MS-Next

Microsoft has rolled out to select testers two new Windows Vista fix packs that deliver many of the same updates expected to be provided by Vista Service Pack (SP) 1.

The fix packs (detailed in Knowledge Base articles 938194 and 938979) were made available to Windows Server 2008 testers on July 29 earlier this month. The packs provide a number of performance and reliability improvements to Vista, testers said. Among the new Vista fixes are patches for speeding up Vista?s hibernate/sleep/resume performance; improving file copy/transfer capabilities; and enhancing Vista memory management, all of which are set to be part of Vista SP1, testers said earlier this month.

I?m wondering whether these two fix packs are just another name for what Microsoft has been calling the Vista SP1 private beta/preview. In spite of Microsoft?s best efforts to quash talk of its plans for Windows Vista SP 1 ? while simultaneously confirming its 2010 target ship date for Windows 7 ? the Windows team did tell certain testers to expect a private beta of SP1 the week of July 16th or possibly a week later (the week of July 23, which was last week).

?SP1 Beta is projected for release to influencers ? either the week of the 16th or the following week, depending on how things proceed. The public Beta will follow shortly thereafter,? according to a note Microsoft provided to testers it was considering adding to the Vista SP1 beta program.

Some other factoids from the note that went to certain testers earlier this month ? a copy of which I recently had a chance to see:

Continue at source.