Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 Release Candidates now available to download

That Windows Vista / Server 2008 Service Pack 2 that hit Release Candidate status last week? You can now download and try for yourself, should you feel inclined and not patient enough to wait for the final version that's rumored for sometime this quarter. It's available for Vista x86 and x64 platforms and Server 2008 in x86 / x64 / IA64 varieties. Of course, anyone keeping this in tuned to the going-ons at Redmond probably already installed Windows 7 beta, but if you kept Vista and want Bluetooth 2.1 support and the ability to record data to Blu-ray discs, now's your chance.

Read - Windows Blog announcement
Read - Download Service Pack 2 RC

[skyblaze Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:22AM]

good morning engadget

thanks, but i'll stick with win 7 beta

well actually.. i made the disc... but keep forgetting to install it... thatll change this evening though :)

[OneLove Posted Mar 5th 2009 11:03AM]

Does the service pack install if you have TV pack 2008 already installed? Also, I hope this fixes my 20 ehrecvr.exe crashes a day!!!!!

[OneLove Posted Mar 5th 2009 11:16AM]

HotFix List for Windows Server 2008 SP2 RC and Windows Vista SP2 RC

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143706

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:23AM]

Does the 600mb download that says server sp2 and vista sp2 come with both and you chose which one you want or is there a separate download for only vista sp2 rc?

[Tim Brown Posted Mar 5th 2009 10:48AM]

As far as I am aware it is for either, Vista and 2008 use a unified architecture that allows Microsoft to reduce development costs. Its only the add-ons now the distinguish if it is a server or a desktop OS, the cores are essentially the same.

[cardfan Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:24AM]

Would have loved to kept win7 installed but too many programs just stop working all of a sudden. Back to Vista 64bit.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:27AM]

was running windows 7 for a couple months.. But the video and network glitches got to be the point i had to go back to vista... It isn't just windows media player 12.. winamp and other programs start glitching when trying to view video over a samba share on your internal network...

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 12:40PM]

I never tried doing it that way but I did have issues opening media that was stored on my Vista media center PC. It would stutter pretty badly. I just upgraded to the leaked 7048 build but I haven't tried it again. Otherwise, everything has been working fine on the laptop I have been using to test Win7.

[coldwave007 Posted Mar 5th 2009 1:28PM]

And I certainly hope you sent in a bug report on that. The more feedback, the better!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:32AM]

It will still suck way more than then Windows 7 Beta.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:40AM]

i'll stick to OSX

[Dan Fruzzetti Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:53AM]

How about they just release a version of tdx.sys that runs nicely on Win7.64? I don't need a whole SP; I just need the file.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:55AM]

i dont have vista man. shit. i wish i had

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 10:32AM]

Don't...you're much better off without it!

[Saad Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:58AM]

x86: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=DCA54ECC-362A-4B4D-B62B-22780E839A7E&displaylang=en

x64: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=361D0CA3-4B2C-4F1C-8B3E-DE376FDB1DE8&displaylang=en

[xCrunk Posted Mar 5th 2009 9:45AM]

Release Candidate?

Bro, don't waste my time, wake me up when the real deal arrives.

[OneLove Posted Mar 5th 2009 11:04AM]

am not your bro, dude.

[CDice Posted Mar 5th 2009 1:24PM]

People like you are just asking to be tasered.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 2:30PM]

@OneLove
I'm not your dude, guy.

[RioRyan Posted Mar 5th 2009 5:07PM]

I'm not your guy, friend.

[arashed31 Posted Mar 5th 2009 7:05PM]

I'm not your friend, sir.

I hope this doesn't get posted to Digg saying "This is why I love Engadget"

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 9:47AM]

does it fix not being able to index network drives while running 64 bit?
my tech guy has ordered me a 32 bit license because of that, so stupid. not just ms's fault though, google desktop can't do it either. and it's not just vista, xp-64 can't do it with the new search bar.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 3:06PM]

Haven't seen that problem, I index network drives here with no errors and I'm on 64 bit Vista

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 9:59AM]

SO if I download the RC what happens when the OFFICIAL version is released? Do I need to download that as well? Will I need to do a system restore or something to remove the RC and then download the official one?

Sorry but I'm itching to try it out but I don't want to have to do extra work to remove it later on down the road and get the real/final version...

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 11:03AM]

you will need to remove it before loading up the official update. if you want to try rc, i would do a full backup first

[OneLove Posted Mar 5th 2009 11:06AM]

For the love of pete always ghost yo sheet first. (...how many times?)

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 11:35AM]

Well for now I see no big improvement, maybe I need to spend a little more time ;/

[Xaerran Posted Mar 5th 2009 1:53PM]

Finally a constructive post regarding the software itself, thanks for the first impressions!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 2:39PM]

I couldn't resist downloading it, despite not having any real need to. Now I have a goddamn 'Evaluation copy. Build 6002' watermark in the bottom right-hand corner of my previously pristine desktop. Bah. They'd better hurry up with the official version.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 2:46PM]

blending effects - outer glow

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 3:08PM]

I take that back. I see what you mean there.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 3:10PM]

Maye some reading from the MS Blog might help you? You have to uninstall the beta version before this version so it's a pretty safe bet that the final will either also require an uninstall prior or it will be made to go over the top of this one.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 3:12PM]

ill wait till im bored of windows 7.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 3:30PM]

hell yeah!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 6th 2009 7:55AM]

Can anyone please teach me how to fix an issue with Windows Vista Premium with SP1 that prevents the system to go to sleep or hibernation mode at a set time?
Thanks a lot!