Early testers say Vista RC1 appears stable
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Also: Stephen Hawking looking for assistant. Read these stories and more from around the Web on News.com Extra.
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Microsoft now says its Vista Service Pack 1 will become available to some business users before the end of this month -- an about-face from the software giant's earlier announcement of a delay of up to six weeks to fix a performance issue.
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Microsoftâs description of the new Windows Vista operating system is âClear, Confident, Connected.â But a more truthful motto would be âLooks, Locks, Lacks.â
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Early version of first significant Vista update released to testers. Also, near-final "release candidate" version of Windows Server 2008 to be available within 24 hours.
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Microsoft issued its first release candidate of its upcoming Windows Vista operating system, called RC1, taking a major new step toward releasing the OS on schedule.
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By Bob Mims, The Salt Lake Tribune  Jan. 31--Microsoft's retail launch of its new Vista computer operating  system was marked Tuesday not with a bang, but with something more than a  whimper.
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Vista's bug count so far is OK with the Windows security manager.
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It could take months for many businesses to test and deploy Microsoft&#39;s most-secure operating system. By John Foley. Despite the promise that Microsoft&#39;s Windows XP Service Pack 2 release will make PCs more
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Better performance and operational refinements top the list of improvements over Windows Vista Beta 2.
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An early version of the first significant Vista update is released to about 12,000 testers. Meanwhile, a near-final "release candidate" version of Windows Server 2008 is set to be available for download within 24 hours.
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Get a sneak peak at many of the key aspects of Vista, as it looks today. Though not vastly changed, there are several new looks in Release Candidate 1.
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Microsoft Corp. today released Windows Vista Release Candidate 2 (RC2), which it expects to be the last release of the OS before it goes to manufacturing.
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A Portugese-language blog post from a member of the Windows Local Test and Support team in Brazil Wednesday, along with a download page on Microsoft's Web site confirmed that Windows Vista RC2 is arriving shortly, and will be available for public download.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft distributed a new build of Windows Vista's first service pack last week to its invite-only list of testers, according to bloggers armed with copies. But as is the norm, the version also leaked to BitTorrent networks. The 6.0.6001.16633 (longhorn.070803-1655) build weighs in at a relatively svelte 684MB, bloggers and message forum users claimed. The first Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) beta, which leaked earlier this month to BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, was significantly larger -- more than 3GB -- and came as an .iso file that was, in effect, Vista with SP1 already added. Last week's build, an .exe file, updates existing Vista installations. Vista updates -- such as security patches and other hotfixes -- are normally packaged as .msu files, however, perhaps indicating that 6.0.6001.16633 is not a direct step toward a public release of SP1. "Surprisingly, the update file is in the .exe format," said WinBeta last Thursday. "Many (including myself) were expecting Microsoft to deliver the update for Vista SP1 in the new Vista/Server 2008-only .msu format used for current Hotfixes." Odd-Magne Kristoffersen, a Norwegian blogger who specializes in Microsoft's software, posted a series of screenshots Tuesday that he claimed show the newest build being installed. "The installation process involves no less than 3 restarts," said Kristoffersen. Like the earlier SP1 beta, it appears Microsoft has been unsuccessful in keeping build 6.0.6001.16633 testers in line; Computerworld easily found it on P2P networks. Microsoft has been mostly mum about Vista SP1; as recently as a month ago, the company quashed rumors that that the beta was just around the corner. Its official line has been that it will issue SP1 beta "sometime this year." Many corporations, on the other hand, have taken the advice handed out by analysts, who recommended that companies delay deployment until SP1 is available.
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Multiple Microsoft sources have confirmed that the first beta test editions of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista were distributed to a select group of about 12,000 testers today. BetaNews learned these are indeed exclusive invitees, not merely a subset of the company's MSDN or TechNet subscriber base.
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Here it comes: Microsoft today confirmed that the first service pack for Windows Vista is entering beta next month and is slated to ship during the first quarter of 2008. A third (and final) service pack for XP is on tap for the same timeframe.
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Microsoft has finalized the code for the&#160;first service pack for Windows Vista,&#160;but won&#39;t release the code via its update services to customers until mid-March, the company said Monday. Moreover, some devices may not work with the initial version of the software because of driver issues that continue to plague the OS.According to&#160;a post&#160;on the Windows Vista blog by Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows product management, Microsoft will release Vista Service Pack 1 in English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese to Windows Update and to the download center on Microsoft&#39;s Web site beginning in mid-March. In mid-April, the software will be available in those languages to anyone who has chosen not to download it. Microsoft will follow with the remaining language releases of Vista SP1 in April.In the post, Nash said Microsoft is holding off on immediately releasing the code for SP1 until hardware vendors have delivered PCs with Windows Vista SP1 installed to retail stores to give those vendors time to correct problems with some device drivers that beta testers discovered during the software&#39;s evaluation process.When installing SP1, some device drivers did not correctly follow the automatic instructions, so devices associated with them did not work correctly, according to the post. Microsoft expects hardware vendors to correct these issues before releasing PCs with the service pack installed. The company will not let customers install SP1 via automatic update if their PCs won&#39;t install the drivers correctly. However, customers can go to Microsoft&#39;s download center to obtain the software if they want to.In his post, Nash said that most Vista users will not be affected by the device driver issue, but Microsoft is being cautious about the release of SP1 to &quot;improve the experience for all customers.&quot;However, some comments about Nash&#39;s blog entry show that some Windows users are eager to get their hands on the software, so are none too thrilled with the delay in SP1&#39;s release to manufacturing and release to customers.&quot;So it&#39;s done ... but we won&#39;t be able to actually get it for another six weeks? That [is] incredibly frustrating,&quot; wrote one user called &quot;freibooter.&quot;Another Windows user called &quot;Hurricane Andrew&quot; said the release of SP1 to manufacturing was &quot;great news,&quot; but also expressed displeasure at the delay.&quot;Just wish we could get our hands on it earlier, &quot; he said. &quot;Patience has never been one of my strong points.&quot;There were hints that Microsoft was nearing the final code for SP1 in the last several weeks, as the company offered two refreshes for the first release candidate, a sign that the software was nearing completion. Many believe the SP1 milestone is the one that will bring about a new wave of adoption for Vista, especially among business customers that have been awaiting the service pack&#39;s release before updating employee desktops.The combination of SP1 and Windows Server 2008 is expected to bode well for Vista adoption in the enterprise and medium-sized business sectors. Microsoft said Monday that it also has released Windows Server 2008 to manufacturing. That product and the release of Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 will be featured in an official launch event in Los Angeles at the end of the month; however, while the new version of Visual Studio is available, SQL Server will not ship until the third quarter.&#160;