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I told you it was coming. Now it is here. What is your game plan?

Service Pack 1 for Vista has been released to the public. It is available by direct download or by manually running Windows Update from the Control Panel. It will be "pushed" to users who have automatic updates enabled next month. Let's talk a little about the who, what, when, and where.

What is SP1?

Service Pack 1 is a major update for all versions of Vista. SP1 includes all updates for Vista released to this point, as well as many fixes and enhancements that are unique to SP1. While there are no new features included in the service pack, there are hundreds of fixes and enhancements that correct most of the issues some were experiencing and add support for some upcoming technologies. If you are curious about the gory details you should read the overview provided by Microsoft, and I suggest you do.

How do I get SP1?

Beginning a couple of days ago Microsoft released Vista SP1 to the public through direct download or manual Windows Update. Manually running Windows Update may seem the best solution because the actual amount of data that will be downloaded to your computer will be less (100MB). Seems like the way to go, right? I personally prefer to download the full installer, which in the case of Vista SP1 can be 434MB for 32bit versions and 726MB for 64bit users. Why? If I download the entire installer package I can store it with my backups. I have the file and can use it when I need without depending on Microsoft or any other factors that could prevent me from downloading the file (think no internet connection!).

If you manually run Windows Update and are not offered Service Pack 1 as an available update Microsoft has provided a list of common reasons in this article. Among these the most notable are outdated device drivers.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves!

Microsoft has a list of programs that are know to conflict with SP1. You should check this list first. If you find a program that you use or need on this list you may want to hold off on installing SP1 until the program in question is updated.

The current version of SP1 only contains English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese language files. If you have installed language packs on your computer you should uninstall them prior to installing SP1, or wait until a version with your language of choice is released.

If you decide you do not want SP1 Microsoft has provided a tool which prevents SP1 from being installed by Automatic Updates for up to 12 months.

Barring any of the above you should have a good backup before beginning installation of any service pack on any operating system! A service pack could be compared to major surgery and a backup should be part of your game plan! Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. I have experienced no issues with installation of SP1 and the word on the street seems to indicate that problems are very rare, but it can happen.

What you can expect with SP1

Installation is very straight forward. Be sure to check the box that allows the computer to reboot itself. Installation should take less than an hour on any computer with fairly modern hardware. I've installed it twice and each time was around 35 minutes.

After installation you probably won't notice much difference as most changes are to behind the scenes components of the operating system.

  • If your computer fails WGA validation your desktop background will turn black. No longer will Vista enter a "reduced functionality mode" and prevent you from using your computer.
  • The built in disk defragmenter will now allow you to specify which drives, or volumes, get defragged.
  • The search menu has been removed from the start menu.
  • A small change to the Remote Desktop client (allows you to control other computers).
  • The time displayed when copying files is much more realistic.
  • SP1 deletes Vista's Superfetch cache, so operation may seem a little slow for a day or two.
  • SP1 deletes all but the last Restore Point, so you may notice some extra disk space.

That's about all you'll notice, but there are many changes that make for a better user experience with Vista.

OK. I installed SP1, now what?

Make a new drive image so you can restore to a point with SP1 installed!

You may notice that the computer appears slower. This is because SP1 deletes the Superfetch cache, which will be rebuilt in a day or two. If SP1 causes problems it can be removed from the Control Panel just like any other program.

After installation use your computer for a week or two. Start each of your programs and ensure they behave as you expect them. If programs to not respond or function as they did before SP1 was installed you should consider removal of the service pack until the problem software can be updated.

If, after a few weeks, you are happy with SP1 and have experience no issues you can delete files that were backed up during installation from your computer. When SP1 installs it saves a copy of each file it replaces in case you decide to uninstall. After two weeks you should have a good idea whether SP1 is causing problems. If you are satisfied SP1 is functioning well, and you are concerned about disk space or like to keep a squeeky clean system you can delete these files. CAUTION: If you delete the temporary installation files you will not be able to uninstall SP1!

If you decide to remove the back up files click Start, type vsp1cln.exe, and press Enter. A command prompt window will open and ask if you wish to delete the back up files. Type Y and press Enter. The cleanup process is very quick and you will gain between 500MB and 1.5GB of free space on your drive

My Thoughts on Service Pack 1 for Vista

I used the rebuilding of my computer (Article 1 above) to install SP1. I actually went through the process twice. Both times installation happening in 35 minutes and with not one hitch. I was impressed! <grin>

I've been using SP1 for two weeks and I've been pleasantly surprised. No lockups, no Blue Screens of Death, file copy performance shows a slight improvement, startup time has decreased by 5 seconds or so, and the system seems a tad more responsive. Don't expect SP1 to put an afterburner on your computer, but I think you will find the experience pleasant in both installation and use.

Remember... Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.