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A little more than one year following its let go, Windows Vista will take delivery of its first service pack update in March. Microsoft says the pack will offer enhanced compatibility with third-party hardware, augmented reliability, tighter security, and better presentation. But unlike the last Windows Service Pack free, Windows XP SP2–which offered users a new Windows Firewall, an improved Automatic Updates feature, and a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer–Windows Vista SP1 is largely a code update, devoid of new eye candy, and very light on “must-have” features for home users. Most of the features touted by Microsoft are for the Business, Enterprise, or last editions of the operating system. My advice: Be patient, and don’t download it once it becomes easy to get to. Wait until Windows Vista SP1 is offered to your PC via Microsoft’s Automatic Updates service.

Installation

Windows Vista SP1 will reach your destination one of three ways. Most users will mechanically receive the update via Windows Update. Microsoft says users will take delivery of only the changes detailed for their computer to cut down on network traffic and download times. Users with incomplete or no Internet connectivity, or who need to update more than one PC, will be able to download a total image of Windows Vista SP1 via DVD. Volume license customers (enterprises) will take delivery of an integrated DVD media package for installation on new PCs.

Before installing SP1, all users running Windows Vista RTM (that is, if you bought your computer with Vista preinstalled) will require to install three updates from Microsoft. Microsoft’s Windows inform will automatically notice and install these updates previous to the release of Windows Vista SP1. Two of these updates add to the success rate for installing Windows Vista SP1; one is necessary only if you have Windows Vista Enterprise or Windows Vista Ultimate installed.

While all this sounds complicated, Microsoft says it has learned from Windows XP SP2, an upgrade that sometimes stranded users with long, overnight downloads. Windows Vista is modular, thus the improve will download only the bites of code necessary for your specific system. If you have enabled Automatic Updates, in theory, you should have a much shorter download plus installation of the improve than someone who hasn’t reserved up with the numerous updates since Windows Vista’s release. Despite the many changes within the code, Windows Vista SP1 does not modify the basic hardware requirements for running the different editions of Windows Vista.

Using a disc provided by Microsoft, we found the upgrade of Windows Vista to SP1 on a typical Acer Travel mate required about 1 hour. During that time, the computer was not viable and routinely rebooted several times. A display informed us accurately where the install was in terms of on the whole progress (for example, “Configuring update, stage 1 of 3, 34 percent complete”).

Should you, for any cause, want to uninstall this upgrade, Microsoft allows you to do so, though the three re-establishment updates cannot be removed.

Features

Where Windows XP SP2 introduced the Windows Security Center and changed the existing Windows Firewall, Windows Vista SP1 introduces almost no visible change to your desktop. There are no new features to view, with almost all of the nearly 300 changes occurring under the hood, and mostly projected for Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.

Specific reliability improvements include the prevention of data loss while ejecting NT file system file-system-formatted removable media; enhancements to TCP/IP Version 6; improved driver sleep and awaken times; improved Meeting room connections; improved Remote help applications; and it includes Encrypting File System in the Windows Vista file backup set.

For performance, Microsoft says SP1 uses less bandwidth when browsing network shares and mechanically selects between wirelesses and wired when more than one is offered. There are also many tweaks and improvements in Ready Drive (requires the use of special hybrid drives) and Ready Boost (requires special USB drives), and Super Fetch (requires a specific amount of RAM). As a result, users at present running Windows Super Fetch will notice, after installing Windows Vista SP1 that their system is slower. Microsoft says that’s because SP1 erases the existing Super Fetch data. As new data is composed, the system will respond “within a few days”, Microsoft says.

There are many new standards introduced with SP1. For example, there’s a new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, x64 Extensible Firmware Interface network boot, Direct3D 10.1 for 3D gaming, new flash based xFAT, identifies HD-DVD and Blu-ray drives as HD drives, supports SD Advanced Direct Memory Access, second-generation Windows Media Center Extenders, enhances the MPEG-2 decoder, and enhances hold up for Windows Network Projector.

For security, SP1 improves the Bitlocker encryption in Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Ultimate by adding multifunction authentication methods; moreover, Microsoft now allows encryption support for volumes other than the bootable volume. SP1 also includes some Smart Card improvement, and allows for biometric, as opposed to PIN, access to Smart Cards. Within Vista, SP1 creates a more secure PIN channel for authentication.

Performance

In general, MY Labs found that Windows Vista SP1 offered a mixed bag of improvements. For example, Microsoft says that reading and writing files will be much faster within Windows Vista SP1. Tests performed by MY Labs on a Dell XPS M1530 laptop showed that performance did get better in one scenario, remained steady in another, and even deteriorated in a third scenario. When transferring files from one folder to another on the same drive volume, the transfer occasion do somewhat get better. However, at what time reading those same files from an external drive, or writing them to the external drive performance was the same or worse.

Those looking for improved battery life under Windows Vista SP1 will be dissatisfied. Although Microsoft touts its own internal study showing that in 14 out of 16 randomly chosen laptops, battery life did improve, MY Labs was unable to support that in its own testing.

Support

We found that Microsoft offers a reasonable amount of support for the SP1 upgrade. For example, before you start there is a link to a Read Me page called “What you should know before installing Service Pack 1″, which covers what to do before installing, during, and after installation. Too, Microsoft has improved the upgrade process itself so that if the installation of one informs fails, it tries another while preparing to rerun the failed update. This should speed installation for most users. But if users do run into trouble, they can always uninstall the upgrade.

In conclusion, do you need Windows Vista SP1? Yes and no. It’s always good to install the latest (read: Patched) code for any operating system. But downloading and installing the update will take some users a few hours without any visible or touchable development to their systems.