Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is available today through Windows Update.
Here’s the announcement of the general release of SP1, and here’s a technical note about a handful of reasons that might account for SP1 not being displayed to you on the Windows Update page. Generally that’s because another update has to be installed first.
If you’re running Windows Vista, you should install Service Pack 1 at a convenient time. In about a month, it will be offered through the Automatic Updates system and your computer will become more insistent about it. Here are a few more details about what to expect from SP1.
A couple of things to know about the installation.
- As always, make sure you have a current backup of your files.
- You will probably download less than 70Mb of files for the service pack – a relatively small download.
- It will likely take an hour or more for your computer to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Close all programs before you start installing Service Pack 1 and be prepared to walk away for an hour! Your computer will restart several times automatically. Do not be impatient or interrupt the installation once it starts!
