Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 logo

Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1

By Microsoft Free

Developer's Description

Service Pack 1 introduces support for some new hardware and software standards, notably the exFAT file system, 802.11n wireless networking, IPv6 over VPN connections, and the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol. Booting a system using Extensible Firmware Interface on x64 systems is also being introduced; this feature had originally been slated for the initial release of Vista but was delayed due to a lack of compatible hardware at the time.

Two areas have seen changes in Service Pack 1 that have come as the result of concerns from software vendors. One of these is desktop search; users will be able to change the default desktop search program to one provided by a third party instead of the Microsoft desktop search program that comes with Windows Vista, and desktop search programs will be able to seamlessly tie in their services into the operating system. These changes come in part due to complaints from Google, whose Google Desktop Search application was hindered by the presence of Vista's built-in desktop search. In June 2007, Google claimed that the changes being introduced for Service Pack 1 "are a step in the right direction, but they should be improved further to give consumers greater access to alternate desktop search providers."The other area of note is a set of new security APIs being introduced for the benefit of antivirus software that currently relies on the unsupported practice of patching the kernel.

An update to DirectX 10, named DirectX 10.1, makes mandatory several features which were previously optional in Direct3D 10 hardware. Graphics cards will be required to support DirectX 10.1. Service Pack 1 includes a kernel (6001) that matches the version shipped with Windows Server 2008.

The Group Policy Management Console is being replaced by the Group Policy Object Editor. An updated downloadable version of the Group Policy Management Console is planned for release in the same time frame as the release of the service pack.

Full Specifications

What's new in version 3.2

General

Release August 26, 2008
Date Added March 20, 2008
Version 3.2

Operating Systems

Operating Systems Windows, Windows Vista
Additional Requirements
  • Windows NT 4 SP 6
  • Windows 2003 SP 1
  • Windows XP AMD 64-bit
  • Windows XP 64-bit SP 1
  • Windows NT 4 SP 2
  • Windows 2000 SP 1
  • Windows 2003 64-bit
  • Windows 2003 AMD 64-bit
  • Windows XP 64-bit SP 2
  • Windows NT 4 SP 3
  • Windows 2000 SP 2
  • Windows Server 2003 x64 R2
  • Windows 2000
  • Windows 2003 64-bit SP 1
  • Windows Vista AMD 64-bit
  • Windows XP Itanium 64-bit
  • Windows NT 4 SP 4
  • Windows 2000 SP 3
  • Windows NT 4
  • Windows XP 32-bit
  • Windows XP SP 1
  • Windows Server 2003 x86 R2
  • Windows ME
  • Windows 2003 Itanium 64-bit
  • Windows NT 4 SP 5
  • Windows 2000 SP 4
  • Windows Vista 32-bit
  • Windows XP 64-bit
  • Windows NT 4 SP 1
  • Windows Server 2008 x64
  • Windows NT 3
  • Windows Server 2008 x86
  • Windows XP
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows 2003
  • Windows Vista Itanium 64-bit
  • Windows XP Itanium 64-bit SP 1
  • Windows 2003 32-bit
  • Windows XP Itanium 64-bit SP 2
  • Windows XP SP 2
  • Windows 95
  • Windows 98
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows NT
  • Windows 2003 Itanium 64-bit SP 1
  • Windows XP Pro
  • Popularity

    Total Downloads 139,819
    Downloads Last Week 43
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