The Download Blog

Microsoft on Tuesday said it is resuming two major Windows updates that had been halted because of a conflict with one of its own software products.

A week ago, Microsoft delayed the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 because of a problem that could lead to data loss when running the XP update in conjunction with its Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System program. It also halted automatic updates to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 because of a similar issue.

The software maker on Tuesday said it is releasing XP Service Pack 3 for Web downloads, and resuming automatic updates to Vista Service Pack 1, after developing a filter that will prevent machines running Dynamics RMS from getting either update.

The filter is not a fix for the incompatibility, though Microsoft said it is working on that as well.

"A fix for this issue is currently in testing at Microsoft and with customers, and we hope to make it publicly available this month," the company said in a statement. "Until then, Microsoft is advising Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers to not install either service pack."

Those already running Dynamics RMS with one of the Windows updates should contact customer support, it said.

Microsoft confirmed Tuesday that it has stopped automatic updates of Vista to Service Pack 1 in the wake of a newly discovered glitch.

The problem, which has also halted the availability of Windows XP Service Pack 3, prevents Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System from working with either operating system update.

"We are temporarily holding any additional automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1," Microsoft said in response to an inquiry from CNET News.com. The company said it will continue to make Vista SP1 available for manual download. Microsoft had just started pushing out the Vista service pack last week via automatic updates.

"While we are recommending that customers running Microsoft Dynamics RMS should not install SP1, there are many other customers who can benefit from installing Windows Vista SP1 immediately, so we are maintaining availability via (Windows Update)," Microsoft said. "We are delaying the release of Windows XP SP3 and holding any additional automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1 as a precaution and to help ensure that our customers have a great experience with Windows."

The company has not yet described the problem, beyond saying it is a "compatibility issue." I have also asked for data on how the problem was discovered, why it took until XP SP3 to find it, and how many users run Dynamics RMS.

Microsoft on Tuesday said it is delaying the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 because of a newly uncovered glitch.

The software maker said there is a "compatibility issue" between the XP service pack and Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, a retail chain management program for small and midsize businesses.

Microsoft finalized the code for Windows XP SP3 last week and had planned to make it broadly available starting Tuesday.

"In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience, we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center," the company said in a statement.

The glitch also exists between Microsoft Dynamics RMS and Windows Vista Service Pack 1, though that product has already been broadly released. Microsoft started pushing out Vista SP1 last week via Automatic Updates.

"To help protect our customers, we plan to put filtering in place shortly to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS," Microsoft said. "Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center."

Microsoft advised those running Microsoft Dynamics RMS to not install either service pack. The company said a "fix is currently in testing and will be available as soon as that process is complete."

Microsoft on Tuesday released another version of Windows XP Service Pack 3, but the software remains in the testing phase.

Unlike Windows Vista Service Pack 1, which was finalized in February and made available broadly last week, Microsoft has yet to give the final go-ahead for XP SP3.

"Windows XP SP3 RC2 Refresh was made publicly available today via Microsoft Download Center," Microsoft said in a statement. "We've made this release candidate available in order to receive further user feedback prior to the release of Windows XP SP3."

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley states that she had heard that Microsoft planned to release it this week in final form, but changed its mind.

There's not too much different in the "refresh" from the RC2 version released last month, according to a TechNet posting. "Beyond fixes for common Windows Update issues, and the inclusion of support for HD Audio, there are no substantial differences between this beta release (build 5508) and XP SP3 RC2 (build 3311)," Microsoft stated.

For its part, Microsoft said the final release is still slated for some time in the first half of the year, with the standard caveat that its timing will depend on customer feedback.

Meanwhile, computer makers are supposed to stop selling machines with XP come June, although this deadline is likely to be extended.

Long gone are the days where Microsoft service pack releases such as Windows XP SP2 would deliver shocks measurable on the Richter scale. Redmond has returned to its old habits of including mostly security repairs and crash fixes, but nothing in the way of new features. That doesn't mean that Vista users should skip out on Vista Service Pack 1.

Downloading anything from Microsoft is never easy, in my experience, and Vista SP1 is no different. Microsoft has announced that it won't begin to roll out the service pack through its automatic updates until April, so you must actively visit the Microsoft Web site and seek it out to download it.

This leaves users with two options: go with the recommended method for home users, the stand-alone update, or forcibly download the 435MB file. I was unable to get the stand-alone update to work, but if you've got Windows Update activated on your machine, you can try it yourself by clicking on the Start button, going to All Programs and hitting Windows Update. Alternatively, you can try through the Control Panel, then System and Maintenance, then Windows Update and Check for Updates.

If neither of those work, this link will take you to Microsoft's download page for the full installer. At nearly half a gigabyte, it will take users on slower connections a while to download. Once downloaded, the file is a self-extracting EXE that took my computer with 2GB of RAM about 40 minutes to install. Also important to note is that not all device drivers are simpatico with SP1, and Microsoft has programmed SP1 to postpone the update push if it detects incompatibilities.

There are no new features to try. I repeat, No. New. Features. So if you don't like the way that the existing Vista feature set looks or behaves, you shouldn't look at SP1 to assuage your concerns. However, since all of the changes that are included are "under the hood," many users should find Vista simply runs better.

Some of the tweaks pertain to bandwidth usage. Microsoft claims that SP1 uses less bandwidth when browsing networked drives, and it seemed a bit faster. Users who are in situations where they need to choose between wireless and wired Internet connections should find that Vista now automatically chooses between the two. However, users of ReadyDrive, ReadyBoost, and SuperFetch will probably see slowdowns until SP1 recollects old data.

BitLocker encryption has been enhanced for the Ultimate and Enterprise versions of the operating system, and you can now encrypt nonbootable drives. Driver response times to sleep and wake-up commands have been improved, and improvements address data loss while ejecting NTFS-formatted removable media. As CNET's Rob Vamosi points out, though, the average home user will see "little or no" changes.

Although I think Vista got off to a rocky start, the various security patches and improvements, culminating with SP1, have greatly improved the performance of the operating system. It's still a bit of an unwieldy and messy beast, and for that I can recommend nothing less than the limited edition Windows Vista toilet paper from the Japanese electronics store Akiba.

Well, Amazon was at least half right. As the retailer predicted, Microsoft did make Windows Vista Service Pack 1 available for download on Tuesday via Windows Update and on its Web site.

Still unclear is when it will start being available on retail shelves. Amazon said it will start shipping boxed copies with SP1 included on Wednesday, while Microsoft said it will be at retailers "as soon as April." I've asked for further clarification on the disparity, but have yet to hear back.

Meanwhile, in a posting on the Windows Vista blog, Microsoft also went into a little more detail on a previously disclosed driver problem that may prevent some drivers that work in Windows Vista from working with Service Pack 1. Microsoft also posted a list of potentially problematic drivers.

Microsoft said some drivers have already been updated to fix the incompatibility.

"We're working with the providers of the remaining devices to get updated versions of the drivers to our customers as well," Microsoft product manager Nick White said on the Vista blog. "In the meantime, Windows Update will recognize PCs with drivers that may be problematic and postpone offering SP1 to those PCs until it has installed corrected drivers or other applicable updates. Either way, Windows Update works to detect whether or not your system is ready for SP1 and not offer it to you until the time is right."

So, you may or may not be able to get SP1 starting today. For those whose systems are able to get SP1, the update is available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.

As for other means of getting SP1, Microsoft plans to start pushing out Service Pack 1 next month to Vista users who have automatic updates turned on. As for when new PCs will start carrying it, that is still a bit unclear, with Microsoft noting that it takes time for PC makers to update their assembly lines, but also saying they can use the new code "when they are ready." Microsoft finalized Vista Service Pack 1 back in February.

Often, when Microsoft finishes the code for a new product, it is available almost immediately. That's why it was a bit of a surprise when Microsoft said last week that it had finished Windows Vista Service Pack 1, but that customers would have to wait until March to get it.

On Monday, Microsoft reversed course and said it would make the code available to volume license customers on Friday, with Technet and MSDN developer program members having access to the software later this month. The masses will still have to wait until next month, Microsoft said.

"For general availability, we are still planning to release in mid-March time frame, as we want to ensure the general public has the smoothest experience possible," Microsoft said in a statement.

The key reason for the hold-up is that Microsoft is still working out a significant issue where the drivers for certain hardware devices don't work after installing the service pack.

"This is an issue with the way the device drivers were re-installed during the SP1 update process, not with the drivers themselves--these drivers worked on Windows Vista RTM and they work on Windows Vista SP1," Microsoft VP Mike Nash said in a blog posting. "For new PCs with Windows Vista SP1 pre-installed, this is not an issue. We are working with the manufacturers of these devices to get the drivers and their install programs updated, and also working on other solutions we can use to ensure a smooth customer experience when updating to SP1 over Windows Update."

Microsoft said on Thursday that it has released another updated test version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

The company said that the new version, dubbed "Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh 2," has been released to about 15,000 beta testers. The code is not being made available publicly, Microsoft said.

The product is still on track to be finalized this quarter, Microsoft said, while offering its standard caveat. "The final release date is based on quality, so we will continue to track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date," the company said.

Earlier this month, Microsoft released the first refresh to the release candidate of Vista SP1, first to about 15,000 testers and .

As for XP, Microsoft said it released (get ready for another mouthful) "Windows XP SP3 RC Refresh 2" to beta testers on Wednesday. Microsoft said it is aiming for a release sometime in the first half of this year, but added: "our timing will always be based on customer feedback as a first priority."

Microsoft on Tuesday said that it has reached the "release candidate" with the first service pack for Windows Vista, with plans to make the test software available publicly next week.

It is releasing the test code this week to the 15,000 or so people who have been beta testing SP1 already, and will also make it available on Thursday to those in the MSDN and TechNet developer programs.

"We feel really good and we look forward to receiving feedback from our larger set of testers," said David Zipkin, a senior product manager on the Windows Client team.

Microsoft also said on its Vista blog on Wednesday that it will make available a "blocker" that will allow customers who have Vista and use Windows Update to block SP1 upon its final release to allow for further testing. Microsoft offered a similar option with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Service Pack 1 is mainly designed as a collection of bug fixes and performance improvements rather than an attempt to add new features. Among the changes that are more feature-related is the ability to use BitLocker encryption on multiple hard drive volumes as well as changes to the desktop search feature, which were made to satisfy antitrust concerns from Google.

Microsoft also said this week that it will change the way its antipiracy features work in SP1, eliminating a system in which Vista machines found not to be genuine are relegated to a near-unusable "reduced functionality mode." In its place, Microsoft will show prominent warnings and prompt those with non-genuine software to get a properly licensed copy. The new antipiracy approach will be in the final version of SP1 but is not part of the release candidate version.

The software maker has made some changes to SP1 since it began testing it earlier this year. In particular, the company has worked to reduce the size of the update as well as the amount of free space required to perform the update.

Vista still requires up to 4.5GB of free space for a typical user, but that's down from the 7GB required in earlier beta versions. Most of that space is returned back to the user. For some people, though, particularly those with ultramobile machines or running Vista in a partition on their Mac, the free space limit can be an obstacle.

Microsoft has also significantly reduced the file size of the Windows Update and full versions of the service pack, Zipkin said.

The release candidate version of the Vista service pack comes just as the Windows Server team issues a public release candidate for Windows Server 2008. Development of Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 have been fairly closely aligned and both are slated for release in the first quarter of 2008. However, Zipkin said it is conceivable the release of the two products could vary, particularly if quality concerns arise for either one.