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Microsoft aiming to deliver Vista SP2 before Windows 7

Summary: 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.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

Microsoft aiming to deliver Vista SP2 before Windows 7The 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. I noticed that Microsoft has put up a place holder Knowledge Base article on October 2 regarding the forthcoming SP2 betas. (I see a couple of other bloggers saw this, as well.)

I haven't heard details from any testers regarding any of the features due in Vista SP2 or Windows Server 2008 SP2. But here are some tidbits of what I have heard from my sources:

  • Microsoft's goal is to deliver both SP2 releases before it delivers Windows 7 in order to lessen confusion among users as to whether to deploy Vista and Windows Server 2008 -- or to wait for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (a k a Windows 7 Server). Currently, Microsoft is believed to be attempting to RTM Windows 7 in the second half of 2009. The Softies have said Windows Server 2008 R2 is on track for 2010.
  • Because Microsoft is trying to keep Windows client and server code in lock-step, Windows Server 2008 was built around the Vista SP1 codebase. That's why the first standalone service pack for Server 2008 is being called SP2. As many customers still are reticent to deploy a new OS until the first standalone SP goes out, Microsoft also is pushing to get SP2 for server out there to convince these users to consider upgrading.
  • The biggest deliverable in SP2 for Windows Server 2008 will be the integration of the Hyper-V bits with the server OS.

(I've asked the Windows client and server teams for comment on their respective SP2 features/timing and will update this post if and when I hear back. Given how tough it was to get info out of Microsoft on Vista SP1, I am not holding my breath....)

Update: Here's all the Vista team will say, courtesy of a spokesperson: "Microsoft is working on a second Windows Vista service pack (Windows Vista SP2) and will share more details in the coming months."

Update No. 2:  From the server team, via a spokesperson: "(T)he comment (above) serves for Windows Server as well; Microsoft is not commenting further on the timing/release plans for the WS08 SP2 at this time, but will share more details in the coming months."

Microsoft is expected to release a public Beta 1 of Windows 7 in mid-December, according to internal schedule information from sources. I haven't yet heard when Beta 1 of Windows Server 2008 R2 is due, but I would bet it will be in the next month or two, as well. If Microsoft really is hoping to get Vista SP2 and Win Server 2008 SP2 out first, that doesn't give the Redmondans a whole lot of time to test and deliver its pair of SP2s.

Given the timing, I'm wondering whether Microsoft might decide to deliver any of the tweaks or features it is building into Windows 7 via Vista SP2. Are there any fixes or tweaks you are hoping Microsoft delivers as part of Vista/Win Server 2008 SP2?

Topics: Software, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Windows

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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101 comments
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  • Excellent.

    Making a good OS even better.

    *Puts on flameproof suit*

    Anyway, no surprise there. I've no intention of upgrading to W7 until I have to - my current Quadcore is about a year old so another two years yet I think.
    Sleeper Service
    Reply Vote

    • Why not just upgrade, sounds like you are all set..

      MS has claimed the win7 will run on any machine which runs Vista. <br><br>
      xuniL_z
      Reply Vote

      • Why upgrade

        Unless you need to?
        My main computer will probably be 4 yo by the time Win 7 comes out, so maybe I'll just get a new one. Otherwise, I'd just keep Vista.
        tikigawd
        Reply Vote

        • Exactly

          {NT}
          Sleeper Service
          Reply Vote

          • It goes w/o saying that you have to *want* to...I thought your post....

            suggested you would not do so due to feeling your hardware would not be adequate. <br><br>
            My mistake. Sorry.
            xuniL_z
            Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft aiming to deliver Vista SP2 before Windows 7

    Nearly 2 years on and I've still got page rendering issues in IE7 (supposedly offering an "enhanced" user experience under Vista) with text not being displayed at the correct font size resulting in text and images getting overlaid and making some sites unuseable. Same goes for some dialogs in Vista, with text getting cut off vertically at arbitrary points.
    simonxbarker
    Reply Vote

    • examples?

      could you share some links? I have been using Vista Ult at home and Bus at work for over a year now and the only time i saw rendering issues was when IE7 was new (sites like NYTIMES.com did not work). Now everything seems to work.Which dialogs in Vista? Just curious cuz I never saw any.
      reverseswing
      Reply Vote

      • You must be new around here.

        Providing details, specifics, or examples is not the way anti-Vista people work. They'll just re-word their vague "examples" and then start up with the personal attacks if you don't accept them.
        ye
        Reply Vote

        • So true

          Preach it!
          rjohn05
          Reply Vote

          • Peanut gallery alert

            :D
            hasta la Vista, bah-bie
            Reply Vote

        • um..

          and anti *nix etc... windows fans [i]never[/i] respond in the manner on zdnet??

          Granted; regardless of who does it, it is rather unconstructive and annoying.
          rikasa
          Reply Vote

          • Strawman.

            [i]and anti *nix etc... windows fans never respond in the manner on zdnet??[/i]

            Unless you can demonstrate where I stated said behavior was limited to anti-Vista posters. As it is I have not. Yes you see it from all sides. But, IMO, it is [b]much[/b] worse with the ABMers.
            ye
            Reply Vote

          • What Strawman?

            At least give it to me that on a blog like this you risk having what you said being inferred in that manner.

            Anyway; I don't know about any one side being worse... I've seen some pretty stupid stuff consistently from all sides. For instance; take that poster that goes on about having to compile things in Linux & segfaults all the time and then nailing (well at least trying to nail) anyone who begs to differ.

            Regardless; in the end it's not an issue of who's worse. It's more about people bearing really intelligent and constructive opinions that will soon quit posting due to all this childish carry-on. Then what will become of this site?
            rikasa
            Reply Vote

      • I sometimes get similar issues

        when I change the system font DPI. The default setting is fine, and I'm not sure about the preselected choices, but I have my media center set manually to 160 dpi (I think... I don't have that system in front of me and in case it makes a difference my screen resolution is at 1080p). Not so much with IE (although I don't spend a lot of time web browsing on the media center), but dialogs boxes tend to grow in size as a result of this change and thus get cut off sometimes at the bottom, which wouldn't be that much of an issue if it were easy to move the top of the dialog box over the top edge of the screen.

        You could, I suppose, say that this is an application issue, but this is something that could be fixed at the window manager level. And they probably should, since not all app vendors are going to take adjustable DPI issues into consideration when going through their testing routines.
        Michael Kelly
        Reply Vote

      • Jason Hiner's Article: Top Five Reasons Vista Failed. (Oct 6,2008)

        It is worth a re-read. Font size is a minor issue. But, "just another nail".
        El Condor
        Reply Vote

        • It is.

          But purely for comedy value.
          Sleeper Service
          Reply Vote

    • I run into this from time to time

      I see this more often on my XP system at work than I do on Vista, but it does occur. Usually I just refresh and the page displays correctly.

      For those of you asking for links, I have seen it on ZDNet and other common sites, but it is random and not all that common. It seems to be an IE7 issue rather than a Vista issue.
      itpro_z
      Reply Vote

      • I've also seen this...

        ..rarely and mainly on XP. A quick refresh sorts it.
        Sleeper Service
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Microsoft aiming to deliver Vista SP2 before Windows 7

    It'll be interesting to see where Microsoft toes the line. Unless it's strictly bug-fixes and such, any performance improvements or additional features will completely go against Windows 7. In other words, if Windows 7 is going to be similar to Vista and Vista is finally stable enough with the second service pack (after 3 years btw), who is going to want to buy Windows 7?

    It's like a catch-22 for a company who didn't previously deliver much in the way of ROI. Hopefully Windows 7 will blow the doors off with even better performance, new ROI features, a streamlined interface, and a focus on application support. In other words, Windows 7 better be a noticable improvement over VistaSp2.

    Does anyone really think that will happen? Seeing as how Windows 7 is based on Vista, I don't see much improvement beyond VistaSP2 if that's the case.
    lawryll@...
    Reply Vote

    • look around more the info's out there

      apparently you've missed all the leaks of new features in windows 7. wait a week until they show it at PDC then you'll see what they're doing for 7. will businesses upgrade? probably not, since they're always lagging by a year or two... but they're more consumer-centric
      iceykola
      Reply Vote
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