Redmond Install Fair later this month

Posted by:
Nick White
02:08 PM Tuesday
Oct 02, 2007
17 Comments

The Windows Vista SP1 Deployment Team wanted me to pass along notice of an upcoming Install Fair being held here in Redmond at month's end; we've held events like this before and they've always been well received. You're welcome to drop by if you qualify and you're in the neighborhood.

Windows Vista SP1 Beta Install Fair

Windows Vista SP1 Beta includes changes to improve performance, reliability, security and application compatibility.

Date: 27 October 2007 from 9:00a to 3:00p
Location: Redmond Campus / Microsoft Conference Center (Building 33), McKinley Room
Audience: Microsoft employees, friends & family
Timeslots:

There are 2 timeslots with a maximum of 90 openings each for desktops

9:00a to 12:00p
1:00p to 3:00p

There is 1 timeslot with a maximum of 20 openings for laptops

9:00a to 3:00p

Microsoft internal registrations: Install Fair Sign-up (first come, first served) (site is MS internal-only)

Public registrations must be made via email: Windows Vista SP1 Install Fair Registration (vsp1reg@microsoft.com). Please indicate a preferred timeslot.

The goals of the Install Fair are to:

Update 100 Windows Vista RTM PCs or laptops with less commonly found applications, configurations and devices to Windows Vista SP1 Beta.
Acquire valuable feedback about the Windows Update and stand-alone installation experience from the broader community.
Send attendees away with a usable Beta version of Windows Vista SP1.
Generate excitement about Windows Vista SP1 Beta.

What to bring:

Your PC, its power cable and a DVI-to-VGA converter if necessary

Resources provided:

Monitors, keyboards, mice, network cables and speakers.
Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 Beta DVDs and product keys.
Update analysis tools.
Food, beverages and a gift for participating!

Checklist/Criteria to attend:

My important data has been backed up!
My PC operating system is Windows Vista RTM.
My PC has an Intel/AMD Processor running at 1 GHz or higher.
My PC has a minimum of 512MB of RAM.
My PCs video adapter is AGP4x/8x or PCIe with a minimum of 64MB of RAM.
My PCs hard disk has a minimum of 6GB of free space (on the same partition as Windows Vista) to allow for installation and analysis tools.
My PC has a DVD-ROM drive.

We look forward to seeing you there...

The Windows Vista SP1 Install Fair Team

Comments

Igor Leyko

Posted on: October 03, 2007 at 5:41AM
I'm not in the neighborhood. :(
adrian

Posted on: October 03, 2007 at 11:24AM
Ooh, I remember us holding a Vista RC1 install fest last year w/ Microsoft. Pretty amazing time if you ask me.
bham4ever

Posted on: October 03, 2007 at 12:09PM
Dang.........sounds like it would be really a fun event.

I'm stuck in Birmingham Al. so not quite in the Neighborhood either..wish i could be there.

love to see what vista SP1 has to offer.
Amiga

Posted on: October 03, 2007 at 3:25PM
I have tried to send two emails to register for the SP1 fair. The vsp1reg@microsoft.com address returns an error message of SMTP Error (state 13): 550 5.1.1 User unknown. I'd like to be able to take part. Thank you.
newscientist2000

Posted on: October 04, 2007 at 1:03AM
Wish I was in the neighbourhood :-(
chakkaradeep

Posted on: October 04, 2007 at 2:18AM
I see lot of bad, unwanted reviews coming about SP1. I dont know why people just like that write something for the sake of writing. I have been testing sp1 beta for a while and so far its good and we shouldnt forget that it is in the beta stage.

It would be nice if Windows Vista blog has an entry to not believe any media regarding pre sp1 news and highly recommend those testers to discuss with the sp1 beta newsgroups and also submit bugs to the vista team.

Regards,

Chakkaradeep
borisnyc

Posted on: October 04, 2007 at 9:42AM
Unfortunately I can't be there since I am from Europe
prof.mohab

Posted on: October 06, 2007 at 7:38AM
i want to Try Windows Vista SP1 Beta

:)
zed260

Posted on: October 11, 2007 at 9:50PM
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/10/11/ballmer-gets-earful-from-vista-mom

man i think ballmer met his match with that mom

lol id love to beta test service pack anyone care to invite me lol (like Microsoft would ever do that ill get hit by lighting before that happens)
bc501

Posted on: October 28, 2007 at 4:18AM
Congrats to the Windows Vista SP1 Deployment Team for a well-run SP1 Install Fair today!

Team members were incredibly knowledgable and helpful as those of us who volunteered our PC's as guinea-pigs, installed the SP1 Beta either as a downloadable update (I was in that group), or as a standalone update off disc.

The install appeared to work successfully for most of those who attended, although many(including members of the Deployment Team) were surprised at how long the whole process took -- from 70 minutes to three hours, complete with multiple reboots.

Part of that was because a detailed scan was run and a log generated of each PC before the install, and again afterwards.

While I was there, several testers encountered HP printer driver incompatibities that aborted the install; one so perplexed the Install Team that they pursuaded the chap to lend them his laptop (one of two he brought) for a couple of days to see if they can diagnose and fix the incompatibility!

When SP1 is issued, it'll have to install smoothly if MS is to overcome the (most unwarranted, in my opinion) reputation that Vista has of being "buggy".

From the attitude at the Install Fair, it's clear the Deployment Team knows that, and is working hard to make sure the final version of SP1 meets expectations.

Alan Perry

a Vista fan (and not a MS employee, by the way) in Victoria, BC (the token Canadian!)

Trackbacks

Posted by: Techy News Blog » Redmond Install Fair later this month on October 02, 2007 at 3:19PM
PingBack from http://www.artofbam.com/wordpress/?p=4655
Posted by: Windows Vista Team Blog on November 19, 2007 at 1:20PM
Similar to last month's Redmond-based Install Fair, the Windows Vista SP1 Deployment Team is holding