Microsoft Pushes out Windows Vista SP2

By Geoff Duncan May 26, 2009

Microsoft Pushes out Windows Vista SP2

Microsoft might be getting ready to push Windows 7 out to the world soon, but the company is also keeping its current mainstream operating system up-to-date with Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2). Vista SP2 will initially be offered as an optional update users can choose to install via Windows Update or direct download; eventually, SP2 will become and automatic update, although users will have to accept a EULA prior to installation. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Service Pack 2 are available for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft is initially releasing the update in English, German, Spanish, Japanese, and French, with additional localizations due in the near future.

Service Pack 2 includes a number of hot fixes and security patches made to Windows Vista, and Windows Vista requires Vista Service Pack 1 before SP2 can be installed. (Server 2008 shipped with SP1 rolled in, so there’s no need to install SP1 in Server 2008.) New features in SP2 include support for recording to Blu-ray media, improvements to restoring Wi-Fi connections when waking from sleep, numerous application support fixes, an improved version of Windows Search, and removes the arbitrary limit of 10 half-open outbound TCP connections. Microsoft has released a FAQ with an overview of the changes.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Windows 11 24H2 or Windows 12? Here’s what’s coming soon

A laptop running Windows 11.

Windows 11 is more than a few years old and it is getting feature drops called "moments" every so often, as well as yearly updates. But what about the whole new Windows release that will come after Windows 11?

Earlier leaks from Intel and Qualcomm made mention of Windows 12, leading some to believe that Windows 12 might be in development at Microsoft and could come in 2024.

Computing

Microsoft may fix the most frustrating thing about Windows updates

Windows 11 updates are moving to once a year.

Most Windows users will agree that one of the most annoying things about the operating system is the updates. While Windows Updates are necessary, they often tend to come up at the worst possible time, interrupting work and gaming sessions with persistent reminders that the system needs to reboot. Microsoft might be fixing that problem in the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 build, but it's still too early to bid farewell to those ill-timed reboots.

As spotted in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26058, Microsoft is testing "hot patching" for some Windows 11 updates. Hot patching refers to a dynamic method of updating that often doesn't change the software version and may not even need a restart. In the context of Windows 11, it's pretty straightforward -- Windows will install the update, and you won't have to reboot your system.

Computing

7 beloved Windows apps that Microsoft has killed over the years

A screenshot of Internet Explorer 9.

Microsoft's history is littered with the discontinuation of once-beloved applications. Most recently, WordPad, the renowned text editor app, was conspicuously absent from the latest beta build of Windows 11, indicating an end to its 28-year-long journey. I have fond memories of using the app back in my college days when Microsoft Office was too pricey for me.

WordPad is far from the only app to get canceled by Microsoft over the years. From pioneering productivity tools to nostalgic multimedia players, let's reminisce about some of the most famous applications that Microsoft has consigned to the annals of tech history.
Internet Explorer