Rearm and Extend Activation Grace Period in Windows Vista and Server 2008
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 has free activation grace period which allows user to install and use the operating system for 120 days and 240 days without product key or product activation completed.
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8.6.2008 Unlimited ReArm Patch
Automatic patch for Vista RTM. Current 3 people have reported that this has worked for them.
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26.11.2006 How to Rearm and Extend Free Usage Activation Grace Period of Windows 7 to 120 Days
Windows 7 (SeVeN) is probably going to continue the trial software trend that starts with Windows Vista’s rearm, that user can install Windows 7 without any product key for free usage of 30 days as evaluation period.
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5.11.2008 How to Rearm and Extend Office 2010 Activation Grace Period for Free 180 Days Usage
Microsoft has implemented product activation scheme named Office Protection Platformm (OPP) that similar with Windows Product Activation (WPA) and Software Protection Platform (SPP) for Windows Vista and Windows Activation Technologies (WAT) Windows 7 in Microsoft Office 2010, where all copy of Office 2010 installed has to be activated, with 30 days activation grace period.
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3.9.2009 .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 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 32-bit Vista SP1 = 1GB – 64-bit Vista SP1 = 1.5GB
If you think that Windows Vista was a fast operating system, then just wait for the first service pack. According to data released by Microsoft, Vista SP1 with weigh in at a maximum of 1.5 GB.
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30.8.2007 64-bit Vista SP1 Runs Faster than 32-bit Vista SP1 and 32-bit XP SP3!
The 64-bit edition of Windows Vista delivers not only support for larger quantities of system memory, with the high-end editions supporting as much as 128 GB of RAM, but also some extra horse power hidden under the hood.
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29.4.2008 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 Vista SP1 Won't Resolve the 4 GB RAM Limitation of 32-bit Windows Vista
32-bit Windows operating systems, and Windows Vista makes no exception whatsoever to this rule, are limited in terms of the amount of system memory that can be addressed to no more than 4 GB.
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4.1.2008 Vista Loader 2.1.3 - Windows Vista Activator 2008 Support SP1 with No Boot String
Vista Loader is one of the most successful Vista activation crack available to date, second only to physical modify (hardmod) the BIOS to include SLIC table to make BIOS Vista activation-compliant.
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15.5.2008 Microsoft to Kill the Grace Timer and OEM BIOS Windows Vista Cracks with Vista SP1
With the advent of Windows Vista, cracks also became available being designed to bypass the activation process of the operating system.
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4.12.2007 Vista SP1 Features the Same Sins as Windows Vista
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 comes with the same sins as Windows Vista. The service pack is not even out the door, and is already putting users at risk.
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16.1.2008 Will Vista SP1 Go Where Vista Never Went? Even with XP SP3 and Windows 7?
Throughout 2007, it became painfully clear to Microsoft that the main competitor for Windows Vista was not Apple's Mac OS X or even the open source Linux operating system but Windows XP, and, in fact, specifically XP SP2.
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1.3.2008 No Windows Vista SP1 Beta for You!
Microsoft is consistent in its strategy to gag all aspects of the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 front. Additionally, the Redmond company informed that the first service pack for its latest variant of the Windows platform will not be delivered as a public beta.
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23.7.2007 FAQ: Windows Vista SP1
What and when seem to be two of the most pressing questions when it comes down to the first Service Pack for Windows Vista. Microsoft has been completely mute when it came to details related to Windows Vista SP1.
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26.7.2007 Windows Vista SP1 Crack
Despite the fact that Windows Vista was not sent barefoot into the world as was the case with Windows XP, and instead came packed with antipiracy mitigations from an intimate connection with the Windows genuine Advantage mechanism to the Reduced Functionality Mode kill switch, cracks for the operating system were not uncommon.
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12.2.2008 If You Think SP1 Fixed Windows Vista, Think Again
If you think that the first service pack for Windows Vista has managed to fix what was broken with the latest Windows client, think again.
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13.3.2008 How to Upgrade Vista SP1 to Windows 7
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate 1 has been released to Microsoft Connect, MSDN, Technet subscribers, and it’s also available for free download in Windows Update. Because, make no mistake about it, Windows 7 will grow its installed base for the most part to the detriment of its precursors.
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28.2.2009 Windows XP SP3 Twice as Fast as Windows Vista – Leaves Vista SP1 in the Dust
Forget about Windows Vista. And forget about Windows Vista SP1. Microsoft's latest Windows client has been quite sluggish to begin with. This in both consumer adoption and in terms of the performance it delivers.
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27.11.2007 Windows Vista SP1 codenamed "Fiji"
From Microsoft: Longhorn Server RTM/ Windows Vista SP1 RTM Second half of 2006/first half of 2007 (Client RTM + 6 to 9 months).
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13.12.2006 Another Windows Vista SP1 Feature From TechEd
In one of the later session during TechEd last week I learned of another very cool feature coming to Windows Vista with Service Pack 1.
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18.6.2007 Windows Vista SP1 Beta Is Live
The first beta for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is live. Mid July was synonymous with the date Microsoft started to push the beta of Vista SP1 to what the company referred to as "a very small, very select group of advance customers."
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6.8.2007 Windows Vista SP1 6.0.6001.16633
Since all of the news last week about the new SP1 build Microsoft sent to their tester, I have been looking for a torrent to download it from.
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27.8.2007 New Test Version of Windows Vista SP1 Available
But you won't get a download! Microsoft made a new test version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 available. The Redmond company is in full throttle with the development of the first service pack for Vista as the refresh will be delivered for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers by mid September.
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4.9.2007 Does Microsoft Actually Want Windows Vista SP1 to Be Pirated?
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is currently in its final stages of development in Redmond Utero, and heading for the first release candidate stage.
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6.12.2007 Yes, a Windows Vista SP1 Installation Can Take Up to 4 Days!
Yes, the process associated with the deployment of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 can take as much as four days before completion.
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15.1.2008 Are XP SP3 and Windows 7 Getting in the Way of Vista SP1?
Are Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows 7 getting in the way of Windows Vista and Vista Service Pack 1? Well, Microsoft's position is exactly this.
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21.1.2008 Windows Vista SP1 Released to Manufacturing! But You Can't Have It!
This is it! Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is no longer in development, as Microsoft has released it to manufacturing today, February 4, 2008.
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4.2.2008 Windows Vista SP1 Slipstreaming Mess!
Remember all those slipstreaming tutorials you could find on the Internet?
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10.2.2008Why 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 -
20.03.2008Windows Vista SP1 Application Non-Compatibility List
Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista is an important update for Windows Vista. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) contains many security, reliability, and
feature updates for Windows Vista. A program may experience a loss of functionality after you install Windows Vista SP1. However, most programs will
continue to work as expected after you install Windows Vista SP1.
This article lists programs that have been reported to
experience a loss of functionality when they are installed on a Windows Vista SP1-based computer.
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19.02.2008Language Packs and Windows Vista SP1
Nick White: We have some information we'd like to share in regards to Windows Vista SP1 and folks running Language Packs. Some of you may have
noticed that after installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate - the Language Packs fail to appear on Windows Update (
KB947875).
We will be releasing Windows Vista SP1 in two
"waves". The first wave will only provide Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista Ultimate PCs running the following 5 Languages: English, French,
German, Japanese and Spanish. The second wave will follow shortly after - supporting all 36 languages.
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04.03.2008Photos: 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.
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28.09.2007Windows 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.
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12.12.2007Improved startup repair tool, media throttling among Vista SP1 changes
To reassure customers that it really has been addressing consumers' concerns about Vista, Microsoft has made its change log to Windows Vista SP1
publicly available early...
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11.12.2007Windows Vista SP1 downloadable now, ships tomorrow
Just a few hours after Amazon told its customers that Windows Vista SP1 packages would be shipping tomorrow, Microsoft made Service Pack 1 for Vista
generally available. The update is 435MB for the x86 version...
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18.03.2008Vista 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: śWindows Vista
SP1 is approximately 45 MB
when delivered over Windows
Update and is designed to not
significantly change the UI or
regress application
compatibility.ť
Q: What are some examples
of śsupport for emerging
technologies and
standards?ť
A:
śWith 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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30.07.2007Windows Vista SP1 availability for technical customers
Mike Nash: On Monday (February 4th), we announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Overall, people are
excited to hear that we have reached this milestone, but some are disappointed they are not able to immediately download it.
<...> We've heard the feedback and I want to update you on our plans and progress for making SP1 available to our beta participants, our Volume
Licensing customers, and our MSDN/TechNet Plus subscribers:
- Late Friday we made SP1 RTM available to individuals and companies
who participated in the SP1 beta program
- At the end of this week we will be making the English version of Windows Vista SP1 available to
Volume Licensing customers. Other languages will follow soon after
- Later this month, SP1 will be available to MSDN and TechNet Plus
subscribers
For broad availability, we are still planning to release in mid-March, since we want to be sure that everyone has the
smoothest experience possible.
I want to be super-clear on one point: Windows Vista SP1 is final. It has been fully released to
manufacturing and we do not plan to make any changes to the SP1 code prior to public availability. We are confident in the quality of Windows Vista
SP1 and know that it will help improve our customers' experiences with Windows Vista.
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11.02.2008Deployed: Windows Vista SP1 RC on ALL of my PCs
Brandon LeBlanc: Today Nick announced the availability of the release candidate for Windows Vista SP1. I had a chance to get the RC build of Windows
Vista SP1 installed a few days ago. I decided to roll the RC out on all of my PCs which showcase a variety of device types and scenarios:
- My Main Desktop PC running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 - check.
- My Test/Work PC running Windows Vista Business - check.
- My Dell Vostro 1500 Laptop running Windows Vista Ultimate - check.
- My Samsung Q1 UMPC running Windows Vista Home Premium - check.
- My Digital CableCard PC running Windows Vista Home Premium - check.
In installing the RC on my PCs, I did a combination of
using the standalone installer and Windows Update. Before proceeding to install the SP1 RC bits, I first needed to uninstall the SP1 beta bits first.
Users looking to install the Windows Vista SP1 RC will need to uninstall any previous version of SP1 prior to the installation of the RC from either
Windows Update or the standalone installer.
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06.12.2007Windows 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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28.02.2008Windows Vista SP1 Update Resumes Tomorrow
From the Windows Vista Blog: I have a quick update for you about Windows Vista SP1. The Microsoft Update Blog contains some important information
about updates to the SP1 prerequisite distribution plan. Starting tomorrow, we are resuming the automatic update and installation of the Servicing
Stack Update.
In mid-April, we will begin distributing SP1 (in the first 5 languages) using the Automatic Update system. We have a lot of
Windows users, so not everyone will get it on the same day. In fact, it will go to a small percentage of Windows Vista users each day. The exact
timing of when you will receive it depends on when your PC is ready for Windows Vista SP1.
In addition to starting the automatic delivery
of the first 5 languages, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that also we're on track for the initial release of SP1 in the remaining
languages in mid-April.
neowin.net -
07.04.2008Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Official Release Dates
A French website,
PC Inpact, has posted
the official Microsoft product change request forms for Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. So just when do our friends from France say Microsoft is
planning on releasing our little Service Pack friends? Well, according to them, we will be seeing Vista SP1 a little earlier than previously
anticipated:
Windows Vista SP1: February 18th or 19th
Windows XP SP3: March 23rd or 24th
winbeta.org -
06.02.2008Changes to UAC in Vista SP1: Much less than meets the eye
A video is making the rounds showing how Vista SP1 has significantly improved Vista's immensely annoying User Account Control (UAC). But there
appears to be less to the improvement than meets the eye --- hardly any changes were made to UAC in SP1, and it remains a very big Vista annoyance.
Microsoft blogger Michael Kleef
has
made a video that he says illustrates how much better UAC is under SP1 than before SP1. It very nicely shows that when you create a new folder in
Program Files, you only need to go through one UAC prompt under Vista SP1, rather than four previously.
winbeta.org -
17.05.2008.NET Framework 3.0 SP1 & 2.0 SP1 on Vista RTM?
Aaron Ruckman: I've received the following type of question a few times and would like to give the answer with some background:
Q. Where is the .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 & 2.0 SP1 for Vista RTM?
A. .NET Framework 3.0 & 2.0 released with Vista as OS Windows
Components, which means that they are serviced as any other windows Component. Therefore, the .NET Framework 3.0 & 2.0 Service packages will be
officially released as part of the Vista Service packages. When Vista SPX is shipped then .NET Framework 2.0 & 3.0 might also include updates in that
service package.
In this case the .NET Framework 3.0 & 2.0 have a service package that will be shipped with Vista
SP1. Vista SP1 RC is available now (
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb738089.aspx)
NOTE: The same logic stated for Vista and .NET Framework will also be true for Windows2008 & .NET Framework 2.0 & 3.0, only Windows
Server2008 will release with .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 & 3.0 SP1 in the OS.
winbeta.org -
21.01.2008Updated: Windows Vista SP1 downloadable now, ships tomorrow
Despite Amazon's messages on Tuesday that it would be shipping commercial packages with Windows Vista SP1 starting today, those messages this morning
were found to be replaced with new notices that the new boxes aren't in stock yet...
betanews.com -
19.03.2008Releasing Windows Vista SP1 for more languages
Chris Flores: It has been almost a month since we released Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update in 5 languages. To date: millions of people have
successfully installed Windows Vista SP1 on their PCs. So we're happy to announce the next step for Windows Vista SP1 availability.
We are excited to report that today we are making Windows Vista SP1 available to folks running Windows Vista in any of the supported languages.
Starting today, users will be able to choose to manually install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update or download the standalone installer from the
Microsoft Download Center (
x86 and
x64) for any of the 36 supported languages, not just English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese. For now, it is available
for users who visit Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center. We encourage most users to get Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update-which will
provide the best update experience.
winbeta.org -
16.04.2008Windows 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 -
27.05.2008Principled 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...
winbeta.org -
27.02.2008Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 on MSDN & TechNet (Plus)
Microsoft sent out a mail on Wednesday informing MSDN and TechNet Plus users that Windows Vista SP1 images as well as Windows Server 2008 (RTM) have
been made available to subscribers. Upon checking however, I was unable to find the promised SP1 image on my TechNet subscription.
Microsoft
had last
week, backpedaled and decided to move the release for certain
customers and beta testers up from mid-March to
mid-to-late-February. I imagine some subscribers have yet to see it appear on their download list but should all go according to plan, those images
should be made available before March.
Up to 3 pre-requisites will start appearing through Windows Update for everyone else before
mid-March, which is required before SP1 can be installed on Windows Vista. This is due to an update of the update service from within Windows that is
required before SP1 can be installed.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 14.02.2008
