SP1

Microsoft said today that it had sent the first service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to original equipment manufacturers, with a consumer release to follow later this month.

The news comes several weeks after Microsoft's Russian Windows localization team had reported the update as being finalized from its first and only release candidate, and released to manufacturers.

Microsoft says the update will go out to consumers through Windows Update on February 22. TechNet subscribers and Microsoft's volume license customers will get their hands on it a week earlier, on the 16th.

SP1 includes an … Read more

The first service pack for Windows 7 has been sent to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), according to a post on TechNet by Microsoft's Russian Windows Visualization team.

Microsoft launched the first release candidate for Windows 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 in late October of last year, saying that it would be the only RC prior to the software being finalized and made available to manufacturers. The company also promised that SP1 would arrive in the hands of users in the "first half" of 2011.

Blog Winrumors, which reported the news earlier today, weighs in, … Read more

Microsoft this week unveiled the Release Candidates for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.

The new releases are the last public test versions before the RTM (release-to-manufacturing) editions for both products hit the market early next year, according to a Microsoft blog. The Release Candidate for Windows 7 SP1 holds no new features since the product's initial beta came out in July. Microsoft has previously said that Windows 7 SP1 would offer nothing new but would simply be a collection of minor updates and fixes already released.

Still the launch of a … Read more

The first service pack for Windows 7 will emerge in the first half of 2011, according to Microsoft.

SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 will also be released in the same time frame, according to the company's TechNet Evaluation Center Web site.

The Windows 7 SP1 will include updates based on those delivered by the Windows Update online service since the OS's launch in October, as well as additional tweaks based on customer feedback.

The service pack for Windows Server 2008 R2 will focus on improvements to the virtual desktop infrastructure technology.

Read more of "Microsoft Windows 7 SP1: Coming in early 2011" … Read more

What can we really say about an application that looks like a run-of-the-mill personal organizer but opens with a scantily clad woman rapping on our screen to get our attention? We're no prudes, but perhaps if eReminder Sp1 - Easy Planner Secretary wants to be taken seriously, it should reconsider its nipple-baring virtual spokesmodel.

Virtual babe aside, this is an OK program. There's nothing about it that really blew our minds, but it offers a solid set of organizational features. The calendar function has six different views, allowing users to see everything from the current day to the … Read more

Microsoft said Monday it expects to have a public beta by July for the first service pack update to Windows 7.

The announcement came at the start of Microsoft's TechEd conference, being held this week in New Orleans.

Although the update is relatively minor, the release of the first service pack of an operating system has historically been a symbolic indication to businesses that the software is ready for mass consumption. In recent years, though, Microsoft has issued many of the updates that are part of a service pack ahead of that release and the company has encouraged businesses … Read more

The original release of Windows Vista reached the end of its support on Tuesday, meaning that customers now need to be running either Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 of Vista to get assistance from Microsoft.

However, in conjunction with this milestone, Microsoft did make a subtle adjustment to its support policy, easing the hard deadline a bit. Under the new policy, Microsoft support staff are allowed to make their "best effort" to provide limited troubleshooting to customers running unsupported service packs, even if they don't have a custom support contract.

"Under the former service … Read more

Microsoft on Wednesday announced the first details of a planned service pack to Exchange Server 2010, which will add several new features to the messaging and calendar server software.

In addition to the usual crop of tweaks and fixes, Service Pack 1 for Exchange 2010 will allow for better archiving and discovery of mail, improvements to Outlook Web Access, and better management capabilities, among other features.

Microsoft plans to make available a beta of the service pack in June with the final version due out later this year.

The improvements to Outlook Web Access bring back themes and the ability … Read more

Breaking its silence on the first service pack for Windows 7, Microsoft said on Thursday that it will include only minor updates, including many already released.

"For Windows 7, SP1 includes only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update," Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog post.

LeBlanc said that Microsoft is not yet ready to announce a time frame for either the beta or final version of the service pack. But, he said that businesses should not wait for the update.

"So don't wait," LeBlanc said. &… Read more