Microsoft has begun offering Windows 7 Service Pack 1 via Windows Update today, as promised earlier in the month.
The 32-bit version of SP1 is around 755MB and the 64-bit edition comes in at around 1GB.
Says Microsoft:
Starting today, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 will be available to everyone via the Microsoft Download Center and [will] start rolling out via Windows Update.
If you prefer to have a disc, you can get one sent to you for $6 from Microsoft, including shipping.
The public beta of the SP was released in July 2010, and Microsoft launched the release candidate in October. The SP1 brings no new features, but is instead a collection of security patches and nonsecurity fixes already available through Windows Update.
Result for: service pack 1
Microsoft has finally, officially launched the public beta of Windows 7 SP1, giving users a chance to download the service pack.
In late June, the SP1 was leaked online, and is still circulating on torrent, P2P and warez sites. Additionally, a beta of the Windows Server 2008 R2 was leaked as well.
The SP1, as stated by Microsoft, is mainly a rollup of already-released hotfixes.
Says Microsoft’s Tammi Reller: “I am quite pleased today to announce the public beta availability of service pack 1 both for Windows Server 2008R2 as well as Windows 7. [For Windows 7 ] mostly it is minor updates that are available through Windows update.”
Businesses will be the main beneficiaries of the update, as they will finally be free to upgrade their corporate systems to a fully stable Windows 7, from XP and Vista.
Result for: service pack 1
According to a source over at TechARP, the much anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 2 should be arriving by April 2009, bringing with it a handful of features that were missing in the disappointing Service Pack 1.
A beta release should be available by February with final release scheduled for April, says the source. The launch will be staggered by user language, with English receiving first, European languages second, Japanese third and Spanish and Chinese versions hitting last.
The update will bring native Blu-ray burning, Bluetooth 2.1, Windows Search 4.0, and a much improved Wi-Fi configuration utility. The pack will also incorporate all security updates that have been released since Service Pack 1.
