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Vista Service Pack 2 sees the light
The Inquirer - UK Tech site ^ | May 26, 2009 | Vista Service Pack 2 sees the light

Posted on 05/26/2009 6:28:49 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

AFTER A FEW months of BETA testing, Microsoft has finally released the next official first aid kit for Windows Vista - Service Pack 2.

If you've been running the BETA of Service Pack 2 that was released last year, then you'll need to uninstall that before installing the official service pack. Plus, you'll also need to have Service Pack 1 installed first.

Although the Service Pack hasn't made it to Windows Update yet, you can now grab the official downloads from Microsoft's Download Center. The installer includes Service Pack 2 for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, resulting in a 348.3MB file for 32-bit version  - and a 577.4MB file for 64-bit version.

Despite the massive file size, however, there's not much to get excited about. The update mainly includes all of the bits and bobs that have been released since Service Pack 1, although this doesn't include Internet Explorer 8.

Microsoft says that the Service Pack will also bring you native writing to Blu-Ray discs, improved Wi-Fi performance when resuming from Sleep mode and support for Bluetooth 2.1.

The Service Pack will also include the ID and vendor strings for VIA's 64-bit CPUs. It's not exactly a must-have download, but Microsoft says that, "while most updates contained in SP2 are available as individual downloads, the roll-up convenience of SP2 is a major benefit for administrators."

If you're thinking of updating to the new service pack, then you may need to remove a few language packs before you start if you've installed them already.

The new service pack is currently only available in English, Japanese, Spanish, German and French. In fact, if you've installed any other language packs, then you'll need to remove them in order to install Service Pack 2 at the moment. However, Microsoft says that it has plans for an ‘additional 31 languages together in a second wave sometime after the first release.'

In the meantime, the link for the all-language standalone installer is currently broken.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS:
Why wait for Windows Update in a week or two when you can fix your computer now?
1 posted on 05/26/2009 6:28:49 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: ConservativeMind

bump for later


2 posted on 05/26/2009 6:31:17 PM PDT by piroque
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To: ConservativeMind

Also, be sure to check your computer manufacturers support site for BIOS and driver updates.

Finally, be sure to use Secunia.org’s free Secunia PSI to assure your programs and browser add-ins are current and secure. Available here:

http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/


3 posted on 05/26/2009 6:31:22 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (The UN has never won a war, nor a conflict, but liberals want it to rule all militaries.)
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To: Admin Moderator

Sorry, but the author should be “Ben Hardwidge.”


4 posted on 05/26/2009 6:34:05 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (The UN has never won a war, nor a conflict, but liberals want it to rule all militaries.)
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To: ConservativeMind

http://blip.tv/file/340692/


5 posted on 05/26/2009 6:37:43 PM PDT by Prole (Please pray for the families of Chris and Channon. May God always watch over them.)
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To: ConservativeMind

Win98 rulz! Still kicking and no problems!!!


6 posted on 05/26/2009 6:44:13 PM PDT by icwhatudo
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To: ConservativeMind
Why wait for Windows Update in a week or two when you can fix your computer now?

Well, since Vista sits on another partition than the one I normally use, and since M$ SP's have been known to have problems in the past, I'll wait.

Remember; Microsoft's version of beta testing, is most other developers alpha. By the time they get around to releasing a beta, it's in gold lockdown, ready for production release, and getting you to pay for the privilege of testing their product.

7 posted on 05/26/2009 6:49:33 PM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: ConservativeMind; All

8 posted on 05/26/2009 6:57:07 PM PDT by musicman (Until I see a REAL C.O.L.B. BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: icwhatudo
"Win98 rulz! Still kicking and no problems."

Actually, I have a problem; AVG just stopped updates, and gives me warnings every time I run IE. What do you use for anti-virus software?

9 posted on 05/26/2009 6:57:53 PM PDT by norwaypinesavage (Global Warming Theory is extremely robust with respect to data. All observations confirm it)
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To: ConservativeMind

Ah, Windows “Would You Like To Continue” Vista...

I’d rather use Win98SE and be able to get some work done.


10 posted on 05/26/2009 7:30:17 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: norwaypinesavage

I’ve run Mozilla Firefox for years with free versions of spybot and adaware but updates have ended there as well. Still kicking strong though-LOL


11 posted on 05/26/2009 7:48:12 PM PDT by icwhatudo
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To: ConservativeMind

Is SP2 stable or does it have it’s glitches like the initial SP2 for XP?


12 posted on 05/26/2009 8:32:13 PM PDT by K-oneTexas (I'm not a judge and there ain't enough of me to be a jury. (Zell Miller, A National Party No More))
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To: ConservativeMind

I just got a message to update to Service Pack 2 on my update with Vista..should I do it or wait a few days


13 posted on 05/26/2009 9:05:59 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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To: ConservativeMind

I just uninstalled the beta SP2 and installed the final SP2. Went OK, but it took forever.


14 posted on 05/26/2009 9:55:57 PM PDT by TChad
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To: Sarah Barracuda; K-oneTexas
I would put it on when you have an hour to spend.

I have it now on my computer and it did fix one problem with high CPU utilization when a file window was open.

It comes with a new version of their search environment. For many, this may be a benefit. However, I get annoyed by the constant background work it does and, since I use a different free search tool (X1 from Yahoo! (desktop.yahoo.com)), having redundant search programs only saps system resources further. So, I disabled only that part once SP-2 was installed.

15 posted on 05/26/2009 10:22:45 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (The UN has never won a war, nor a conflict, but liberals want it to rule all militaries.)
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To: norwaypinesavage

I use the free Avira, which is tops in the av-comparatives.org review.


16 posted on 05/26/2009 10:24:34 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (The UN has never won a war, nor a conflict, but liberals want it to rule all militaries.)
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To: ConservativeMind

Thanks, I’ll give Avira a try. I’m not overly concerned about new viruses being written for old operating systems, but I can’t turn off the warnings. It is an issue for some older relatives who aren’t willing/capable of changing operating systems and are concerned about the warnings. The AVG warning is dire.


17 posted on 05/27/2009 5:00:30 AM PDT by norwaypinesavage (Global Warming Theory is extremely robust with respect to data. All observations confirm it)
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To: ConservativeMind

MY Vista is dead and gone, replaced by Windows 7 64 bit. I am loving it and am never looking back.

The Vista aftertaste is almost washed out of my mouth and I never want that taste again.


18 posted on 05/27/2009 5:03:08 AM PDT by commish (Freedom tastes sweetest to those who have fought to preserve it.)
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To: norwaypinesavage

Avast is also a pretty good free AV.


19 posted on 05/27/2009 5:04:05 AM PDT by commish (Freedom tastes sweetest to those who have fought to preserve it.)
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