1)
Those guys over at CNet really have it in for Vista, this time it's Robert Vamosi suggesting that users that are waiting for SP1 to make the switch
will be disappointed. In all fairness it lacks the flair of the SP2 release on Windows XP which came with new features such as a new Internet Explorer
version and several security enhancements. SP1 for Vista is no more than a roll up package of everything released on Windows Update until now.
What Robert fails to mention is that a few
performance
enhancements are also included in the update that significantly speed up the OS and are only available through Microsoft Downloads, which requires
the Windows Genuine Advantage Check. Service Pack 2 for XP was a one-off, due to the repeated set backs of Vista, Microsoft were forced to include
technologies already planned for Windows Vista, before SP2 Microsoft stressed time and time again that Service Packs usually do not offer new
features.
SP1 will be a welcome update for those that opted to switch when Vista became available, performance and reliability have always
been a talking point from the very beginning and I am confident that SP1 fixes those issues (even for those that have already
applied the updates)
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
04.10.2007FAQ: Vista's SP1 semisecrets
Microsoft Corp. has been lowering expectations about Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) since before it even confirmed there would be one. Numerous times,
company executives and managers have told users and the press that Vista SP1 would not be like Windows XP SP2, the last desktop operating system
service pack the company released.
"This is not about adding new features," David Zipkin, a senior product manager for Windows
Vista, told Computerworld last August, comparing SP1 to XP's SP2, which was as much a new operating system as an update.
Really?
Could have fooled us.
winbeta.org -
07.02.2008Vista SP2 Released to Testers
Yesterday, Microsoft sent an email to select testers notifying them that the RC-Escrow Build of Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Server 2008 was
available for download.
This Service Pack was made available to testers via Windows Update, as a standalone installer, and as a
slipstreamed version. This service pack includes 656 hotfixes, and the usual tweaks.
At this "Escrow" stage in development, the Service
Pack is essentially complete; unless major errors are spotted, this version will likely be very close to that of the RTM version.
One
more public beta is expected before it RTMs however, so if you'd like to get your hands on one more beta build, your chance will come soon enough.
The only pre-requisite for the SP2 install is that you have SP1 installed; all other updates are included in SP2. Their reason for not
making a cumulative update with SP1 already included is because of the huge filesize that would result. Most clients already have SP1 installed; new
Windows Vista discs and Server 2008 was shipped with it included.
It would seem that, contrary to some recent rumors, SP2 will ship long
before June.
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31.01.2009Windows 2003 KB: Slow network communication from Vista RTM (6000) to Windows 2003 SP2
Brad Rutkowski: This was one issue I worked on for quite some time a few months ago. We found that Vista clients were taking forever to download
group policies from domain controllers in the regions while Vista SP1 and XP clients did not see the issue. If the local DC was running LH or Windows
2003 SP1, we didn't see any issue. If the server was running Windows 2003 SP2 though and had a certain type of hardware we would see the latency.
Based on customer reports, Windows Dev learned of more widespread devices in the network that dont understand greater window
scale factors. So, they improved the heuristics in SP1 for when to limit or disable auto-tuning, which is why we only saw in in Vista RTM and not
SP1.
The bug is in Windows 2003 SP2 and the details can be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947773 So if you find that you have vista clients experiencing network
latency when hitting a Windows 2003 SP2 server (File server, DC, Exchange, etc) then you should look into this hotfix.
winbeta.org -
31.01.2008Microsoft sends Vista SP2 invites - beta release in 4 weeks
Thanks to a tipster we have learned Microsoft has started sending Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 invites to select testers today.
Earlier this week it was
revealed the company will release SP2 before Windows 7. Microsoft recently put a
placeholder online for the upcoming betas of Windows
Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2.
Microsoft will include Windows Search 4 in Vista SP2 along with Bluetooth wireless support
(including latest BT 2.1 fixes), support for the new VIA 64-bit CPU and additional application compatibility updates.
For Windows Server
2008 SP2, Microsoft will include Backwards compatibility with Terminal Services licensing keys, improved manageability features with DFS/FRS console,
and Storage Resource Manager, print server and spooler performance improvements for printers in Windows Vista and Server 2008 and improved error
reporting in DFSR to help identify incorrectly configured deployments which lead to failed replication.
Both builds are "anticipated" to
be released within the next four weeks.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
18.10.2008Vista SP2: What's inside?
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft is continuing to broaden the pool of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) testers beyond the fairly small, select group
who’ve been working with test builds for the past few months.
Over on the jkOnTheRun blog, Kevin Tofel posted
the most complete list I’ve seen of what’s in Vista SP2. In addition
to the known Vista SP2 features such as the ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista and the addition of Windows Connect
Now for simpler wifi configuration Tofel says SP2 also will include...
winbeta.org -
03.12.2008Screencast: Vista SP1 outperforms Windows XP in network IO
Michael Kleef: Its interesting that people seem to think that Vista underperforms in every area of the system which is quite an incorrect perception.
In this demo I show how Vista outperforms Windows XP and I show the under the covers process traces of just how it achieves it.
Demo environment consists of two images. One Vista SP1 and the other Windows XP SP2 both on the same HDD IO and communicating across my home
wireless network to a Windows Server 2008 box on my main LAN. Once the two images get going latency gets introduced and things start to slow
down....except Vista doesnt slow down. Watch and see!
winbeta.org -
08.05.2008Vista SP1 vs. XP SP2 - Part Deux
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Following the
benchmarks I carried out last week, I
decided that the PC Doc HQ lab rats needed to pull a few all-nighters and carry out some more benchmarking tests on Vista SP1 and XP SP2. Is it
possible to determine conclusively which is the faster, more responsive OS?
One of the main criticisms of my initial benchmark
tests was that I overlooked the fact that, under the hood, Windows Vista SP1 works differently to XP SP2 in the file copy department. The difference
is down to caching and how Vista carried out uncached I/O while XP caches the files. On top of that is the further complication that the file
transfer progress bars are coded to work differently. Vistas file copy dialog box goes away when the cache is committed, while under XP the copy
dialog goes away while the committal is still pending. In other words XP is coded to appear fast...
winbeta.org -
18.02.2008Windows Installer 4.5 for Vista SP2, 5.0 for Windows 7
In June 2008, Microsoft
released Windows Installer 4.5 on the Microsoft Download Center for XP SP2+, Server 2003 SP1+, Vista, and Server 2008. Now, with yesterday's release
of the
SP2 RC-Escrow
build, it has been confirmed that the new version will also be bundled with the second service pack for Vista and Server 2008.
winbeta.org -
29.01.2009Microsoft readying RC of Vista SP2 for February 2009
Citing a source at Microsoft, Techarp has revealed that Microsoft is targeting a release candidate (RC) version of Windows Vista SP2 for February
2009. Microsoft sent invites to testers in mid October asking them to take part in the SP2 beta. Build 16489 was released to special group of testers
in late October but Microsoft has been quiet since then. TechArp also believes the RTM of Vista SP2 will be in April 2009. Microsoft is readying SP2
so there are additional incentives for customers to upgrade to Window Vista now, instead of waiting for Windows 7.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
24.11.2008SP2 for Vista, WS2K8 to enter beta Wednesday, will support Blu-ray
With Microsoft picking up the pace in both the development and marketing of Windows 7, it's also finding itself moving ahead with the next amendment
package for Vista not too long after the release of SP1...
betanews.com -
25.10.2008Microsoft: Vista SP2, Windows Server SP2 betas Thursday
Not one half-hour after Microsoft responded to BetaNews' inquiry, the company reversed its position, effectively announcing that the first public
betas of Vista SP2 not in February, but next Thursday...
betanews.com -
03.12.2008Announcing the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 CPP
Mike Nash announced that this week Microsoft is opening up the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta to a broader audience.
Starting today, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the beta to begin testing. Beginning Thursday Dec. 4th, the beta available to
everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). The CPP will launch on TechNet and be available to anyone interested in trying out this service
pack. The CPP is intended for technology enthusiasts, developers, and IT Pros who would like to test Service Pack 2 in their environments and with
their applications prior to final release. Windows Vista SP2 builds on the solid foundation of Windows Vista SP1.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
03.12.2008
