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Microsoft Releasing Several Vista Patches This Week

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

November 12, 2007, 10:53 AM

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.

Add a Comment (23 Comments)

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By wreckedchevy

posted Nov 13, 2007 - 4:47 PM

never experienced any of the problems the patchs fix but they did speed up my boot time by just under a minute

Score: 0

By ZenWarrior

posted Nov 13, 2007 - 10:30 AM

It's about freaking time! I cannot begin to count the hours wasted trying to get wireless to work on a couple of Vista laptops.

Thanks, BetaNews. You just saved me a trip to Kinko's this very hour to return a Sony laptop with major wireless issues.

Score: 0

By Program86

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 4:00 PM

mmmmmmmmmmm, swiss cheese.... yum

Score: 0

By smith288

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:45 PM

So word of warning, save all documents and close all your important crap before Vista hijacks your machine and reboots it for those "auto updaters"

Score: 0

By THZGryphon

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 3:00 PM

Anyone who leaves their 'important crap' unattended without saving it regardless of opt-in automatic updates deserves to lose their data.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 5:47 PM

Yeah, damn those people for expecting a reliable, stable and predictable computer! :P

Score: 0

By sjc001

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 7:01 PM

What, they think they're running Linux....? ;-)

Score: 0

By preinterpost

posted Nov 13, 2007 - 8:07 AM

No. They are trying to get actual work done rather than tinkering with operating systems.

Score: 0

By ZenWarrior

posted Nov 13, 2007 - 10:39 AM

Point scored!

Score: 0

By lvthunder

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 2:37 PM

Or just close your stuff and turn your computer off when your not using it.

Score: 0

By jonspencerbx

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:34 PM

I've had the updates (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=941600 and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941649) installed for a couple of weeks now and those updates combined with a MUCH needed update for my intel 4965AGN wireless card (http://downloadcenter.in...%20version&lang=eng) made Vista rock solid. I haven't had any BOSD's since.

Score: 0

By philosopher_dog

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:21 PM

Is this a Tuesday release? Just think in a year or two Vista will be amazing. Keep on patchin that baby!

Score: 0

By computershack

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:24 PM

Better than Linux then. It's been patching for the last decade and still hasn't got it right.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 5:48 PM

Err... what? Are you saying Windows hasn't been patching for the last decade?

Fail. :P

Score: 0

By PhoenixPath

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:53 PM

...and never will.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 5:51 PM

Can you see the future or are you starting to get a little worried?

Personally I think distros like Ubuntu have come leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. Everyone says: "this is the year of the Linux desktop" but realistically - a couple more years and it'll be better than Windows at 90% of computer tasks - and hopefully it's equal in the remainder.

Of course this assumes Microsoft waits another 5 years before re-hashing their old OS with a new GUI and annoying pop-up securities.

Score: 0

By PhoenixPath

posted Nov 13, 2007 - 9:08 AM

"Can you see the future or are you starting to get a little worried? "

Neither. It's called practical application of logic. :)

"Personally I think distros like Ubuntu have come leaps and bounds in the last couple of years"

Not denying it. Still isn't going to outpace the leading commercial (closed) operating system (in terms of adoption/market share), whatever OS that may be.

"Of course this assumes Microsoft waits another 5 years before re-hashing their old OS with a new GUI and annoying pop-up securities."

The dev time between every OS other than the XP/Vista fiasco was less. They've pledged to do better. I know it's fun to pick on MS, but are you really going to take 1 instance out of 7+ an imply it's a habit?

Score: 0

By yountmj

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 11:25 PM

Sorry, but Vista bugs me far less for admin rights than any version of Linux ever has.

Yes, Ubuntu has come a long way, and it is currently my preferred distro by far (mainly because I first learned on Debian, and I'm biased). :)

Score: 0

By ZenWarrior

posted Nov 13, 2007 - 10:37 AM

Yea, but even Ubuntu is still miles away from being "user-friendly."

At this very moment, I can't get my old video card to work after a new one miserably failed with Ubuntu 7.10. Now, neither works.

The only reason I don't hate Linux as much as Microsoft is because Ubuntu is free of monetary costs. My time, however, is another issue--and is where I've paid big using Linux.

That's where Linux geeks just don't get it. They seem entirely clueless to the notion that time is also money.

Score: 0

By IceyKola

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:19 PM

i haven't been able to wirelessly stream video or internet tv to my xbox360 using media center in vista. I wonder if this may resolve some issue that i haven't been able to figure out.

Score: 0

By skags442

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 3:36 PM

i have had this issue as well, but it seemed to be a hardware issue more then anything esle, had issues when running it on a pc with only 1GB of ram over wireless, it improved a bit when i used it ove a wired network.

i upgraded my mem to 4GB and improved greatly, still had issues with wireless, lots of network congestion, but when on a wired network worked just as goo as being on the pc its self. i dont like using wireless for streaming media, mainly because i am lazy.

Score: 0

By DZNetworks

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 3:33 PM

You know I was going nuts trying to figure this out... I think its weird how you could stream video through the regular video blade on the 360 but not through MCE.. at least now I know I am not the only one.

Score: 0

By Niro

posted Nov 12, 2007 - 12:39 PM

I haven't had that problem...the problem I do have is in xbox 360 sometimes the media database takes forever to update. I'll add a song on my PC and see it i media center on my pc, but it would take almost an hour for it to show up on the 360.

Score: 0

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