Vista SP1 release candidate goes live

This morning, BetaNews FileForum was alerted to the availability of the latest release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, just released from Microsoft.

FileForum posted a live link immediately. In an indication that this may be the only RC release prior to SP1's final endorsement, no number has been attached. Microsoft is only describing the file as an "RC," not an "RC1."

On Monday, Microsoft made an advance copy of the SP1 release notes available to the public. In it, the company gave cause for many to hope for speed enhancements, including expedited file copies and a way for administrators to adjust the speed throttling index. That index had previously given Windows Media Player extra priority when other tasks were being performed, though users noticed tremendous slowdowns for those tasks as a result.

Since this is a release candidate, testers are being advised by a TechNet document this morning that uninstallation may be necessary prior to deploying the final SP1 version. Testers are being told to run the command line tool as an administrator, and apply a command to launch the Package Manager to invoke the uninstallation.

But you have to read those instructions carefully, because Microsoft describes the command you have to run rather than providing it directly, and since the package name includes hexadecimal digits (not a joke), you should be very careful before pressing Enter.