Microsoft: Vista SP1 beta in September, due in Q108

Looks like Microsoft is finally ready to tell people what the hell is going on with the first Vista service pack: chock full o' bug fixes, performance optimizations, and improved reliability, Microsoft is shooting the beta to between 10,000 - 15,000 people in September (which means it'll be about 10 minutes after release before you can get it on BitTorrent -- not that it isn't already) and is intending to launch it officially in Q1 of 2008. We're reserving judgment on just how badly it's needed or just how many people are itching for it, we just want the thing out, and ASAP.

[dudeInAmerica @ Aug 29th 2007 2:12PM]

Why the hell would anyone want to use a beta service pack?

[The General @ Aug 29th 2007 2:13PM]

Why the hell would anyone use Vista?

[Khris @ Aug 29th 2007 3:21PM]

We're already using a Beta OS so why not throw a Beta Service Pack on top of it.

[DustPan @ Aug 29th 2007 2:17PM]

For the WOW

[waiownsyou @ Aug 29th 2007 2:18PM]

Oh thank God. It's about time. And they'd better start rolling out those Ultimate Extras. I'm getting annoyed at the fact that I paid an extra $100 so I can get a copy of Texas Hold 'Em.

[Samsam @ Aug 29th 2007 2:20PM]

Man, don't forget Dreamscene! Why wouldn't you want 100+ megs of your memory reserved for a moving desktop?

[JD @ Aug 29th 2007 3:04PM]

It uses the GPU if you have a dedicated card, it's actually a slick setup. My RAM and CPU usage spike, then drop down to where they were before when I use a video on my computer. It's got a Geforce 7950gt.

[J @ Sep 25th 2007 4:06PM]

Actually no Dreamscene does not use you graphics card yet. When and IF they ever release the full version, then you will see Dreamscene use your graphics card. As of now it is software rendered! YAY! WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP!

[gshb @ Aug 29th 2007 2:20PM]

sorry to hear. i paid 60 bucks for ultimate and still feel ripped off. gimme some ultimate themes and ill be happy...

[SimbaDogg @ Aug 29th 2007 2:20PM]

jesus christ, vista right now is such a double edged sword. its so much better than xp in terms of functionality and how quickly you can get things done, but there are just so many damn "quirks" with it. that plus all the "non vista compatible" programs, random freezing and program shutdowns are really biggest complaint. hopefully this sp1 really boots the speed of the system too, because i can only overclock this c2d so much.

[jtc970 @ Aug 29th 2007 2:42PM]

Never had any random freezing or shutdowns with Vista. The only software incompatibility I had was with a decent firewall. I was praying SP1 would give us some outgoing application control.
I do wish that Ultimate was more ultimate, but, thats my only real complaint.

[Kamokazi @ Aug 29th 2007 9:23PM]

I agree with you in many ways...something I found that helped....avoid the 64-bit version like the plague. It has even worse compatibility and seems to have more random glitches tan 32-bit. It does perform a bit quicker when doing OS-based stuff, but overall 32-bit is a lot better...for now. I've run 5 PCs with 64-bit and have about 15 now with 32...so I am not just guessing based on my own personal install. I've been deploying them at work. (And it actually works very well...the only compatibility issues I had was one specific program which just needed a minor workaround and then updating printer drivers).

[Slvrgun @ Aug 29th 2007 9:34PM]

You must be running Vista on a Dell, I haven't experienced any of the problems your are proclaiming.

[SimbaDogg @ Aug 29th 2007 9:48PM]

@Slvrgun
trust me, there are issues out there w/ vista, i've experience them when using multiple comps. i guess most of it depends on what programs you're running. and sorry, i'm not the dell type.
c2de6300, pb5 deluxe, xms2 twinxpro mem, sapphire hd2600xt, and x-fi platinum...all with a little tweaking.

[PM @ Aug 29th 2007 2:39PM]

I'll still be waiting for XP SP3. No way in hell am I upgrading to Vista. The only reason why I still use Windows still is for gaming. From what I hear XP SP3 will bring Dx10 to Xp. My Macbook Pro has an 8600M GT, so I can still wait until that day comes. No Vista for me, that's for sure.

[deedeedee @ Aug 29th 2007 5:33PM]

ohhoo macbook pro for gaming? i wouldn't do that, that thing burns man. I just turn it on to warm my coffee while playing battlefield 2142 on my pc, the set up works like a charm my coffee never gets cold now ;)

[PM @ Aug 29th 2007 6:54PM]

Hmmm...are you sure? My new MBP runs just warm to the touch even during extremely long hours of gaming. Ofcourse the left grill gets the warmest, but that's because the processor and the GPU are right underneath it. It's actually very comfortable to game in on a table. The overheating issue, and the laptop running excessively hot ended with the 1st rev Macbook Pro as well.

Moreover, the aluminum enclosure makes it seem warmer than it actually is, becuase it conducts heat very well, and cools better than plastic enclosures on other laptops. I actually went to a Best Buy, and checked out a Toshiba laptop (cant remember the name) with an 8600M GT...and the laptop got warmer than my Macbook Pro, and I was just playing a demo of UT2K4.

The new Macbook Pro's can game awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=KamikazeX1

[Richard Barrs @ Aug 29th 2007 3:40PM]

I've been using Vista Ultimate for some time, and have been pretty pleased with it. I hear alot about how it uses more memory, but it's a total fallacy. It keeps things in memory until that space is needed, thereby increasing performance.

As to the moving background, it doesn't cause that much of a hangup. When you go into an application, it pauses the desktop and re-directs the processing power to the app.

Call my a pleased Vista user. Though I do want them to work on the UAC and more Ultimate stuff (More Eye Candy) I mean, I have a butt kicking computer, I want to have fun with it.

[mister XR @ Aug 29th 2007 6:23PM]

If you like desktop eye-candy, you owe it to yourself to look at Beryl. If you don't want to mess with dual booting or formatting, then search for Beryl on YouTube. Many great demos.

[Richard Barrs @ Aug 29th 2007 6:37PM]

I hear you. The problem with that is compatability with a lot of programs. I wouldn't want the hassle of squinting at every box to see if it's Linux compatable.

[KOMET @ Aug 29th 2007 10:10PM]

I agree. I am the owner of a vista laptop dual booted with Debian
and I think vista could use a little improvement on the compatibility
side and some more eye candy. As for Beryl and Compiz... they don't
work because Linux hates my graphics card (a nVidia GeForce Go 7600).
But despite all these people who say vista is impossible to dual boot,
it seems to work fine with Debian so I'm happy :)

[Greg @ Aug 29th 2007 4:01PM]

I just hope SP1 smooths it out enough so I feel good about upgrading. I payed $10 for a "free" upgrade and I don't like the disc just sitting there

[LJKelley @ Aug 29th 2007 5:03PM]

I now have Vista on 3 seperate computers. (Media Center, Laptop, Desktop). Though its not 100% perfect, i would never go back to XP. Vista does alot of things better and all the time it looks pretty!

I'm looking forward to SP1. You guys must remember that XP had alot of compatibility issues at first since it broke from DOS-WinME Kernel and switch users over to NT.

[cgarison @ Aug 29th 2007 5:42PM]

I have a love/hate relationship with Vista. I kinda like the new Office, the new start menu works well, but overall I think Vista is the buggiest version of Windows to date. nVidia has yet to get a set of Video drivers to work properly. Quicktime still has many glitches which drive me crazy although it is slightly better. I am still afraid to run iTunes 7.3.2 after my system died after the lauch of the iPhone and I did not even purchase an iPhone. Plus the MediaCenter has yet to get the bugs worked out and I still see jittery video from my TV tuner.

(sigh)

I do not think SP1 can fix these problems.

[brett.chandler @ Aug 29th 2007 5:49PM]

I read the Yahoo News item, and was amused to read that the SP will not "break any applications" the way XP SP2 did.

I'd just be happy if Vista SP1 would run everything that DID work on XP. It sure doesn't now...

[g2 @ Aug 29th 2007 5:55PM]

Will there be a Keynote Event for this when officially released ?

[LEXX911 @ Aug 29th 2007 8:35PM]

I rather have a beta that at least fixes something rather than nothing. I'm already running a beta video driver which is better than the crappy WHQL that was released by Nvidia. Bring it on...

[LEXX911 @ Aug 29th 2007 8:45PM]

I rather have a beta that at least fixes something rather than nothing. I'm already running a beta video driver which is better than the crappy WHQL that was released by Nvidia. Bring it on...

[Will Cate @ Aug 29th 2007 11:31PM]

I just concluded three miserable weeks with Vista. I have a self-built rig, Lian-Li tower case stuffed with nothing but high-quality components and 4 GB of DDR2 RAM.

Vista crashes like a freakin' kamekazi pilot. It was such a damn pain that I wiped the drive clean and went back to XP. I *might* try again next year with SP1. I do really like the pretty glassy windows. But the rest of it is just a hassle.

I'm really amazed that MS shipped such a buggy product. (heh. Heh Heh Heh. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) .... sorry, just laughing my ass off at that last sentence I typed.

[Jay Hash @ Aug 29th 2007 10:47PM]

We have 108 Quarters? No wonder the year drags on like a figgin man in a dress. And if this is the case, Where the hell are the rest of my 104 bonuses?

~JYH

[Andrew @ Sep 6th 2007 3:10PM]

I saw Q108 and thought it was a joke on how late this SP was.

I'm sure it's about 108 quarters overdue!