Windows Vista Team Blog : Windows Update

Remaining Windows Vista SP2 Languages Released to Windows Update

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:34:10 GMT

Back on May 26th, we announced Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 hit the RTW milestone. The first wave of languages (English, German, French, Spanish, and Japanese) was made available on Windows Update at that time. Today, we are releasing the remaining languages for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 to Windows Update.

For more information, including languages, on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 click here.

If you have Windows Update configured to download updates automatically, Windows Update will notify you when Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 is ready to be installed.

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 RTW

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:26:03 GMT

On April 28^th, we announced that Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (Service Pack 2) SP2 had RTM’d. Today, we are pleased to announce the Release to Web (RTW) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2.

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2, a combined service pack for both operating systems encapsulated in a single installer, will simplify deployment, management, and support for IT Professionals. It includes support for new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards, as well as updates since SP1. For specific information on what’s included in SP2, visit the notable changes document.

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 is now available for download on the Microsoft Download Center and on Windows Update.

Download: Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 x86 (5 Language Standalone)
Download: Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 x64 (5 Language Standalone)

Consumers with Windows Vista SP1 can visit the Microsoft Download Center or use Windows Update (WU) to install SP2, but my suggestion is to turn on Automatic Update (AU) and sometime during the coming months your computer will download and install SP2. Similar to previous releases, SP2 delivery over Automatic Update is a “throttled release” which will begin in June.

Business customers who require additional time to prepare for the download and deployment of SP2 can use the same blocker tool kit provided for Windows Vista SP1 to delay deployment.

Business customers with Windows Vista will find the transition to Windows 7 will be significantly more straightforward due to the high degree of compatibility between Windows Vista and Windows 7. For more on Windows deployment guidance, I suggest reading this blog post from Gavriella Schuster.

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 represents Microsoft’s continued commitment to quality. While most updates contained in SP2 are available as individual downloads, the roll-up convenience of SP2 is a major benefit for administrators. This functionality coupled with new advanced deployment features, such as the single installer and the pre-installation analyzer, means SP2 continues to provide ongoing improvements that our customers have grown to expect from Microsoft. For more detail on SP2’s contents, see Hotfixes and Security Updates in Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2.

Automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1 begins today

Chris Flores — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:55:00 GMT

We're excited about the progress we've made with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. On March 18th, Windows Vista SP1 was made available for customers who chose to manually download and install it from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Last week, we made the remaining languages available - giving WU users the ability to download and install Windows Vista Service Pack in any of 36 supported languages. Today, we're happy to announce that we are beginning automatic distribution of SP1 in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese.

So what does this mean? Over the next few months Microsoft will automatically distribute Windows Vista SP1 to PCs that have automatic updates turned on (Learn how to turn on automatic updating) and running English, French, German, Spanish, or Japanese via Windows Update. Automatic distribution will only occur, according to user settings, on PCs ready for SP1. After Windows Vista SP1 downloads, WU will let you know that "new updates are available." You'll then be asked to make a few clicks before the installation of SP1 will begin.

While we're beginning automatic distribution today, you might not see it right away since the distribution process is very gradual. As I called out on April 7th, we'll be distributing the service pack slowly so that we can help Windows users have a good experience.

As I posted above, we made the remaining languages of SP1 available for manual install on the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update last week. We'd like to let those of you running one of those languages that we'll plan to start automatic distribution of those languages sometime in mid-May.

We hope you enjoy the many improvements that have been made in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and are excited to start automatic distribution so more of you can begin experiencing the benefits.

Releasing Windows Vista SP1 for more languages

Chris Flores — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

It has been almost a month since we released Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update in 5 languages. To date: millions of people have successfully installed Windows Vista SP1 on their PCs. So we're happy to announce the next step for Windows Vista SP1 availability.

We are excited to report that today we are making Windows Vista SP1 available to folks running Windows Vista in any of the supported languages. Starting today, users will be able to choose to manually install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update or download the standalone installer from the Microsoft Download Center (x86 and x64) for any of the 36 supported languages, not just English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese. For now, it is available for users who visit Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center. We encourage most users to get Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update-which will provide the best update experience.

Now, Windows Vista PCs of any supported language can update to SP1. You may be aware we also make DVD images of Windows Vista with SP1 available to certain groups like TechNet Plus subscribers, MSDN subscribers, and Volume License (VL) customers. TechNet Plus and MSDN subscribers can download these DVD images in some languages today. The remaining languages will be made available in 2 additional groups over the next few weeks.

For your questions regarding Windows Vista SP1, Brandon has developed a Windows Vista SP1 FAQ designed to help answer many of these basic questions.

Windows Vista SP1 will bring some great improvements to PCs running Windows Vista especially in the areas of security, reliability, and performance. For more details on notable changes in Windows Vista SP1, click here.

Windows Vista SP1 Update

Chris Flores — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:32:00 GMT

I have a quick update for you about Windows Vista SP1. The Microsoft Update Blog contains some important information about updates to the SP1 prerequisite distribution plan. Starting tomorrow, we are resuming the automatic update and installation of the Servicing Stack Update.

In mid-April, we will begin distributing SP1 (in the first 5 languages) using the Automatic Update system. We have a lot of Windows users, so not everyone will get it on the same day. In fact, it will go to a small percentage of Windows Vista users each day. The exact timing of when you will receive it depends on when your PC is ready for Windows Vista SP1.

In addition to starting the automatic delivery of the first 5 languages, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that also we're on track for the initial release of SP1 in the remaining languages in mid-April.

Windows Vista SP1 Released to Windows Update

Nick White — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:52:00 GMT

Today, you can now download Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. For those of you eager to receive the benefits of Windows Vista SP1, you can now do so. We've seen quite a bit of questions in our comments so we want to communicate as much as possible surrounding Windows Vista SP1 and today's release to Windows Update as we can.

For those of you happy to wait, sit tight because SP1 will start downloading to PCs automatically beginning in mid-April (remember, this happens only if you have your Windows Update configured to automatically download updates and SP1 will automatically download but not automatically install). But if you want to get the benefit of a year's worth of improvements right now, go check Windows Update today (hit the Start Menu, All Programs, and select Windows Update).

If in running Windows Update you do not see Windows Vista SP1 listed, there are a number of good reasons for this (eight, in fact -- see the whole list). Below are a few of the most common reasons why you might not see SP1 on Windows Update:

You have not yet installed all the prerequisite packages you need for Windows Vista SP1. To install them, visit the Windows Update control panel and click on "check for updates."
You have a pre-release version of SP1 and need to uninstall it before installing SP1
You already have it. To determine if you already have SP1 installed, Open the Start Menu, right click on Computer and left click on Properties.
We released SP1 in these 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese. If you have any other language installed, SP1 will not yet be offered to you. (You might not even know if you have an additional language installed -- check the Regional and Language Options control panel to see which languages you have installed.)
Back in February we announced that we'd be using Windows Update to help make the update as seamless as possible for our users. Windows Update will detect drivers that we know may be problematic when updating to SP1 and will not offer the service pack until an update has been installed.

I've received a lot of requests for more detail about the driver situation this last month, so I want to share some more information here. We spent the last couple of months looking closely at reports of driver problems on pre-release builds and, to be safe, we held the public availability until March.

We've completed our analysis and are happy to report that many of these issues were fixed between the release candidate (RC) and the final version. We identified a small number of device drivers that may be problematic after an update from Windows Vista to Windows Vista SP1. Check out the list here; we'll keep it updated with any additional drivers that we identify. As a result, we spent the past month or so working with our partners on driver updates for these issues. Of these drivers, most already have updated versions on Windows Update and are available for download now as optional updates. In a few weeks we'll start to deliver these updated drivers to PCs automatically via Windows Update.

We're working with the providers of the remaining devices to get updated versions of the drivers to our customers as well. In the meantime, Windows Update will recognize PCs with drivers that may be problematic and postpone offering SP1 to those PCs until it has installed corrected drivers or other applicable updates. Either way, Windows Update works to detect whether or not your system is ready for SP1 and not offer it to you until the time is right.

Those of you who find that SP1 isn't offered over Windows Update even after updating all your drivers, but would still like to download it can access our "standalone installer" from the Microsoft Download Center here. Windows Update will help ensure a better experience, so if you do choose to visit the Microsoft Download Center make sure that you read these KBs before installing.

Looking forward, we're also getting ready to begin releasing the second wave of SP1 languages in April. These are the other 31 languages that we haven't released yet.

Some users encountered an issue last month when installing the Servicing Stack Update (KB937287). We've investigated this carefully and learned that it occurs only in certain rare situations. Specifically, this happens because the update needs to be completely installed before a restart occurs, but something caused a reboot during the install. While the update was carefully designed to avoid many of the common reasons for an inadvertent restart during installation, this issue was caused by some that were not caught. By temporarily suspending automatic distribution, and in making a small change on our Windows Update server, we believe we've largely eliminated this problem (our support call volume reflects this). We did find one aspect of the problem that was exacerbated when the update was installed using automatic updates. For this issue, we're planning to release an additional update before we resume automatic distribution of the Servicing Stack Update.

So what does this mean exactly? For those who've already installed the Servicing Stack Update or are waiting to install SP1 until Windows Update offers it to you automatically, you do not need to do anything at all. But if you want to install SP1 manually and haven't yet installed the Servicing Stack Update, you'll find it on Windows Update when you visit.

I know this post sounds like a lot of guidance, but we would rather over-communicate to reduce any surprises.

In sum, we are extremely pleased with Windows Vista SP1 and the benefits it offers our customers, and we look forward to hearing about your experience.

Language Packs and Windows Vista SP1

Nick White — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:24:00 GMT

[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!

Update on Windows Vista SP1 Prerequisite KB937287

Nick White — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:41:00 GMT

UPDATE 2/21: When calling 1-866-PC-Safety - be sure to let the support agent know you are calling in reference to a Windows Update issue. Also: Microsoft has released KB949358 containing information regarding the issues related to KB937287.

We've heard a few reports about problems customers may be experiencing as a result of KB937287, the servicing stack update I blogged about last week, and I wanted to provide a quick update for you. Immediately after receiving reports of this error, we made the decision to temporarily suspend automatic distribution of the update to avoid further customer impact while we investigate possible causes.

So far, we've been able to determine that this problem only affects a small number of customers in unique circumstances. We are working to identify possible solutions and will make the update available again shortly after we address the issue.

Customers who may be experiencing this issue can use system restore to correct it or contact 1-866-PC-Safety for help troubleshooting. Additional guidance will be available via Microsoft's free Update Support Center soon.

Improving reliability and performance: Update preview release available today

Nick White — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:52:00 GMT

Surely it's no news to you that we use Windows Update to continually deliver ongoing improvements to our customers so that Windows is always up-to-date. Plus, doing so eliminates the need to wait for larger releases like service packs. Some updates are released to the community for general feedback prior to delivery via Windows Update, as is the case today. The Windows Serviceability Team today is rolling out another update on the Microsoft Download Center. The update is categorized as a "preview release" and may be subject to change before it is released via Windows Update (we expect that to occur in January).

Today's update preview release is geared toward improving reliability and performance in Windows Vista and we highly encourage you to install it. It includes:

Improvement of previous issues affecting going into or resuming from sleep/hibernate under some scenarios
Update to address a previous issue with the disk spindown feature to improve battery life for portable systems
Up to 15% improved performance of disk I/O (i.e., copying/moving/deleting large files)

I'm running this update on one of my systems -- the one I'm using to draft this post, in fact. I suggest you try it out and let us know how you fare. You can find more information about today's update preview release in this KB article.

New Updates to Windows Vista available via Windows Update this week

Nick White — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:00:00 GMT

As you probably know and as we've mentioned in previous posts, we use Windows Update to periodically deliver updates for Windows Vista. We do this so that customers need not wait for a service pack or another larger release to benefit from the ongoing improvements we make to Windows. With Windows Update, we can regularly service Windows as quickly, effectively and unobtrusively as possible, so that keeping your Windows OS up-to-date is easier and more convenient for you. All you have to do is make sure you are signed up to have updates installed automatically and youre good to go. Continuous improvement is the name of this game.

The non-security updates planned for release through Windows Update this week include:

An update on system compatibility, reliability and stability: extends the battery life for mobile devices, improves stability of wireless network services, and shortens recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity, among other fixes.
An update to USB core components: mainly affects systems returning from sleep or hibernation, fixing problems causing 1-2% of all crashes reported.
An update to Windows Media Center: among other things, affects interaction issues occurring between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.

The links in the above list will lead you to the KB article related to each update in case you want more information on them. And, when theyre made available via Windows Update (expected to occur Tuesday 13th), you can also right-click each entry in Windows Update to get its 400-word summary description.

These and similar updates will be wrapped into SP1 for those of you considering installing them in one fell swoop. We'll let you know here on the blog when we have more news in this vein.

Addressing a Windows Update failure after repairing from XP CD

Nick White — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:20:00 GMT

Microsoft/Windows Update Program Manager Nate Clinton has just posted on an issue we've learned of that affects some users of Windows Update repairing their systems using a Windows XP CD. The symptom is that some Windows XP customers are unable to install updates via the latest version of Windows Update after using a Windows XP CD to perform the "Repair from CD" function.

The issue does not look to be widespread and occurs ~~in rather exceptional~~ only under specific circumstances; it occurs because the Windows XP Repair CD replaces all system files, including Windows Update, with older versions of those files. Meanwhile, the most current version of Windows Update (which is already present on the system) includes a file that is not present in the Windows Update image on the Repair CD. After performing the repair, the new file remains on the system and creates a registry mismatch, causing subsequent installation of some updates to fail.

Luckily, there is a remedy: customers experiencing this issue can 1) refer to KB article 943144; 2) check Nate's post for work-around steps now; or, 3) contact Support using the telephone number(s) found at support.microsoft.com/security (usually found in the right-hand nav).

An explanation of Windows Update automatic updating

Nick White — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:49:00 GMT

The Microsoft Update team has posted a statement addressing the current community discussion on Windows Update's self-updating behavior. The upshot is that a longstanding procedure in Windows Update requires it to self-update before it is able to recognize that new updates are available (note: WU does not conduct a self-update event each and every time it checks for updates). This self-updating is done regardless of whether the user has enabled automatic checking, download and/or installation of updates. It does so in an effort to avoid WU misleading the user to think s/he is up-to-date simply because s/he was not receiving notification that updates are available. Put another way, WU cannot alert the user that there are security updates available if it is not in the necessary updated state that will allow it to recognize those updates (see "chicken and egg" dilemma).

However, we do recognize that we should have been clearer in our explanation of this process earlier in the game; the MU team's blog post is an effort to rectify that oversight.

In short, this is a poorly understood process, so I invite you to take a look at the details in the MU blog post to learn more.

Questions on this behavior are best addressed directly to the team via the MU blog.

Microsoft Released New Version of the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment tool

Baldwin Ng — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 08:09:00 GMT

Hi Folks,

Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office are here! And, you are probably thinking that it's time to take advantage of these 2 great technologies. But, you need to get answers on a few practical questions first:

Would my existing PCs run Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office? Should I buy new ones or upgrade them instead?
Would my devices still work? Would most of the device drivers be available from Windows Vista installation DVD and/or Microsoft Windows Update site?

Well, I have good news for you! Today, our team is happy to announce the availability of the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 tool at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2007. This network-wide readiness assessment tool is designed to make it easier for Microsoft partners and customers to determine their existing PCs' readiness for Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office. It's a great tool to accelerate migration and deployment planning for Microsoft customers and partners.

How it Works?

Step 1 - Network Inventory:

Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 connects securely and remotely from a networked PC and reaches out to each PC on the network, whether they are in an Active Directory domain/forest or in a peer-to-peer/workgroup environment.
Hardware and device data were collected through the WMI protocol (Windows Management Instrumentation) and other Windows networking protocols all without deploying any software agents on the individual PCs.

Step 2 - Compatibility Analysis:

By analyzing the hardware and device data from each computer, Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 can assess your existing computers' hardware compatibility and device compatibility for Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office. It also offers hardware upgrade recommendations if required for each PC.

Step 3 - Readiness Reporting:

Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.0 offers the auto-generation of 2 readiness assessment reports: a summary report in Microsoft Word and a detailed spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.
The Summary Report provides business decision makers with a high-level view of percentage of existing computers that can run Windows Vista and how many more computers can take advantage of Windows Vista with minor level of memory, hard drive and other upgrades.
The Detailed Spreadsheet Report provides technical decision makers with a detailed view of the information they need to plan for a desktop deployment/migration.

What's New with Version 2.0?

Backed by popular demand, we have added many features in this release:

Enterprise-Scale Scanning - Scan up to 25,000 computers per domain/workgroup in every scan (Note: multiple scans are possible for larger networks)
Office 2007 Hardware Assessment - Assess PCs for hardware compatibility with 2007 Microsoft Office
Customized Inventory using Active Directory - Choose computers of specific organizational units (or OU's) within an Active Directory domain/forest where the inventory would be conducted
Customized Inventory using Flat-File Import - Target a specific set of computers for the inventory and assessment by importing a specific flat file of computers (such as computer host names, NetBIOS names, or Fully Qualified Domain Names - FQDN)

What is the IT community saying about Windows Vista Hardware Assessment? Visit these blogs to find out more.

Where Should I Start?

Download the tool today and see how it can benefit your Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office migration planning
Sign up for one of my July webcasts on TechNet and Partner Readiness web sites
Look for the 6-language localized version that will go live in the coming weeks that will enable you to create readiness assessment reports in your own language including French, German, Japanese, Korean, Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese
Tell your success story using the tool and email us at: wvha-tap@microsoft.com
Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay tuned for my future blog posts where I will share with you our customers' success stories and what's new at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2007
Check out the Windows Vista Business Value Assessment Tool if you are a Microsoft Partner - you'll be amazed how powerful this ROI tool is! (IT Blogger, James Senior, gives you the inside scoop HERE!)
Visit the Solution Accelerators home page to download other great Windows Vista tools including Windows Vista Security Guide, Data Encryption Toolkit and Business Desktop Deployment 2007

See you next time...

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators)

wvhafdbk@microsoft.com

(Not) an update on SP1

Nick White — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:50:00 GMT

A HotFix.net blogger today posted a collection of individual Windows Vista hotfixes as a supposed Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) preview. However, those of you who've been closely following discussions on Windows Vista will quickly notice that what is posted consists of some material already available on Windows Update and some hotfixes that we give out on a case-by-case basis, along with a lot of speculation about what may and may not be included in SP1.

Looking at the site, it seems to me the blogger compiled a list of previous mentions of SP1 (purely conjectural, and already discussed in other blogs) stitched together with another list of "hotfixes" mentioned in various KB (Knowledge Base) articles (again, already posted on our web site). You probably already know that we create and release hotfixes on a regular basis for very specific customer scenarios or for OEM-shipped machines, and that it's standard policy that all hotfixes are rolled into the next service pack release. However, a service pack is not just a compilation of hotfixes and security updates, so don't make the mistake of thinking that the set of fixes offered in this particular blogger's list represents a preview of the service pack itself.

It's worth mentioning that hotfixes not posted on Windows Update are not intended for individual installation unless the user is experiencing the specific symptoms mentioned in the corresponding KB article. These hotfixes represent specific fixes for specific customer scenarios and typically have not undergone full regression testing. When they are integrated into a future service pack, they will receive full regression testing and beta testing. So, installing a collection of unnecessary hotfixes may cause more problems than are fixed.

The bottom line is that unless you have encountered the specific situation described in a given KB, you'll get everything you need from Windows Update.

Final comment: I'm not here to discuss SP1 on this blog, so please refrain from posting your questions on it in the Comments section. Windows Vista is a product that's both deep and wide and we on this blog intend to continue to delve into it while sharing with you the story of its creation. When the time comes to discuss other releases, you can be sure that we'll have plenty to say right here.

Zune software and firmware 1.3 update

Nick White — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:56:00 GMT

Earlier this week, the Zune Team released an update to the Zune client software and Zune device firmware. Some of the major improvements include fixing a skipping problem affecting content acquired from the Zune Marketplace, and FM tuner changes to prevent battery drain. Also with this release come device and software reliability and performance improvements.

The relevant point here is that the release was delivered via Windows Update, which detects the new Zune software and advises you to install it (assuming you have chosen to get updates via Windows Update, which is advisable).

You'll soon see more MS applications putting to use the power of Windows Update for distributing software releases.