Right
on cue, Microsoft has made available the (long-awaited)
Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista to a private group of beta testers. One lucky user actually goes on to describe the update and note a number of positive changes, some of which include a much snappier logon experience, a new option in the Disk Defragmenter "allowing you to choose which volumes you would like to defragment," improvements in responsiveness when resuming from Hibernation / Sleep modes, and interestingly enough, slightly improved
battery life on a tested laptop. Furthermore, "select members of the community" are also getting to give five new "reliability
packages" a whirl, which are all slated to be available to the public before SP1 is released en masse. Be sure and hit the read link for the full rundown.
[Thanks, Dhanik M.]
posted Sep 24th 2007 5:29PM
Yay, happy to tip u on it and be the first to comment too!
" a new option in the Disk Defragmenter "allowing you to choose which volumes you would like to defragment," "
wow - that totally blows me off. HOW FUTURISTIC! chosing which volume to defragment - now that's a completely new invention. thank you microsoft for giving us the future today!
no one else does that.
Daren that was a joke right?
@ Daren,
Technically, you are correct as most other OSes being Unix based have no need for a separate, legacy defragmenter. They auto-defrag/organize the file system on the fly.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, do you.
Mr Nimord, you do realize that Unix doesn't need to defrag the hard drive because it scatters files so far apart on a hard drive that there is plenty of room for a file to get bigger. If a Unix based system is close to being full then you may have to run a dump or something of that ilk. Then rebuild the file system and restore from backup.
@Leonard Nimrod:
You are aware that Vista -also- defragments systems on the fly, right?
Anyway I could get it?
Well.. Other than through BitTorrent?
Already a service pack? How long has vista been out? A few months?
I thought vista was supposed to be all great and everything. I'm kinda glad I bought 2 games for my 360 intead of buying Vista.
Vista officially was released back in November. a year is on par with Service Pack releases for other versions of Windows
uhh...wut r u talkin about, a service pack is always on the horizon when they release a new version. expect it 2 work perfectly is high expectations u cant get from M$.
Plus theirs no guarantee any product is gonna work great, even when u have beta testing, there will always be a problem with someone,
Any way for me to get it?
Well, you know.. Other than BitTorrent?
Why would anyone want a beta version of a service pack?
@ Preston
I was thinkin the same this bro, hahah
Thank you Engadget for posting an article on Vista/Microsoft without the complete bias.
And w00t for the service pack!
Does the SP fix the random horrible network file transer speed problems?
exactly what I was going to ask. 5mb's second is still unaccetable and should have been fixed THE SECOND they found out.
an OS that makes my computer transfer files slower than a 486 is pointless to me.
"I'm guessing it's a problem they have deemed unfixable without throwing out some giant core peice of code."
Ah, exactly why I'm jumping ship to Mac OS Leapord and a Macbook Pro, I'll put Vista on it for Crysis but that's all as the problems Vista has are a lot and I can't be arsed with it anymore, what I do with my PC has changed and I don't need Windows anymore - apart from for Crysis but it MAY come out for the Mac seeing as Gears Of War is?
But it's the same old story, wait a year or two before buying any new MS OS as it may be stable by then.
Why jump to a Mac when you could just jump back to XP?
they fixed the transfer long time ago. I am now able to sustain transfer over my gigabit network @ 9xMB/s
@ JDizzle
"Why jump to a Mac when you could just jump back to XP?"
WHY GO BACK TO XP, WHEN YOU COULD JUST GO BACK TO DOS?
OR WHY USE A COMPUTER AT ALL, IF YOU ARE GOING TO GO TO MAC? YOU COULD ALWAYS USE AN ABACUS.
what I read by your statement is:
I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY SPENT ANY TIME ON A MAC, BUT IT SUCKS BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW SHIT ABOUT IT, THEREFORE WILL STEER EVERYONE FROM IT.
Microsoft has already closed the application period and sent out emails to those that have been accepted.
I'll be downloading it later.
Has MS even admitted to the problem yet?
When I researched it a couple of months ago they appeared to have issued some sort of intenral memo dictating what people could say about the issue. All the responses I saw on newsgroups were eerily similar and all void of MS taking any stance even remotely akin to an admittal of an issue.
I'm guessing it's a problem they have deemed unfixable without throwing out some giant core peice of code.
I'm amazed at how horribly slow my computer functions with vista. My HP laptop running vista is littered with bugs and instabilities that are baffling. I'm wondering now why I upgraded and left my stable system behind.
I'm tired of you people with computers from the 60's complaining about the speed of OSes. If you can't afford an optimum setup that Vista was designed for, then don't complain. It's like buying a $200 Dell and expecting it to play BioShock at 2660x1600 with settings to max smoothly.
my computer has 2GB RAM and a dual core 1.6MHz processor. i guess that's a comp from the 60s. your post was really helpful.
sarcasm.
Soooo it won't take insane amounts of time to hibernate anymore?
I'm not sure what hardware you guys are using but my network file transfer speeds have never been faster...Yes. Vista sucks in a lot of ways, but speed wise, I would still give it preference over XP.
Anyway. I'm going to check if they've approved my beta later today but rather than giving me better defrag tools, please for the love of God improve your backwards compatibility with pre-Vista devices, Microsoft.
WOOP WOOP bye bye random crashes i hope, i want faster speeds, maybe it can make me tea, and possibly allow media streaming with some added adventures DOTA DOTA
Looks like MS wants to get this out before as a big improvement to VIsta to try and steal Apple's Leopard release buzz. Only the MS wags will be following this SP1 story and will undoubtedly compare Leopard 10.5.ZERO will be compared to Vista w/SP1 which was released to businesses a year ago.
As totally sweet and awesome as your name is, your comment lacks any validity or a real point, for that matter.
Please be gone.
Or, they are following the same product cycle they have for years - releasing the first service pack about a year after the OS is available. But wait, that's not a conspiracy for you to think you've discovered...
New OSX 10.5 features wont be found in Vista until at least SP2.
Apple are already stealing the Microsoft model for themselves...
"OK guys, we're going to release OSX Leopard next week...errr...next month...OK, a few months time...we'll release it when we bloody feel like it OK!"
Maybe I'm a lucky one, but apart from 1 driver that I was missing and was one month after Vista's launch before it was released (and that was the fault of the individual company not Microsoft), I have had practically NO problems with Vista (apart from the calender crashing occasionally which was fixed in an update a few months back), and find it intuitive to use, and it doesn't get in the way of me doing my day to day tasks...which is basically what you want from your operating system.
You people have no concept of business. This has nothing to do with conspiracies, it's good business practice to steal another companies thunder. For MS to release SP1 around Apple's next release--and get a good review on it-- is the only thing they can do to possibly turn some people from switching to Mac, which is happening mmore and more frequently BECAUSE of Vista's severe faults.
Those Reliability updates have been out for quite a while right now, thanks.
Lame point worth noting: SP1 does away with the quick search at the Start menu. You know, one of the nice Vista features that made the OS easier to use once you got used to it.
Apparently, it's to do with appeasing the Googles or something.
You have a source on this claim? All I could find was that Microsoft is making it possible for other search engines to function in the same way the built-in one does...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=713
from what I read, they meant they took out the separate search function in the right hand column, and changed the function of the quick search box in regards to finding files
Conda has the more accurate re-telling. I will post a screen.
"There are no Windows Ultimate Extras available."
Ahh... good old reliability. It's like an old pair of jeans or shoes. Always the same.
will this fix the UAC issues. Who the hell wants to authorize each process they startup
Just turn it off, dude. Actually, use vLite to permanently turn it off before install, if it bothers you that much.
You can easily change this behavior. I wish people would stop complaining about it.
Either disable UAC completely, or go to the manager and authorize specific processes that weren't written (or were poorly written) for Vista.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Account_Control#Configuration
Quit complaining.
I hope this fixes the slooooow transfer rates you get in Vista when copying files from one place to another (flash drive to hdd, or just copying/moving files on the hdd). Also hope it fixes the horrible time Vista takes to unzip zipped files....
The file copy rates got fixed quite some time ago.
zip genious, they got the crash explorer bug worked out so it works just as well as it did on xp :)
oh btw thats my preference for zip files... both zipping and unzipping...
vista file transfer speeds have been fixed long ago (couple months or so)
UAC can be easily turned off.
linux has horrible responsiveness and cpu-scheduling. freebsd beats it hands down and so does consumer versions of windows. vista had a rough start in terms of responsiveness but a current and patched vista is right back there with xp while adding lots of powerful and useful improvements...
stop lame vista-bashing. its clear u guys wanna hate the top dog in the market, but take a look at it before u bash it. vista is currently the best choice for the consumer who can afford modern hardware. (dual core/ 2gb ram)
Wow, a completely uneducated post! Linux is not unresponsive with horrible cpu-scheduling. When the distribution is compiled, the person(s) in charge of it decide what timings and scheduler to use. Only certain builds that are server focused for better throughput have lower responsiveness because they are tuned for transfer rates, not media playback. Learn before spreading lies.
so let me get this straight, you want people to stop bashing on vista, because M$ releases it before it works... ok sorry works sometimes would be a better fit, and at the same time let you bash on non m$ OSs? wtf??!?!
btw while your at it, explain what makes vista such a great choice, please? I mean is it the fact they added a circular shape for the start button? maybe its the way you can see a thumbnail of your windows, just like thumbnails some of the search engines have had for years... maybe its the ability to to see all of your windows lined up in a row? meh prefer the cube style myself... or just maybe you love it for its price? well no couldnt be any of those reasons flavours of linux beat it in all those minor points, must really be the fact that manufactureres write drivers for m$ due to there business model being able to shove itself onto i dont know what percentage of computers before they leave a manufacturing site.....
well for whatever reason i really dont get how you can find it to be so great...
^^that was my oppinion i think maybe? eh maybe not no one will ever know, including myself...
"vista is currently the best choice for the consumer who can afford modern hardware. (dual core/ 2gb ram)"
If you can afford modern HW then a Mac is your best choice. It's even cheaper than the comparable Vista Ultimate version because you aren't paying out your ass for the OS. Now if you are a gamer, a Mac probably isn't for you unless you play WoW but then you would still be using XP for gaming anyway.
Vista Schmista.
Mac OS X 10.4 & XP SP2 combination for the win. I can do _everything_ a Vista user can, and a whole lot more :)
what more can you do, exactly? do tell.
ive never understood these claims. other than linux, which is beyond my comprehension, and i feel no need to understand it, all OSes are basically the same. sure, vista/osx may be prettier, but they both serve the same purpose.
now the software you run can be different, but rarely will the OS make much difference.
What about us that gave up on Vista after months of use?
Any word on when XP Service Pack 3 will be released and what will be included in it? Perhaps DirectX 10?
Nevermind, that would completely give us a reason to totally ditch Vista and stick with XP...
will this fix us who have laptops and when a usb device is disconnected before, during, or after going from ac to battery, that it will never be recognized again next time it is plugged in until a reboot?
I hope they fix the wifi issue. Reliability is horrible, I have to hard reboot my system about 3x a day because my browser won't connect. Interestingly enough, Azureus will still work while the browser won't. I'm at my wits end with vista.
why does every single windows related post get polluted with some sorta crazy OS-WArS comment blitz.
u ever wanna have the option of runnning the latest game or best graphics tools avialable. then you have 1, maybe 2 options... vista and (depending on teh game) mac.
and yes linux does have performance issues on the desktop... there i said it again..
yes linux and freebsd can be great server and low end pc... but for a modern interactive desktop linux still is well behind vista. (if your pc has the horsepower)
... on the other hand if you are stuck on a single core with less than a gig of ram... and you don't mind spending loads of time getting stuff like webcam chat working, or if you simply will stick to a fixed usage spectrum, (web-browsing, printing, solitare, watching non-drm movies, non-apple mp3 player) then linux is nice and can run on low-end hardware.
linux is a nice hobby os and thats great. it doesn't compete with freebsd or vista in responsiveness, and photoshop, bioshock, starcraft2 (soon),... well theres realy not much competitiong...
we would all like there to be competition, but it's realy not there yet.
Again, Linux runs just fine on my Core2Duo 6600 with 4G of RAM and 1.2TB of RAID 5 storage on my Areca RAID controller. Even better than Windows. I've compared copy speeds, multiple movies running at the same time, window switching, and everything else I can think of. Where is this lie cropping up about high end hardware performance and Linux? How does it make sense that something that will run on super old hardware mean that it performs horrible on new hardware? That's dumb.
not bad. it's finally comes.
actually i am quite interested in windows 7
I don't know why we even need a service pack, Vista is perfection. It is sheer computing ecstasy. Every time I use it, it is akin to meeting Jesus. I actually get high as soon as the screen wakes from sleep. It is like not working at all. I am building a shrine dedicated to the brilliance & beauty that is Steve Balmer. I am not gay, but I would sleep with that man. The OS is so perfect, whne it starts, sometimes I think that it is the rapture. I have never been aroused by an OS before, but Vista has replaced Jenna Jameson in the dirty, dirty banks of my mind. It is like nothing ever before! It is as if Steve Balmer & Bill Gates had built a time machine, and went hundreds of years into the future to see what makes computers great, and then brought it all back to us in the present as a flawless, perfect product that we just don't even deserve as a species. My next child WILL be named Vista, and will Take my son's Lonhorn, place in my heart. (Longhorn & his sister Bob have been put up for adoption) One feature that is awe inspiring is the one that people here mistake for 'hanging' or 'freezing'
No, it isn't hanging or freezing, that happened because that is the time when you are to reflect in all the greatness you are witnessing. You'll be so much more relaxed & happy whne the 'meditation time' kicks on, and you actually meditate. Try it, you'll feel so enlightened, so privy to a special power, so special.
In that time, you should also be asking the higher power that is Microsoft to help to renounce evils such as Apple and Linux. You will see the way my friends, but I hope for you that it is not to late, the apocalypse is very near, and when the Vista rapture comes, you heathens & non believers will be
condemned to eternity with your inferior OSes on what will become a hell on earth.
Repent now, and accept Vista as your lord & savior.
Bravo!
I don't know if you noticed, but your caps lock key seems to be stuck. However your inability to accept capitalization visual cues is dwarfed by your total lack of tact or ability to post a constructive comment.
After looking through just a handful of your posts they all tend to follow the same path of useless yammer or blatant trolling. While you may believe Engadget is biased, they provide us with information whereas you and your fanboi, trolling, rude and unsupportive posts are just plain unwelcome.
As for the previous comment, there are a lot of flaws in Vista and in the new laptop I purchased I rolled it back to XP till the SP1 comes out. At that point I'll give it another trial and see where it goes... I don't completely write off Vista yet, because even XP wasn't that good until SP2, 2000 definitely wasn't amazing at its first service pack, so this product may take time too.
Also, rolling a computer back to XP from Vista, I'm fairly certain costs a lot less money than buying a Macbook Pro. Although I do appreciate what a Mac can do for me, I don't think that my discontent with an operating system warrants the investment into an entire platform and hardware shift only to end up loading the operating system I didn't like in the first place to play a game.
What's wrong with Microsoft? A free service pack?!! I much prefer buying incremental improvements to my OS. It's even better if the dot release has a new name. Maybe, Horizon. I'd be willing to dish out $129 if they'd just rename it.
Screw it, I'm going out and buying a mac and paying an unlocking fee so that I can use 802.11n
If you're thinking about trying SP1 beta, avoid it at all costs. Just wait until it comes out.
I read numerous comments of people having problems. Seeing as my install of Windows was quite fresh, I thought I'd be okay, and downloaded the update to try it out.
Everything was okay up until the point where it sits on the screen patching files (it patches 73889 files, and displays the progress on screen). Until eventually it stopped at 72609/72889 displaying
" !! 0xc0000034 !! ".
Windows didn't boot again...