Last night, Microsoft announced that it has completed development of SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The code will be released to the public sometime in the second quarter, Microsoft says.
"Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Server 2008 includes all updates that have been delivered since SP1, as well as support for new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards," a Microsoft announcement reads. "Since it comes with a single installer for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, SP2 will be easy for IT Pros to manage, deploy, and support."
As its name suggests, SP2 is the second service pack for Vista, but it's the first for Server 2008 since that product shipped with the SP1 code pre-installed. Vista and Server 2008 (like Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2) are built on the same code base.
SP2 includes a number of minor new features but nothing like the major changes that Microsoft shipped with SP1. Some of the enhancements include:
- Windows Search 4.0
- Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack
- Native Blu-ray media recording (Vista only)
- Windows Connect Now (WCN) for simpler Wi-Fi configuration
- Improvements to the exFAT file system related to time zones
With SP2 complete, Microsoft is also removing the Vista SP1 Blocker Tool, which means that SP1 will automatically be offered to customers via Windows Update. SP1 is a prerequisite for installing SP2.
For more information about Vista SP2, please refer to my overview on the SuperSite for Windows.
