[Updated 6 Mar 3:01pm PST] Apparently this post has created some confusion, which was the opposite of my intent. Windows Vista SP1 is not delayed. I repeat, aside from our having accelerated SP1 availability to MSDN/TechNet subscribers and volume licensing customers, there has been no change in the release plan Mike outlined in his post announcing SP1.
For clarity's sake, I'll reiterate our release schedule:
- For the initial five first wave languages (English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese):
- We will release SP1 to Windows Update and the download center on microsoft.com in mid-March. Customers running Windows Vista with any of these first languages installed can choose to install SP1 by visiting Windows Update. If your PC has a language installed other than one of the 5 listed above, SP1 will not be offered. Additionally, any system that Windows Update determines has a driver Microsoft knows to not update successfully will not be offered SP1.
- In mid-April, we will begin delivering Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista customers using Automatic Update. In other words, we will begin automatic downloads of SP1 for customers who have chosen to have updates downloaded automatically. Note that, as Mike stated, Windows Update will *not* automatically download SP1 to any system it determines has a driver known to not update successfully. (As updates for the problematic drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update so that the result is that more and more systems will automatically get SP1, but only when we are confident they will have a good experience.)
- MSDN/TechNet Plus subscribers and volume licensing customers have already been provided access to SP1 in first wave languages, as Mike stated in his follow-on post.
- The remaining languages will be released to manufacturing (RTM) in April and availability to customers will follow.
We have some information we'd like to share in regards to Windows Vista SP1 and folks running Language Packs. Some of you may have noticed that after installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate - the Language Packs fail to appear on Windows Update (KB947875).
We will be releasing Windows Vista SP1 in two "waves". The first wave will only provide Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista Ultimate PCs running the following 5 Languages: English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The second wave will follow shortly after - supporting all 36 languages.
For Windows Update, PCs running the 5 initial languages from the first wave only will be provided with Windows Vista SP1. PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate with any of the other Language Packs installed will not be offered Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update until they are released. Once the Language Packs are released, Windows Vista SP1 will then be offered for installation.
When installing Windows Vista SP1 from the standalone installer, the standalone installer will only install on Windows Vista Ultimate running any of the 5 languages from the first wave. When installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate with a Language Pack that is not one of the 5 initial Language Packs supported - you will get the following error (KB947876) when attempting to install Windows Vista with the standalone installer:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 cannot be installed on your computer because the language of Windows Vista you have installed is not supported or you have installed a language pack that is not supported.
Windows Vista Service pack 1 can only be installed on computers running the English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish versions of Windows Vista or computers running only those language packs.
This means if you are running a Language Pack that is not one of the 5 initial Language Packs you will not be able to install Windows Vista SP1 until the other Language Packs are released.
But not to worry - the Language Packs are on their way. We will have more information on exactly when very shortly so stay tuned!