Microsoft Releasing Several Vista Patches This Week

Microsoft isn't waiting for Vista Service Pack 1 to push some important operating system updates to users.

Several updates will make their way to users this week through Windows Update, Windows Vista team member Nick White wrote to the official Vista blog on Monday. If users decide to pass on the updates, they will be included in SP1.

"We [use Windows Update] so that customers need not wait for a service pack or another or larger release to benefit from the ongoing improvements we make to Windows," White wrote. "Continuous improvement is the name of this game."

The first update addresses several reliability and stability issues. Battery life will be improved, as well as making wireless connections more stable. The recovery time after coming out of sleep has also been shortened.

Another fix repairs an issue with the USB core components in Vista that was causing between 1 and 2 percent of all crashes reported, while the final one fixes issues with using a Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender.

White said the updates were expected to go live on Windows Update on Tuesday.