Microsoft has finalized the code for the first service pack for Windows Vista,
but won't release the code via its update services to customers until mid-March,
the company said Monday. Moreover, some devices may not work with the initial
version of the software because of driver issues that continue to plague the
OS.

According to a post
on the Windows Vista blog by Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows
product management, Microsoft will release Vista Service Pack 1 in English,
French, Spanish, German and Japanese to Windows Update and to the download center
on Microsoft's Web site beginning in mid-March. In mid-April, the software will
be available in those languages to anyone who has chosen not to download it.
Microsoft will follow with the remaining language releases of Vista SP1 in April.

In the post, Nash said Microsoft is holding off on immediately releasing the
code for SP1 until hardware vendors have delivered PCs with Windows Vista SP1
installed to retail stores to give those vendors time to correct problems with
some device drivers that beta testers discovered during the software's evaluation
process.

When installing SP1, some device drivers did not correctly follow the automatic
instructions, so devices associated with them did not work correctly, according
to the post. Microsoft expects hardware vendors to correct these issues before
releasing PCs with the service pack installed. The company will not let customers
install SP1 via automatic update if their PCs won't install the drivers correctly.
However, customers can go to Microsoft's download center to obtain the software
if they want to.

In his post, Nash said that most Vista users will not be affected by the device
driver issue, but Microsoft is being cautious about the release of SP1 to "improve
the experience for all customers."

However, some comments about Nash's blog entry show that some Windows users
are eager to get their hands on the software, so are none too thrilled with
the delay in SP1's release to manufacturing and release to customers.

"So it's done ... but we won't be able to actually get it for another
six weeks? That [is] incredibly frustrating," wrote one user called "freibooter."

Another Windows user called "Hurricane Andrew" said the release of
SP1 to manufacturing was "great news," but also expressed displeasure
at the delay.

"Just wish we could get our hands on it earlier, " he said. "Patience
has never been one of my strong points."

There were hints that Microsoft was nearing the final code for SP1 in the last
several weeks, as the company offered two refreshes for the first release candidate,
a sign that the software was nearing completion. Many believe the SP1 milestone
is the one that will bring about a new wave of adoption for Vista, especially
among business customers that have been awaiting the service pack's release
before updating employee desktops.

The combination of SP1 and Windows Server 2008 is expected to bode well for
Vista adoption in the enterprise and medium-sized business sectors. Microsoft
said Monday that it also has released Windows Server 2008 to manufacturing.
That product and the release of Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 will
be featured in an official launch event in Los Angeles at the end of the month;
however, while the new version of Visual Studio is available, SQL Server will
not ship until the third quarter.

IDG News Service

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