Today I downloaded and installed Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) on my computer. Microsoft recommends using the Windows Update to download the SP1 which is supposed to be 385MB smaller than downloading it directly from Microsoft download page. Well, I scanned for new updates on my computer and windows update didn’t find any SP1, so I downloaded it directly from Microsoft.
So, what’s good about Vista SP1? The short answer is: nada. According to Microsoft, Vista sp1 is supposed to improve performance and fix many small problems, also make it easier for vendors to write code for their hardware. I have not seen any significant performance in my computer so far, in fact, I think the reverse is true, is slower now.
Why should you download Vista SP1 then? No compelling reason, I think even Microsoft think it does not worth enough, otherwise they would push it as soon as possible on Windows Update. SP1 takes around 2 hours to install, and during the updating time you cannot use the computer, so if you do the update prepare to not use the computer during that time.
If you want to try sp1 go to Control Panel and check for updates under the security applet. If its not there like in my case, download it from Microsoft downloads here. The size of the file is 450 MB, so if you have a slow Internet connection speed, prepare for the download. It will take awhile.
I was going to install Windows Vista SP1 on my other PC. After reading your article, I think I won’t upgrade now. I’ll do it later some time.