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[AMDinside]

For those of us who are running Windows Vista, all 2 of us, Microsoft has release their release candidate of Vista SP1 for download.  Click here to get it.

I installed it on my machine.  The install, though lengthy, went through without any issues.  I don't see anything changed, so it looks like SP1 is mostly behind the scenes.  If your running Vista, while it isn't required to download this, I think it is a good idea.  If it does what Microsoft claims you should see improved compatibility and performance.

[PsiFire]

From http://www.informationweek.com/industries/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204801988

Microsoft has released a detailed roster of the contents of its forthcoming service pack for Windows Vista, and the list includes more than 300 hot fixes covering everything from data protection to video performance.

The list, recently posted on Microsoft's Web site, can be downloaded as a 47-page document that the company says is not exhaustive. Microsoft plans to add more fixes and patches to Windows Vista SP1 before a final version is released to the public early next year.

For now, Vista users can entertain themselves by poring over the hundreds of updates that Microsoft says will be part of SP1.

Among them: a fix for a problem in which optical disks turn blank after being formatted with Vista's Live File System; a patch for a glitch that generates an error message when large files are copied from one Vista-based computer to another over a network; and an update designed to improve Vista's speed when its operating on a computer linked to a virtual private network.

Other updates are meant to improve Internet Explorer's streaming video performance and prevent data loss in USB devices connected to Vista PCs. There's also a fix that adds a Venezuelan time zone.

Microsoft said some of the fixes detailed in the list are already available to the public as individual downloads, while others will only be released as part of the final version of Vista SP1.

Unfortunately for some Vista users -- especially those running custom business apps -- the service pack will not fix some application compatibility problems that affect the current version of Vista.

The Vista SP1 lengthy documentation runs counter to earlier statements by Microsoft officials that the company was not planning to release a "big bang" service pack for the operating system, which debuted in January.

Microsoft marketing VP Michael Sievert told InformationWeek in Marchthat Vista was "high quality right out of the gate" and that the company would likely dribble out small updates as required via its Windows Update service.

Since then, however, users have apparently reported enough problems with Vista to force a change in Microsoft's thinking.

[PsiFire]

Took a bit of searching (Thanks MS!) but here is the long list of fixes included in SP1:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsvista/en/library/005f921e-f706-401e-abb5-eec42ea0a03e1033.mspx?mfr=true

[coldflame]

Anyone know when XP SP3 is coming out?

[AMDinside]

No official time frame yet.  There is a Beta that was sent to testers so I assume it will be release around the same time as the official release of Vista SP1

[Popsikle]

on that note, 2003 SP3 is out as well.

[PsiFire]

I didn't even know they had an SP3 coming out for XP/2003. Guess I'll upgrade to it when it's been out for a while to give them some time to clear the crap out of the works.

[AMDinside]

From what I have heard about SP3, they will be incorporating some features from Vista into XP.