Vista SP1 betas go missing from Microsoft downloads
By Jonathan Schlaffer
If you wanted to get your hands on any of the Vista SP1 RC (release candidate) versions, it may be too late. You can still download the registry “hack” from several third party sites but it seems as though the update has been pulled from both the website and Windows Update.
Previously, the update would have been available from Microsoft Downloads but as of this writing, it is not available. Earlier today, Microsoft announced that Vista SP1 has been released to manufacturing (RTM).
That being said, some might say this is a conspiracy. Since Vista SP1 RTM is out there but will not be released to the public until March, it could be that the company doesn’t want anyone installing the betas from this point on.
I can’t fault them for it either. In order to install Vista SP1 RTM, the beta version must be uninstalled first. Though, it may include provisions for dealing with the uninstall for you, that’s not been confirmed.
Anyone smart enough to get their hands on and install the beta service pack is certainly smart enough to uninstall it themselves. It would still be nice if Microsoft would provide a warning such as “It appears you have updates that need to be uninstalled before SP1 (final) can be installed.”
Because there is still a small minority of “Joe user” out there that has probably installed the service pack but would not necessarily think to uninstall it before getting the final version.
If this is true, it’s certainly a bad move on Microsoft’s part. There may be those out there with the first RC and would like to install the refresh, which is no longer possible. There may also be those not willing to wait until March for SP1.
My desktop has the last Vista RC installed and I’ve been spoiled by it. It boots faster, it shuts down faster and feels more responsive than systems that don’t have it installed. I would have liked to install it on all my systems.
Those that like a certain amount of risk can try downloading the RC packs from any number of third party sources but this is frowned upon by Microsoft. Such sources may have added viruses, malware or any number of unsavory things to it.
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on Monday, February 4th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
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February 5th, 2008
This wouldn’t be the first time there were complaints about a part of Vista. Since its release, it’s been a hotbed for irritation among computer consultants, business users and home users alike. For a while, Microsoft was making sporadic (but concerted) efforts to inform loyal users of updates, patches, etc. when it comes to the Vista package, but the company still seems to be missing important points when it comes to making the user experience truly simple. I think this is the result of a too-early release, but it’s hard to say at this point. Regardless, clearly Microsoft was not quite ready for Vista to be used just as users should not have been ready to give up their old operating systems before it had been appropriately tested.
February 7th, 2008
“I can’t fault them for it either. In order to install Vista SP1 RTM, the beta version must be installed first. ”
I think you are confused about something here.