Why Vista SP1 "RTM" Doesn't Mean "Ready to Download" - Yet
Posted 02/04/08 at 11:18:18 PM | by Mark 'Marcus_Soperus' Soper
Here's the good news about Windows Vista SP1: it's now on its way to manufacturing ('RTM' in geek-speak). So, why can't existing we existing Vista users point our browsers to the Download portion of the Microsoft website and get it now?
Bad Drivers, Bad! You Stopped Team Vista from Immediate Download of SP1!
According to the Vista team blog announcement (emphasis mine):
Our beta testing identified an issue with a small set of device drivers. These drivers do not follow our guidelines for driver installation and as a result, some beta participants who were using Windows Vista and updated to Service Pack 1 reported issues with these devices. Because the issue was with the way the drivers were installed and not the drivers themselves, the solution was simply to reinstall the drivers. While this worked fine for our more technical beta testers, we want to deliver a better experience for customers as we make the update broadly available.
So, what can we expect? The Vista team blog spells out the timeline thus.
Mid-March - Downloads for the Daring, Windows Update for Clean Machines
Vista SP1 versions in English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese will show up on Windows Update, Microsoft Update and the Microsoft Downloads site. Windows Update will check to see if any of the installed drivers don't work properly with SP1. If so, then no SP1 for you! However, the downloadable version can be installed whether you have driver problems or not. If some of your drivers go out to lunch after installing SP1, reinstall them.
April - SP1 for All Languages, OEM Preloads
Vista SP1 for other languages becomes available. Vista SP1 will be available for OEM preloads as well, according to Mary Jo Foley's All About Microsoft blog.
Mid-April - SP1 Automatically Via WU
Vista SP1 will be downloaded automatically via Windows Update to systems configured for automatic updating (and don't have driver problems).
Dealing with Problem Drivers
Problem drivers will be replaced by updated drivers through Windows Update, enabling more users to get SP1 over time.
I Love Quality, But...
While I'm glad Microsoft is making sure that users with driver problems will have them resolved before they get SP1 automatically, I sure hate waiting another six weeks for the final version. Grrr. Here's hoping Microsoft will realize that leaks will make the delay for downloadable versions useless (except for those of us who always follow the rules).
For Those of You with Automatic Updating That Want to Opt Out...
...of either Vista SP1 or XP SP3, you can block either SP from being installed with a simple registry fix or by using the IntelliAdmin Service Pack Blocker. Get details here. The opt-out period is 12 months, which should be enough time for even the paranoid among us to decide they're worth installing.
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So what's the point of your
Submitted by expresso1000 on Thu, 2008-02-21 16:10
So what's the point of your post. Is it to stroke your ego here or tell people maybe and help them by explaining where to go to "turn it off". I bet you're one of those ego trips who gets frustrated by stuff and then counters with an example of why you're perfect and you understand everything there is to know first before anyone else. Why not help others by explaining right in this article how to do so per the other user's comment about UAC being in the way. I'm sure maybe then people will "understand" Vista if they don't know about how to resolve their frustrations and YOURS.
>>>>If you dont like UAC TURN IT OFF!!! people who dont like UAC and complain about it tick me off, just turn the dang thing off for god sake, people who have had problems with Vista just dont know how to use it. I have had no problems with Vista not one driver issue not one crash, and I have built close to 200 computers using vista and did not use all the same hardware.
I'm with you dude, I bought
Submitted by frdbrlw on Wed, 2008-02-06 16:37
I'm with you dude, I bought vista the day it came out and was greatly disappointed with, One thing i wish was in service pack 1 they would get rid of UAC its a pain in the ass. I know you can disable it but it consistently pops messages up letting you know its disabled. It seems like Microsoft would have made a better OS after working on it for six years.
Submitted by cole7617 on Tue, 2008-02-12 06:52
If you dont like UAC TURN IT OFF!!! people who dont like UAC and complain about it tick me off, just turn the dang thing off for god sake, people who have had problems with Vista just dont know how to use it. I have had no problems with Vista not one driver issue not one crash, and I have built close to 200 computers using vista and did not use all the same hardware.
Submitted by Javelin on Mon, 2008-04-07 01:40
Maybe the same rules for the forums should also apply to the comments section as well. :/
Judging by your attitude, just because you built 200 different systems doesn't make you l33t. There have been known issues with some popular hardware not working properly with Vista, so for you not to encounter a single problem sounds either far-fetched or you just built the systems and let the poor users fend for themselves without support. Regardless, you sound more like a n00b than anyone who has much experience and patience and is willing to part their knowledge to others.
Bottom line: if you can't post constructive criticisms, then don't post at all. We have enough trolls in our daily lives and don't need more of them here.
Submitted by Frogpills on Tue, 2008-02-05 10:23
I’m unfortunately one of those schmucks that got Vista literally the day it came out. I was building a new PC at the time and instead of buying two OS’s (XP and then Vista) I made the mistake of figuring Vista couldn’t be THAT bad. I was wrong. I’ve been waiting with baited breath for weeks now for this and to have it delayed again?! Arg! It should be available if we are willing to risk driver issues. Communists.. the lot of them….
~Frogpills
Submitted by ShadesOfGrey on Tue, 2008-02-05 07:28
I think it was summed up best with "Beware of the ides of March"
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