Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Refresh Released!

[Mem]

Overview
Install Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate through Windows Update
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Refresh is available to Beta testers through Windows Update. Experience the WU installation path for Windows Vista SP1 by following these simple steps and give us your feedback to improve our quality.

Before You Install

* You must uninstall any previous versions of Windows Vista SP1 before installing Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh

To uninstall previous version of Windows Vista SP1
1. Open the Programs and Features control panel and select View installed updates. In the Microsoft Windows section, right-click Service Pack for Windows (936330) and select Uninstall.
2. Your system will now uninstall the previous version of Windows Vista SP1 Beta and may reboot multiple times.
3. Please wait one hour after uninstalling a previous version of Windows Vista SP1 before installing Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh. The installer service needs to clean up and complete the uninstall prior to installing the RC. Failing to do this can result in installation errors when installing the RC version.
* Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh is pre-release software and will change before the final release. Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh is for individuals, organizations, and technical enthusiasts who are comfortable evaluating pre-release software and is provided for testing purposes only. Microsoft does not recommend installing this software on primary or mission critical systems. Microsoft recommends that you have a backup of your data prior to installing any pre-release software.
* Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh is time-limited software.
Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh will no longer operate after June 30, 2008 and should be uninstalled prior to that date. After installation your desktop will show the text ?Evaluation Copy?. This does not mean that your system is no longer genuine but that you have installed a test version of software which is time-limited. The ?Evaluation Copy? text will appear on your desktop after the second reboot after installing the service pack. Likewise, the ?Evaluation Copy? text will remain on your desktop during the first reboot after uninstall the service pack, but will disappear after the next reboot.
* If you install Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh it is strongly recommended that you install the final version of Windows Vista SP1 when it is released. To do this, you will be required to uninstall this RC version of Windows Vista SP1.
* Assisted support (phone, email and online chat) is not available from Microsoft Help and Support for this RC release of Windows Vista SP1. Self-help and peer support is available through the Windows Vista SP1 forum.
* You must have a genuine copy of Windows Vista installed prior to installing Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh.

Link. (Date Published: 1/11/2008)

 

[Darkstar757]

mem when do you think the final sp1 will be out?

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Darkstar757
mem when do you think the final sp1 will be out?

No idea on the date but figure it won't be too long now,I'm holding out until final version is released.

 

[Darkstar757]

I am as well. I hope they come up with a slipstream version etc so I can do a clean install

 

[Seppe]

Originally posted by: Darkstar757
mem when do you think the final sp1 will be out?

as far as i know it should be released at the same time server 2008 is, that means 28 feb. atleast thats what i've read on the net

 

[corkyg]

The final version will be installed via Windows Update according to TechNet. I have installed RC1 to play with it, and it is very good. I have a duplicate HDD without it - so there's no risk. I did run a test and it can be uninstalled easily.

The installation is phased into about 3 different updates.

 

[QuixoticOne]

Where's the standalone downloadable installer for the refresh SP1?

Did they just not come out with one (yet)?

Is there a way to tell what KBxxxxxx fixes are inside the SP1 REFRESH?
Does it list them individually (there would be dozens) if you install via Windows Update?

Does it include the KB941644 update that was just released as a critical security
update a few days ago?

AFAIK the first SP1 RC had *NONE* of the security updates from December 2007 or
January 2008 included in it, and what's more, they had problems (for me) applying
them by downloading / installing them manually after SP1 RC-original was installed.
So therefore I could not possibly get fully updated (including Dec'07 / Jan'08 fixes).

 

[Spicedaddy]

easiest way is to run their little program to unlock SP1 through windows update, then just keep clicking "check for updates"

you'll get the latest build this way

 

[QuixoticOne]

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
easiest way is to run their little program to unlock SP1 through windows update, then just keep clicking "check for updates"

you'll get the latest build this way

I haven't tried the Windows Online Update aspect of SP installation.

However from what I've found while researching the issue about not being able
to install any updates made *after* SP1 RC (the previous to the refresh version),
it seems like it's 'expected' that one will just not EVER be able to get (and install
successfully) ANY further updates after you've installed any prerelease SP1 version.

They say you must manually uninstall SP1 RC *before* you can install SP1 final.
It seems that the subsequent SP1 refresh OR any further updates of any kind
beyond what's in your SP prerelease just WON'T appear or be installable via windows
update or via manual installation UNTIL you manually uninstall the SP1 prerelease.

This person has said they stopped getting ANY expected Windows Updates ever since
they installed SP1 RC (original) too.
http://forums.microsoft.com/Te...stID=2612591&SiteID=17

Seems like anyone who's testing one of the SP1 prereleases will actually be MORE
vulnerable to security problems than someone without SP1 prerelease if the fact
of running the prerelease prevents use of any / all SUBSEQUENTLY released critical
security update patches.

There appears to be no work-around at all except to uninstall your SP1 prerelease to
get the new windows updates to work for you.

Hopefully the current SP1 RC REFRESH *includes* the December 2007 and January 2008
security patches to date, though there appears to be ZERO documentation confirming
those desiderata, and in fact the previous SP1 RC version's documentation
clearly excluded the last 5 weeks of security updates from its list of "what's included".

The JAN'08 updates (to date) are critical enough that it'd be almost silly to have an
internet exposed machine without having them verifiably installed.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: QuixoticOne
Where's the standalone downloadable installer for the refresh SP1?

You have use the Windows Update service...

Windows Update Automatic Update will automatically update your machine over the next several days with the prerequisites updates. When the service pack has downloaded a pop-up notification will inform you that updates are ready to be installed. You must click on this notification and choose to install the service pack at this point. The service pack will not silently or automatically install itself.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Darkstar757
when do you think the final sp1 will be out?

SOURCE

The company, which has slated Vista SP1 for final delivery this quarter, said as recently as Thursday that the update remains on track.

I think I'll wait...

SP1 RC1 is good enough - plus I don't want to leave my lappy on for days, waiting for 'Refresh' to download!

 

[fritzfield]

WAY to much of a hassle. I'll wait for the actual release.

 

[Noema]

I had issues with the earlier RC build but I'll give this one a shot. Hopefully it'll be better

 

[QuixoticOne]

SP1 RC1 doesn't seem to include (according to its docs)
any of the several critical security updates from
January 2008 or December 2007, and there's
apparently no way to apply them / update to them
once you install SP1 RC1.

I'd assume that the SP1 REFRESH *may* include them,
but I've seen no documentation to prove it.

Beware.

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: Darkstar757
when do you think the final sp1 will be out?

SOURCE

The company, which has slated Vista SP1 for final delivery this quarter, said as recently as Thursday that the update remains on track.

I think I'll wait...

SP1 RC1 is good enough - plus I don't want to leave my lappy on for days, waiting for 'Refresh' to download!

 

[n7]

What a PITA this is.

Uninstall SP1 RC1 candidate.

Reboot.
Install update.
Reboot.
Install another update.
And now refreshing Windows Update to see if it'll find this RC1 public release...waiting...waiting...

 

[stash]

It's a lot easier than it used to be. It used to go:

Uninstall SP1 build
reboot
install WU stack update
reboot
repeat at least two more times
Refresh WU a few times until the newer build shows up. Sometimes it just won't show up and you have to wait a few hours and then try again.

The nice thing is that I've been through the uninstall/install routine about 10 times now on my test box with various builds and nothing has blown up.

 

[n7]

29% done downloading with my stupidly slow cable...

 

[n7]

And installed: http://img156.imageshack.us/im...vistasp1refreshdm7.jpg

 

[VinDSL]

Show off!!!

Okay, here goes...

11:18 PM US-MST

18 minutes to uninstall - not bad! WoW! Back to slow boots/shutdowns again!

Gonna take the opportunity to do 6 WU patches, since SP1 RC1 didn't allow it!

01:00 AM US-MST

Dude, n7 was right! This is like watching paint dry! :roll:

When it started D/L the 'big boy', originally it said 65.0 MB. Now it says 74.9 MB. Hrm...

01:55 AM US-MST

Alrighty then...

AND INSTALLED too! :thumbsup:

 

[VinDSL]

The Notification Area sure looks better now - a LOT less cluttered!

I had to re-enable ReadyBoost. That's kinda weird!

Heh! I gotta go play with this...

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
The Notification Area sure looks better now - a LOT less cluttered!

I had to re-enable ReadyBoost. That's kinda weird!

Heh! I gotta go play with this...

I've had to re-enable Readyboost a lotta times...don't know why i bother anymore though really, since i have enough RAM i can't see any difference.

 

[Cardio]

Well, it's installed and running for 24 hours. No objective measurements, but it seems quite a bit snappier than before. Some things are much faster...dialogue boxes appear almost instantly...try Contr-ALT-Delete. Some things do not appear to be as advertised...ability to defrage selected drives.....seems same as before when I try it.

The Windows Defender blocked programs icon is now missing from the tray, before I had several start-up apps being blocked. I can't even find that part of the program now. There is a "Quarantined Items" under the Tools and Settings but it is now empty.

Those blocked items were a pain as you could not enable them before even though the enable button was present, but grayed out. A couple of the apps were even MS stuff. If that is gone the update is worth the trouble just for that.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: n7
I've had to re-enable Readyboost a lotta times...don't know why i bother anymore though really, since i have enough RAM i can't see any difference.

You probably know this, but for ppl following this thread, and wondering about the benefits of RB...

Here's some copy n' pastes from posts I just left in another web forum:

Once it's locked n' loaded, ReadyBoost precludes disk I/O.

As an example, when I uninstalled 'SP1 RC1' last night and installed 'SP1 RC1 Refresh', I noticed my HD was going crazy, but my ReadyBoost drive wasn't doing jack! I watched this for 30 minutes and thought, "WTF?!?! Maybe Refresh is still installing itself."

That's when I realized ReadyBoost had been disabled. I turned it back on, and after a 5 minutes lock n' load, my HD went (basically) dormant for the rest of the session.

THAT is the beauty of ReadyBoost on a lappy - less disk I/O. ReadyBoost can pluck data from volatile memory faster than a physical drive can move the %$^! head, you know?

ReadyBoost is not only faster than the typical crappy, low-performance, low-RPM drive they stick in lappys, but it also saves drive from having to spin-up, seek, spin-down, spin-up, seek, spin-down - it makes your lappy run cooler because the drive aren't blazing away - and it extends battery life, yada, yada, yada...

My ReadyBoost drive has an access light on it, and I can SEE it going crazy, the whole time the lappy is on, so maybe it's more apparent what's going on in the background.

Heh! Maybe that will be my next YouTube video!

It's amazing to watch ReadyBoost load up and the HD go 'dead'...

That's interesting Vin! Mine to has a status light and it is constantly going crazy! But I don't notice any better performance or anything!

ReadyBoost will get better as times goes on! The Dev Team is being V conservative with it right now.

You have to remember, ReadyBoost is part of SuperFetch/ReadyBoost/ReadyDrive...

When ODMs start putting ReadyDrives on mobos, it's gonna be a totally different ballgame!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Cardio
The Windows Defender blocked programs icon is now missing from the tray, before I had several start-up apps being blocked. I can't even find that part of the program now...

I'm blown away at how much better the Notification Area is now!

LoL!

Here comes another copy n' paste...

The Notification Area (right-side of Task Bar) has been cleaned-up in 'Refresh'.

It's gorgeous now!

SNAPPY OF NOTIFICATION AREA

This has ALWAYS bugged the hell out of me with Vista!!!

That, alone, was worth spending a couple of hours installing 'Refresh'... :thumbsup:

BTW, you have to use the WU service to install 'Refresh'. While it takes less time to download and install (75 MB vs 465 MB), it's still like watching paint dry - plus, user interaction is required!

 

[stash]

The Notification Area (right-side of Task Bar) has been cleaned-up in 'Refresh'.

I'm not sure what you're referring to...? AFAIK, there haven't been changes to the notification bar. I have three icons there when I boot up (power, network and sound), which are the same three things that have been there in RTM and every SP1 build I've run (a lot).