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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.
windows - comments - 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.
download - comments - 27.5.2009

Windows 7 Build 7004 Is Win7 Beta 2?

The whole world is eagerly awaiting the official public release of Windows 7 Beta 1, widely speculated to be build version 6.1.7000.0 (or simply build 7000) in early January 2009, which may be as soon as within days.
windows - comments - 4.1.2009

Incoming - Real and fake Win7 patches

Microsoft has made available a patch to a Windows 7 bug in the Release Candidate (RC) and is preparing to roll out some “fake” test patches to verify Windows 7’s automatic-updating abilities this week.
windows - comments - 13.5.2009

Microsoft readies Win7 netbook specs

Microsoft is readying a set of maximum specs for Windows 7 netbooks –or, as Microsoft prefers to call them, “small notebooks” — that will likely dictate which PCs will qualify for lower per-copy Windows 7 pricing.
windows - comments - 22.5.2009

Microsoft readies Win7 netbook specs

Microsoft is readying a set of maximum specs for Windows 7 netbooks –or, as Microsoft prefers to call them, “small notebooks” — that will likely dictate which PCs will qualify for lower per-copy Windows 7 pricing.
windows - comments - 26.5.2009

Leaked memo hints at Win7 prices

Microsoft officials may not be ready to share the date of the Vista-to-Windows 7 upgrade program they preannounced this week. But Best Buy is.
windows - comments - 5.6.2009

Windows 7 E (Europe) Build 7264 Win7 RTM x64 English DVD

Microsoft Windows 7 E Build 7264 Win7 RTM x64 English DVD
windows - comments - 8.7.2009

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.
windows - comments - 1.3.2009

Get Free Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition with Party Pack By Hosting Win7 Launch Party

In a new campaign to promote Windows 7, Microsoft is giving chances to Windows 7 enthusiasts around the world to be part of Windows history by hosting a house party to mark the official launch of Windows 7.
windows - comments - 4.9.2009

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.
windows - comments - 20.5.2009

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.
windows - comments - 4.12.2008

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.
windows - comments - 27.12.2007

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.
windows - comments - 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.
windows - comments - 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.
windows - comments - 5.6.2009

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.]
windows - comments - 18.2.2008

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.
windows - comments - 26.10.2008

With Vista SP2, Microsoft is back on track

From the other side of the world comes a report that Windows Vista Service Pack 2 will be released to manufacturing in April 2009, roughly a year after SP1.
windows - comments - 2.12.2008

Microsoft Vista SP2 beta: Nothing new has been added

If you install the beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) expecting to see visible changes to your version of Vista, you'll be sorely disappointed.
windows - comments - 9.12.2008

Vista SP2 RTM Already Leaked and Available for download soon

Microsoft was yet to announce the releasing to manufacturing of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 that the bits had already been leaked to torrent trackers. On April 28, the Redmond company indicated that Vista SP2 (a package that also contains Windows Server 2008 SP2) had RTM'd.
windows - comments - 29.4.2009

DirectX 11 for Windows Vista SP2 Available

Microsoft is beginning to backport Windows 7 features to Windows Vista, and as an integral part of the process, the company is also upgrading Vista’s graphics technology to the level of Windows 7.
microsoft - comments - 12.9.2009

More Free Windows to Keep Vista and XP SP2 Company

Without indicating a strong affinity for the open source business model Microsoft is rather generous with its operating systems.
windows - comments - 1.4.2008

Vista SP2 and Windows 7 by the End of June 2009

The evolution of the Windows client, involving both Windows Vista (now with Service Pack 1) and Windows 7, appears to be closer than Microsoft is ready to acknowledge officially.
windows - comments - 18.10.2008

Vista SP2 Build 16489 released to testers

Microsoft has released an early beta build of Vista SP2 to testers according to those familiar with the beta program.
windows - comments - 24.10.2008

Download Vista SP2 Beta via Windows Update

If you like to stay on the bleeding edge of technology (and you’re running Vista) you may want to consider modifying two registry keys on your system so that you can participate in the Vista SP2 Beta program.
download - comments - 3.11.2008

XP Availability Extended Despite Vista SP2 and Windows 7

While it is cooking Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft has also managed to further extend the availability of Windows XP. With the 32-bit version of Vista's precursor at Service Pack 3, and at SP2 for the 64-bit flavor, Windows XP will now live until June 2009.
windows - comments - 22.12.2008

Vista SP2: Windows Driver Model Upgrade

Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista extends the operating system's support for drivers that play nice with all Windows operating systems.
windows - comments - 28.12.2008

Microsoft delays Windows Vista SP2 by a month

Tech ARP reports that Windows Vista SP2 might be delayed until March. Microsoft will deliver a Release Candidate of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 in March and not in February.
windows - comments - 22.1.2009

Windows Vista SP2 release date slips

Microsoft has delayed Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) by at least a month, and will now ship it to manufacturing sometime in May or June, according to a website that has accurately predicted Windows release dates in the past.
windows - comments - 25.1.2009

Microsoft 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

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neowin.net - 26.05.2009

Microsoft on Win7 UAC: 'Take the emotions out of the discussion'

The latest blog posts from Windows 7 engineers reveal this quandary: If the whole point of accelerating Win7 was to eliminate the Vista complaints, and the tool to accomplish that is generating more complaints, what do they do?..
betanews.com - 06.02.2009

Microsoft 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 - 24.11.2008

Microsoft: 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 - 03.12.2008

Windows Vista SP2 RC to be released to public next week

Last week we had a rumor that Windows Vista SP2 RC was released to select testers. It turns out that it might be just a notification from Microsoft a week ahead that RC is done and available for testing or it might have been a near final RC made available for testing to select testers. Microsoft has announced today that the RC of SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers to test prior to final release. Microsoft will make SP2 RC available to the general public via TechNet during next week. As expected the final version of SP2 will be made available in the 2nd quarter of 2009.

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neowin.net - 26.02.2009

Vista 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 - 03.12.2008

Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 RC released

Last week the Windows Team Blog announced that the availability of SP2 RC for Vista would be available soon. Today they have posted that the download is now live and you can find the information needed here. If you have a beta install of SP2 loaded on your computer it must be uninstalled before attempting to load the RC. It should also be mentioned that this, while close, is not a final product and a few hiccups may occur along the way. You can download the RC directly from the Customer Preview Program or use the Windows Update Experience Kit to obtain the RC for your personal computer.

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neowin.net - 05.03.2009

Vista SP2: Microsoft to push via Windows Update in 'the coming weeks'

Microsoft still isn't saying anything more about why Vista SP2 still isn't available yet on the Microsoft Download site, but company officials are telling customers that Microsoft will push SP2 automatically via Windows Update "in the coming weeks"...




winbeta.org - 21.05.2009

Vista 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...




winbeta.org - 15.10.2008

Windows 7 On Track For 2010 Release

That's the year we'll make contact, and not before.

Chris Flores, the head of Microsoft Featured Communities confirmed to Neowin by stating "As most of you are well aware, there has been quite a bit of recent speculation about Win7. While I am not at liberty to discuss the details of Win7 (yet) I do want to set the record straight that we are still shooting for 2010 - 3 years from the launch of Vista."

Bearing in mind that 2010 is just a little under a year and a half away, it's unreasonable to think that something would be released in between; however we can speculate that SP2 for Windows Vista will come before then and may introduce some new features making the upgrade from XP worthwhile. Pure speculation of course!


neowin.net - 09.04.2008

Windows Vista SP2 RC build released to testers

TechARP predicted last month that RC-Escrow build of SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 will be released between the dates Jan 26-30 and the RC build between the dates Feb 16-20. The RC Escrow build of SP2 was sent to testers at the end of January and the rumor is that now Microsoft has released the RC build of SP2 to Microsoft Connect testers exactly between the dates predicted by TechARP. Ars reports that RC build is available for download as a standalone installer package or via Windows Update or as a slipstreamed download which includes 691 individual hotfixes.

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neowin.net - 20.02.2009

XP 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 - 28.02.2008

Microsoft Vista SP2 beta: Nothing new has been added (yet)

If you install the beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) expecting to see visible changes to your version of Vista, you'll be sorely disappointed. At least in this initial beta, all the changes are under the hood, and even they are far from earth-shaking. Microsoft says that it has fixed compatibility problems with the third-party Spy Sweeper and ZoneAlarm security applications, enhanced hardware support for Direct X, improved Wi-Fi connections after a system resumes from sleep, improved Windows Search, added support for the newest Bluetooth specification (2.1) and rolled up all previous Vista updates.

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neowin.net - 09.12.2008

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 reaches RTM

Microsoft has finally finished and compiled the RTM version of Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008. The full version string being 6.0.6006.18005, which company officials have confirmed is the final RTM version of SP2. Currently circulating around popular BitTorrent websites, the final version is available in 32 and 64 bit versions. Microsoft is expected to announce public availability later this week. Screenshots of the file properties: Thanks to Neowin user Vask for the heads up.

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neowin.net - 29.04.2009

Microsoft 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.

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neowin.net - 18.10.2008

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. 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.

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neowin.net - 27.05.2008

Windows 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 - 29.01.2009

Vista SP2 to be Delivered Before 7

According to Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is aiming to release a second service pack for Vista, supposedly even before 7 ships:

"The Windows team is readying second service packs (SP2) for Vista — and for its server complement, Windows Server 2008 — and is aiming to deliver these SP2s before it releases Windows 7, according to my sources.

I’m hearing that Microsoft already has delivered a beta of at least Vista SP2 to select hardware and software partners, the same way that it has been providing a hand-chosen few with early builds of Windows 7."


jcxp.net - 19.10.2008

Exclusive: Windows Vista SP2 RC released to general public

As expected, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 RC is now available to general public for download. You can download the SP2 RC for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 below: ISO for Windows Server 2008 x86/x64/ia64 and Windows Vista x86/x64x86 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista x86x64 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista x64IA64 for Windows Server 2008 ia64 The service pack is delivered as a single release for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. There will be a single 32-bit standalone installer (302 MB to 390 MB) for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

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neowin.net - 04.03.2009

Windows Vista SP2 RC-Escrow build released to testers

Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has sent out the RC-Escrow build of SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 to testers. An email has been sent to SP2 testers regarding this release. The RC-Escrow build is available for download from this Thursday as a standalone installer or via Windows Update or as a slipstreamed download. Microsoft claims that the service pack includes 656 individual hotfixes. The Escrow Build is a build where development halts and developers & beta testers start testing the product for any show-stopper bugs. Microsoft has emphasized this to testers to concentrate only on the regressions and confirmation of fixes when asking for feedback which includes the RC Escrow install survey.

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neowin.net - 29.01.2009