RSSWindows Vista SP1 Beta Released to Private Testers
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published September 24, 2007, 5:40 PM
Multiple Microsoft sources have confirmed that the first beta test editions of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista were distributed to a select group of about 12,000 testers today. BetaNews learned these are indeed exclusive invitees, not merely a subset of the company's MSDN or TechNet subscriber base.
An account of the SP1 experience published today by Microsoft team blogger Brandon LeBlanc confirms what BetaNews reported three weeks ago: Rather than add new features, SP1 concentrates on making the existing ones work better - at least, those which remain after a slight feature cut.
"Windows Vista SP1 allows the user to change their default desktop search provider from the built-in Windows Desktop Search that ships with Windows Vista to another third-party desktop search provider," LeBlanc wrote. "The Search option has been removed from the right side of the Start menu. Users will also notice 'See all results' has disappeared when doing a search via the Start menu. Instead, you will see 'Search Everywhere.' Search Everywhere will launch whatever is the user's default desktop search program. In Windows Explorer, users will also see a 'Search Everywhere' option in the toolbar as well."
One concern voiced by many Vista owners has been the sometimes extraordinarily long amount of time it takes for a system that has entered its power-saving state to re-emerge and offer the user a password line. LeBlanc tested SP1 in a standalone installation on a 64-bit custom-built system. There, he discovered the delay between the screen saver and the password prompt has been virtually eliminated, and the time required for emergence from sleep states has also improved.
LeBlanc admitted trouble with his prior Vista versions being able to maintain a sustained connection with his wireless home network. He reported he has yet to find himself repairing that connection with Vista SP1.
Sources report that administrators will now have the oft-requested luxury of being able to choose which volumes the BitLocker encryption utility and Disk Defragmenter will run on. Previously, their Vista incarnations only worked on the volume containing the boot sector.
Too late - I dumped my "system builder" version of Vista Ultimate. I'm just glad I didn't hand over +$300!
My 20/5 FiOS connection stumbled at 6-12/1-3 (on good days) and LAN transfer speeds were even worse. The "update" MS released to address the issue solved nothing for me. The registry tweaks offered elsewhere also did little to restore the full speed connections I had under XP Pro before - and when I reinstalled it a week ago.
I'm waiting for this issue to be completely resolved before I attempt to run Vista again.
Can you say Service pack 2??
Score: 0
Exclusive? I went to connect and there it was. I don't think it is so "exclusive"
So far it feels EXACTLY the same as pre SP1 :( and sound still sucks. [Creative's fault].
The OS runs flawlessly for the most part, and every program that works works well. But it still feels SLOW even on a relativly fast machine [its old, but still get's 5.9 on the Vista Scale]. There are just too many "icky" things to deal with in Vista to ever make me want to switch. I'm hoping to hold onto XP until Vista R2, hopefully by then a 10Ghz QuadCore chip and 32 gigs of ram will be cheap enough to allow Vista to shine.
Score: 0
LOL
Exactly WHY Vista should've only been 64bit.
I sometimes don't get the decisions made at MS-- they dropped stuff from Vista to get it out the door faster(while also electing to waste considerable resources for 32bit version & as well for Search, IE7, etc.)... for exactly WHAT impending doom scenario??!! With 9x% OS / 8x% Browser market shares & 8x% profits generated anyhow by Office...
MS sputtered similarly with RISC almost 1½ decades ago-- at some point they "have got" to realize that (especially)because of their Über-monopolization, their market share will likely NOT drop one iota when they jump on the bleeding edge bandwagon(if advanced enough that is) EVEN if at the cost of some backwards-compatibility...
and THAT is what creates value that us lemmings will quickly & willingly pony up w/o major complaint, while avoiding quagmires such as the present quandary of having to endure an obligatory update to an inferior OS(or at least not that much better IF you disagree) @ $$$ premium.
Score: 0
I gave both my Vista boxes to a local computer whizkid along with my 2003 server. My brain damage made it impossible to deal with all the headaches. I'm back to running XP Pro on my remaining systems. I've used O&O for quite a while and it's probably as good as any, certainly better than Diskeeper.
I am running Xandros 4 on an old PC. It appeals to my masochistic side.
Score: 0
:) I wonder how long it will take for a leak. =p
Score: 0
So that idiots can install it and then complain about how it broke their Vista?
No thanks.
Score: 0
There is already a leak from Winbeta
Score: 0
Till today there is a bug that I have not seen fixed in Vista, its this: I cannot change or customize colors for Tool Tips, which is found here:
Control Panel / Personalization / Window Color and Appearance / Open classic appearance .. / Advanced / Item: Tool Tip
I have checked it with different brand PCs, all Vista versions, with both nVidia and ATI adapters, on desktops and laptops.
Any of you experience similar problems?
Score: 0
Why don't they just get rid of anything with the word Vista in it and start again?
Score: 0
mdotwills says "Why don't they just get rid of anything with the word Vista in it and start again?"
------------------------------
Maybe you should consider getting a Mac or sticking with XP instead of complaining. Eh?
Score: 0
What's the build number?
Score: 0
Hyper Heron?
Oh wait, MS uses numbers still... :p
Score: 0
Nah...
Horny Heron
Score: 0
Thanks for the image.
My day wasn't weird enough already... :p
Score: 0
6001.xxx
Score: 0
How about giving us back a bloody status bar for the defrag to see roughly how long/much is left.
That was the single worst 'feature' of Vista right there. The complete buggering up of Defrag.
Score: 0
Why use the Windows defragger when there are so many other, better defragging apps out there (both free and commercial).
Score: 0
Actually....we tested several defrag apps and the default windows defragger performed as well if not better than most out there. The only one that fared better was a public release app by the same company.
Score: 0
I don't. However many people I work for do not have another installed, and so when I do a clean up of their computer I am left dealing with Windows Defrag.
Score: 0
Amen!
Even though I use Diskeeper, I completely agree!
"Oookay... so how long do I need to step away from the PC while this is going on?" *sigh*
That's just for my personal systems at home. Customer's computers are another matter at my shop. I don't always have the luxury of an alternative.
Running the defragmenter from the command line does offer a little more information, but why they didn't allow access to that info from the GUI I'll never understand.
Score: 0
They're just giving you a reason to buy a 3rd party app. If they included additional functionality to the Vista Defrag utility, the EU would cry some more.
Might I suggest O&O or Raxco? Both have excellent Vista compatible defrag utilities.
Score: 0
rsmiff - I KNOW you have not tested Diskeeper and/or PerfectDisk (my favorite), otherwise you wound NOT have issued such a statement!
Be in luv w/Vista, but try not to insult those of us using a professional defragger.
Score: 0
Yah, thats probably true. Its amazing how much the EU whines.
How is Diskeeper?
Score: 0
Why be so harsh, he NEVER said that he tested ALL of the programs.
Score: 0
Or EXT3?
Ok, just kidding. ;)
Score: 0
I tested perfectdisk and diskkeeper, both performed only marginally better (and even that was negligible) than the built in defragger.
Score: 0
Never really liked that one. No particular reason other than the fact that the interface has always annoyed me. It's probably a pretty good app.
Score: 0
I don't mind the interface so much. I usually only have to see it once during initial configuration. Once the 'Set and Forget' options are set, it's all automatically done in the background during periods of inactivity.
Score: 0
That's kind of the problem. I don't want it running in the background. I want to see what it's doing. Ya know, the blinky lights and such. I know it's silly and meaningless.
Like I said, probably a great program, but I just don't like it. YMMV...
Score: 0
Heh, it's not silly. I hear ya about wanting to actually know and see what it's doing in the background, hence the frustration with the built-in defrag utility with Vista. I'm the same way. Control freak of a sort. :)
Score: 0
O&O is my one of choice.
Score: 0
Have you tried PerfectDisk? The offline defrag seems a bit better. Other than that, it's an interface preference on my part. I am partial to PD, so YMMV...
Score: 0