Tech site GeekSmack.net claims to have obtained a beta release of Microsoft's upcoming Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and has posted the first screenshots of the build.

While we don't recommend it, for those of you who want to go gallivanting around the web looking for the same beta, GeekSmack says the full build string is 6.1.7601.16537.amd64fre.win7.100327-0053.

"The install process is much of what you would expect from a service pack installer, but one thing I noticed is that the installation is MUCH faster than the install process for service packs on Vista was, which is a very welcome change," TechSmack noted. 

There are a bunch of screenshots to gawk at, including a few from after the service pack was applied. Looks legit, and falls in line with Microsoft recently announcing that service packs for both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 were forthcoming. According to Microsoft, SP1 for Windows 7 would mostly contain "minor updates."

Still rocking an older version of Firefox? If so, you should seriously consider upgrading, because after today, Mozilla won't be releasing any more updates. In the meantime, you can buy a little extra time by downloading Firefox 3.0.19 or 3.5.9.

"As part of Mozilla's ongoing security and stability update process, Firefox 3.5.9 and Firefox 3.0.19 are now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux for free download," Mozilla said. "As always, we recommend that users keep up to date with the latest stability and support versions of Firefox, and encourage all our users to upgrade to the very latest version, Firefox 3.6.2.

"Please note: This is the last planned security and stability release for Firefox 3.0."

Most of the fixes are pretty boring from a non-programming standpoint (compilation error in gfxFonTest.cpp on AIX 5.1, for example), but there a few standouts, such as addressing "very slow decoding of png."

Firefox 3.5.9 Release Notes
Firefox 3.0.19 Release Notes

For those of you rocking a Mac, Apple on Monday released a software update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard bringing the current version to 10.6.3.

The latest update plugs a whole bunch of security holes, addressing everything from improved validation of MPEG encoded movie files to preventing remote attackers from extracting information from Open Directory, as well as a little love for more secure Wi-Fi. There are 69 security related updates in all, of which you can view here.

Version 10.6.3 also includes several stability and compatibility enhancements, some of which include:

• address compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications
• address a color issue in iMovie with HD content
• improve the reliability of 3rd party USB input devices
• improve printing reliability

Apple also took a step towards better error reporting. In addition to the Crash Reporter state data, updated Macs will also include recent system loga information as well as details about the apps and hardware devices installed.

Update
Release Notes

We suppose one way to protect users from a malware infestation is to prevent Windows from loading in the first place, and that's exactly what BitDefender did, though not on purpose. Borked WIndows installations were the inadvertent result of an overzealous definitions update that mistakenly detected several windows and BitDefender files as infected with Trojan.FakeAlert.5.

"We apologize for the issues that you are experiencing because of an update released today for Windows 64-bit systems," BitDefender told its customers. "The faulty update has been removed and we are quickly working on a fix for the issue experienced by the users that downloaded the update."

BitDefender has since issued a software patch along with instructions on how to apply it if your system refuses to boot. The company also warns that "there have been several 'self help' articles on the Internet that do not fully solve the problem" and is instructing users to only follow BD's official instructions.

More info here.

~Update~

We talked to BitDefender about this issue and were told that "due to the fast reaction with a reversed update after the faulty one, there has only been a few hundred machiens that were critically affected; however at this moment many of them have had one-to-one support.