Vista SP1 Evolves with New Reliability and Performance Boost
Microsoft is indeed starting to deliver an increasing volume of details related to the upcoming Windows 7 client and Windows 7 Server releases, but the end of 2009/ the debut of 2010 is still not even on the horizon, and neither are the next iterations of the Windows platforms.
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19.8.2008 Boost Vista's Performance, Responsiveness, and Reliability ahead of Vista SP1
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RTM is without a doubt in sight. But the fact that the service pack's availability is contouring on the immediate horizon, and is now but a month away, provides little comfort for the users of Windows Vista RTM.
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14.2.2008 Vista SP1 Gives Extenders a Speed Boost
Word is that Vista SP1 is giving Linksys Extenders a bit of a speed boost, especially in the transition and animation field.
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25.3.2008 Vista SP1 will deliver big network speed boost
I downloaded the release candidate of Vista Service Pack 1 yesterday and was prepared to wait till its public debut next week before writing about it.
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6.12.2007 Vista SP1 a Performance Dud
With the initial performance characteristics of Windows Vista leaving much to be desired (see our previous post on the subject), many IT organizations have put off deploying the new OS until the first service pack (SP1) is released by Microsoft early next year.
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20.11.2007 Vista Performance Post SP1
Poor performance was one of the sins associated with Windows Vista RTM, especially in comparison to Windows XP throughout 2007.
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9.10.2008 New Performance and Reliability Updates for Vista SP1
A reliability and performance update is available for download for Windows Vista Service Pack 1. This specific release targets all Windows Vista editions, provided that they have the first service pack integrated.
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25.6.2008 Install Vista SP1 RC Refresh for the Added Performance
According to Microsoft, one reason to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate Refresh and test drive it is the added performance.
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15.1.2008 Windows XP SP3 Yields Performance Gains Over Vista SP1
After a disappointing showing by Windows Vista SP1 (see previous post), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop OS.
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24.11.2007 Windows 7 Search Performance Superior to Vista SP1 and XP SP3
Get ready for the Windows 7 indexer on steroids, as Microsoft will deliver the first taste of the operating system to the world at the end of this month.
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14.10.2008 Vista, IE7 help Microsoft boost search market share
In a rare bit of good news for Microsoft on the search front, web metrics firm comScore reported that for the month of March, Microsoft's search engines saw their first market share increase in nearly a year.
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19.4.2007 Windows 7 Performance Tools - Performance Tools Kit 4.1.1
Internet Explorer 8 will be not only an apex of performance, but also the next major iteration of the Windows client, according to Microsoft.
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1.9.2008 Microsoft looks to Halo 3 to boost Crackdown sales
Interest in upcoming free-roaming adventure Crackdown should soar on release this February, with the game disc including a key to download a beta test of Halo 3.
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4.1.2007 Intel 2-way servers to get 45nm boost in 4Q
The 2-way server market can expect a boost of holiday season cheer in the fourth quarter as Intel is lining up to launch 12 new processors based on its latest 45nm designs, according to sources at server makers.
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1.9.2007 Another Vista Reliability & Performance Update
Vistas performance is one of those topics that wont be exhausted until Windows Seven hits RTM. It all comes down to trade-offs.
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12.12.2007 Windows Vista Performance and Tuning
Windows Vista and SP1 focus on delivering greater performance and overall system responsiveness. By striking a balance between speed and responsiveness, Windows Vista and SP1 deliver a level of performance that has the greatest positive impact on the systems usability.
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31.7.2008 Analysis: Vista's Ready Boost is no match for RAM
There's a new way to enhance your cache in Vista - simply plug in your Flash memory stick. But how much performance gain can you really expect? TG Daily ran an average PC through a benchmark parcours and discovered that the old rules still apply: There is no substitute for an adequate amount of system memory. Period.
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13.2.2007 Sony promises more games to boost PS3 demand
Sony expects at least 380 new PlayStation 3 games to hit the market this business year and says that should rev up demand for the console that has so far lost out to Nintendo's wildly popular Wii.
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21.6.2007 eBoostr - Boost Windows XP with Flash Memory
MDO Ltd. announces the release of eBoostr, a complete replacement for Microsoft ReadyBoost technology for Windows XP. Upgrade the performance of your PC without upgrading its components. Get ReadyBoost-like technology in Windows XP.
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14.11.2007 Microsoft hopes new photo tool will boost Windows
Microsoft likes digital photography enthusiasts as customers, and on Thursday plans to release a free new utility designed to keep them wedded to Windows.
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1.5.2008 Windows Vista Imaging and Installation Performance
Ideally, installation of an operating system is two fairly simple steps. First, copy all the OS files to the hard disk.
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4.10.2006 Vista Compatibility, Performance and Reliability Pack
Windows Vista Compatibility, Performance and Reliability Packs SP1 Preview - Microsoft offers fresh Vista updates to testers.
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31.7.2007 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 Vista's ReadyBoost flash drives lack significant boost
Windows Vista's Windows ReadyBoost sounds too good to be true, and based on our extensive lab tests, it is. The technology promises to let you speed up Windows by plugging an inexpensive USB flash drive into your PC. But we found that while ReadyBoost may speed up Vista a tiny bit, it can also slow it down in some instances.
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18.5.2007 Final Names for Windows Vista Performance Features
Windows PC Accelerators is the new term that encompasses Windows Vista's new performance-enhancing technologies.
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7.4.2006 Performance Results Mixed with Vista Service Pack 1
Files copied faster in our initial tests, but other performance was slightly slower with the SP1 installed.
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7.2.2008 Windows 7 to boost PC shipment growth by more than 10% in 2010, says paper
Windows 7 is expected to boost global PC shipments by more than 10% on year from the on-year growth of negative 5% this year, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report citing sources at market watchers.
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16.3.2009 12 Tweaks - Squeeze Every Last Drop of Performance Out of Windows Vista
Windows Vista is a resource hog. Microsofts latest operating system will swallow every last bit of hardware resources you throw at it in the race for a top user experience, a concept synonymous with high performance.
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15.9.2007 Check PC Performance Details with WinSAT in Windows 7 or Vista
Since Windows Vista, including in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) has been added into the operating system. WinSAT is a free benchmarking tool that measures various computer performance ratings, characteristics and capabilities, and display the ratings as Windows Experience Index or WEI score.
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20.4.2009 Microsoft releases the Windows Vista Performance and Reliability fix packages
These are the fixes that leaked last week, now the fix packs are publicly available (Validation Required).
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8.8.2007Windows XP SP3 Yields Performance Gains Over Vista SP1
After a disappointing showing by Windows Vista SP1 (see previous post), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3
(v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop OS. Testing with OfficeBench showed an 10% performance boost vs. the same
configuration running under Windows XP w/Service Pack 2.
Since SP3 was supposed to be mostly a bug-fix/patch consolidation release - unlike
w/Vista SP1, Microsoft made no promises of improved performance for XP - the unexpected speed boost comes as a nice bonus. In fact, XP SP3 is
shaping-up to be a "must have" update for the majority of users who are still running Redmond's not-so-latest and greatest desktop
OS.
Of course, none of this bodes well for Vista, which is now more than 2x slower than the most current builds of its older sibling.
Suffice to say that performance-minded users will likely choose to stick with the now even speedier Windows XP - at least until more "Windows
7" information becomes publicly available.
Read full story.....
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24.11.2007Overview Series: Windows Vista Performance and Tuning
Windows Vista and SP1 focus on delivering greater performance and overall system responsiveness. By striking a balance between speed and
responsiveness, Windows Vista and SP1 deliver a level of performance that has the greatest positive impact on the systems usability. This guide looks
at the following areas of performance improvement:
- Making configuration changes that help a computer feel more responsive when you
use it.
- Using hardware to boost the actual physical speed of a computer.
- Making configuration changes that help a computer to start
faster.
- Making the computer more reliable may help increase performance.
- Monitoring performance occasionally so that you can stop
problems before they get too big.
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29.07.2008Vista SP1 benefit will be stability and reliability, not performance
The problem is one of the major issues with Vista is performance...
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Will Vista SP1 and how this
wont bring any relief to those who find Vista a bit slow or sluggish? Not really, but then again service packs arent about performance increases;
theyre about reliability and stability.
Ive seen a lot of service packs in my time. Windows 95 and ME both got one service pack,
NT 4.0 saw six, Windows 2000 had four and XP has so far seen two. But what I dont remember regarding any of these service packs is installing it onto
a system and then seeing any significant boost in performance. Service packs dont really work that way. Sure, youll feel specific improvements as a
result of some of the tweaks and fixes contained in the service pack, and you might feel the benefit of having your operating system refreshed by
loading the service pack onto it, but a service pack should not be looked upon as a performance upgrade. If your system cant run an OS, what it needs
is upgrading or replacing, not the application of a service pack.
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26.11.2007WinXP SP3 Yields Performance Gains Over Vista SP1 Again
exo.blog has at
the request of their members re-run
the
original OfficeBench test, this time with 2GB of RAM in the test system. Unfortunately the outcome is unchanged bar a 4% improvement on the
previous score. One can argue that Windows XP system requirements are quite a bit lower than its successor, and thats probably got a lot to do with
it. This, coupled with claims that Vista SP1
will
not improve on performance but will in fact be all about stability and reliability instead, doesn't offer much hope for those people on older
systems.
Make of it what you will, I personally don't have performance issues at all. I use Vista with 2GB of RAM and I have a Sandisk
2GB memory stick that is used for the "Ready Boost" feature, maybe they should re-run the test with that scenario.
Chris Pirillo
had this to say on all those negative articles
surrounding Windows Vista, enjoy!
Read full story.....
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28.11.2007Vista SP1 will be stability and reliability, not performance
The problem is one of the major issues with Vista is performance...
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Will Vista SP1 and how this won’t bring
any relief to those who find Vista a bit slow or sluggish? Not really, but then again service packs aren’t about performance increases;
they’re about reliability and stability.
I’ve seen a lot of service packs in my time. Windows 95 and ME both got one service
pack, NT 4.0 saw six, Windows 2000 had four and XP has so far seen two. But what I don’t remember regarding any of these service packs is
installing it onto a system and then seeing any significant boost in performance. Service packs don’t really work that way. Sure, you’ll
feel specific improvements as a result of some of the tweaks and fixes contained in the service pack, and you might feel the benefit of having your
operating system refreshed by loading the service pack onto it, but a service pack should not be looked upon as a performance upgrade. If your system
can’t run an OS, what it needs is upgrading or replacing, not the application of a service pack.
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27.11.2007Vista Shootout: Hotfixes Vs. SP1
The Web has been abuzz with chatter about Windows Vista's upcoming Service Pack 1 (SP1): What it will and will not fix, how it will affect
performance, how long will it take to install, and so on. PC manufacturers, some journalists, and a great deal of torrent addicts already have the
service pack, and we're among that crew.
While there are lots of things to write about SP1, the first thing we're going to
focus on is performance. Sure, security is important as is compatibility, but we're hoping SP1 turns Vista into the screaming speed demon Microsoft
once seemed to suggest it would be. Of course, when we say performance , we're mainly talking about games, but we checked out other areas in
which it supposedly improves the Vista experience as well.
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05.03.2008Some systems showing incredible SP1 performance boost
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Some systems onto which Im installing Windows Vista SP1 are showing significant performance gains.
One
system in particular on which Im seeing a significant is the AMD Phenom system which I have in the lab.
Heres the spec of that
system...
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13.02.2008XP SP3 speed lead over Vista SP1 narrows under similar workloads
A heavily promoted performance test by an evaluation software firm appeared to situate Windows Vista SP1 performance against Windows XP SP3. But the
initial workloads were actually different due to the Office software used...
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28.11.2007XP SP3 outperforms Vista SP1, but less when running same Office version
A heavily promoted performance test by an evaluation software firm appeared to situate Windows Vista SP1 performance against Windows XP SP3. But the
initial workloads were actually different due to the Office software used...
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28.11.2007Inside CNET Labs: Windows Vista SP1 performance
The long-awaited Service Pack 1 update for Windows Vista brings with it a number of significant bug fixes and other improvements. Microsoft promises
that with it you will also see a number of noticeable performance improvements as well. In
our initial round of testing, we saw a mixed bag of results:
we saw a few notable performance improvements under some conditions as well as significant performance degradations in others. For the most part,
however, we saw little difference in performance between Vista and the Vista SP1 update.
As we dug a little deeper into
Microsoft's claims, we discovered that many of the performance improvements being touted aren't actually directly attributable to SP1. Many
of the claimed performance improvements, such as improved boot-time, are actually more a function of improved third-party drivers and applications
that are benefiting from a year's worth of programming for Vista and from the programmers getting continued feedback and guidance from Microsoft. So
as long as you have been diligent about keeping your Vista system current with the latest Windows updates and third-party drivers, you likely
already have many of the potentially performance improving enhancements.
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14.02.2008Microsoft denies Sony's Vista hardware claims
Microsoft has denied Sony's
claim that the current release
of Vista supports neither
Intel's Turbo Memory
technology nor hybrid hard
drives.
The spat
between the companies arose
after Sony revealed to
ZDNet.co.uk that it would not
include Turbo Memory an
embedded flash memory module
formerly known by its code
name Robson in this summer's
Vaio notebooks because Vista
will not allow the benefits of
Turbo Memory to be utilised
until Service Pack 1 (SP1) of
the operating system is
released later this year.
Turbo Memory is an
optional component of Intel's
Centrino Pro/Duo platform
(previously known as Santa
Rosa), which makes use of
Vista features such as
ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive.
These features use
non-volatile "third-stage"
memory alongside a computer's
RAM and traditional hard drive
to boost performance and
start-up time. Most
manufacturers are ready to
release Centrino Pro notebooks
that include Turbo Memory,
although HP has turned it down
due to worries over cost
efficiency and the limitations
it places on users who want to
use external flash memory to
boost performance...
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07.06.2007Vista SP1 to be just 45MB over Windows Update?
Mary Jo Foley got a chance to
see a note sent to certain
testers of Vista SP1 earlier
this month and quite a few
interesting factoids have
turned up in it:
Q: How big is SP1?
A: Windows Vista
SP1 is approximately 45 MB
when delivered over Windows
Update and is designed to not
significantly change the UI or
regress application
compatibility.
Q: What are some examples
of support for emerging
technologies and
standards?
A:
With SP1, Windows Vista can
boot via EFI (Extensible
Firmware Interface) on an x64
machine. SP1 supports ExFAT, a
new file format that will be
used in flash memory storage
and consumer devices Support
for SD Advanced DMA Support to
improve transfer performance
and decrease CPU utilization
is part of SP1
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30.07.2007Microsoft hones its internal sales pitch for Vista Service Pack 1
With all the controversy as of late regarding
the
extent to which Service Pack (SP) 1 will improve Windows Vistas performance, what is Microsoft saying?
Externally, not much.
Throughout 2007, Microsoft officials have tried to downplay SP1, hoping to convince users that they dont need to wait for the first service pack
before moving to Windows Vista. As a result, executives have been less-than-forthcoming when it comes to the performance gains they expect Vista SP1
will deliver.
Internally, however, the company is promising some pretty hefty improvements for users who install SP1, according
to sources.
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28.11.2007Windows XP SP3 Yields Performance Gains
After a
disappointing showing by Windows Vista
SP1, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop
OS. Testing with OfficeBench
showed a
10% performance boost vs. the same configuration running under Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
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24.11.2007Windows 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.
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28.02.2008Performance improvements in WPF in .Net 3.5 / 3.0 SP1
Below is a list of the performance improvements that you can expect to see in WPF in .Net 3.5 and .Net 3.0 SP1:
1. Animations
Smoothing Improvements
- WPF Animation in .Net 3.0 SP1 is much smother.
- These improvements are more noticeable on Vista and
especially in upcoming Vista SP1, which includes additional smoothing in the Desktop Windowing Manager (DWM).
2. Layered Windows
Improvements
Layered Window performance was one of top customer complaints. They are now addressed with a QFE/Hotfix.
These hotfixes
are not available for direct download. End users should call Microsoft PSS to obtain them.
Developers and OEMs can contact Microsoft
PSS to discuss redistribution rights.
The hotfixes will be included in the next service pack of Microsoft OSs
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11.10.2007Principled Technologies Tests Windows Vista SP1
Nick White: When Windows Vista was originally released just over a year ago Microsoft commissioned Principled Technologies to compare the overall
responsiveness of Windows Vista to Windows XP SP 2 for some common business and home tasks. With the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Principled has updated their results.
Principled Technologies concluded the following when comparing business scenarios:
- Overall, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP
performed comparably on most test operations. Performance differences between the two operating systems were typically less than a half second.
Significant differences of over a second occurred on only nine of 128 measures; Windows Vista SP1 led on eight of those.
- Windows Vista
SP1 was noticeably more responsive after rebooting than Windows XP on several common business operations.
- Overall, Windows Vista SP1 was
more responsive than Windows Vista on most comparisons. Performance differences between the two operating systems were typically less than a quarter
second.
Principled Technologies also concluded the following when comparing home scenarios...
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27.02.2008Why installing Vista SP1 might fail via Windows Update
When you try to install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update you can get error: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is not available for installation from
Windows Update and is not offered by Automatic Updates.
To help ensure a positive update experience, Windows Update will temporarily not
offer Windows Vista SP1 to systems that have the following device drivers. In some cases, these device drivers are problematic on Windows Vista-based
computers when you update to Windows Vista SP1. By installing updated device drivers, you will resolve the issue and enable Windows Update to offer
Windows Vista SP1.
Click read more to view a list of drivers that don't work well with Vista SP1:
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
20.03.2008Vista SP1 will deliver big network speed boost
Ed Bott: I downloaded the release candidate of Vista Service Pack 1 yesterday and was prepared to wait till
its public debut next week before writing about it. But after upgrading a few machines here and
doing some tests, I changed my mind. If Microsoft’s decision to
ditch the WGA kill switch in
SP1 didn’t convince you, would you be interested in a 300% increase in network file transfer speeds?
Forget the reports you
might have read about
SP1 resulting in no performance boost. That story was based on a
silly artificial benchmark involving scripting of Office applications. Back here in the real world, where gigabit network connections are now
commonplace, you’ll see at least one huge improvement when transferring files over network connections.
In its original
release, Vista had some design problems with its networking stack, resulting in slow file transfers, especially when connecting to computers running
Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Home Server (all three of these products share a great deal of their code base, including core networking
components). In Vista SP1, file transfer speeds are dramatically improved. In this post, I’ll describe what I saw.
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06.12.2007Photos: Installing Vista SP1 beta
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Earlier today I downloaded the standalone installer for Windows Vista SP1 build 6001.16659 and installed it on a few systems
to see what it was like -- and I thought you might like to take a look at it.
Don't expect huge UI changes after installing SP1
-- the changes are small and subtle. In fact, if you're not familiar with Windows Vista, you might miss the SP1 changes. I've put together an image
gallery showing some of the most significant changes.
winbeta.org -
28.09.2007
