Announcing Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

[Shayla]

Today, Microsoft is announcing Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. Detailed information regarding SP1 will be released over the next several months; but today Windows Server 2008 R2 is announcing that SP1 will deliver two important new features that directly affect Microsoft?s desktop virtualization stack: Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX.

Dynamic memory is an enhancement to Hyper-V in R2 and allows IT administrators to pool all the memory available on a physical host and dynamically distribute it to virtual machines running on that host as necessary. That means based on changes in workload, your VMs will be able to receive new memory allocations without a service interruption. For a deeper look at Dynamic Memory check here.

RemoteFX is the latest addition to Microsoft?s desktop virtualization stack. Using this new feature in Windows Server 2008 R2, you?ll be able to deliver an even richer and more user-transparent desktop virtualization experience. RemoteFX functions independently of any graphics stack and supports any screen content, including rich content like Silverlight or Flash. Because it uses virtualized graphics resources, RemoteFX works on a wide array of target devices, which means you can deploy it over both thick and thin client hosts and a wide variety of network configurations. For some more information on RemoteFX check here.

For Windows 7, SP1 includes only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update. SP1 for Windows 7 will, however, deliver an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX introduced in the server-side with SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2.

Microsoft is not yet announcing a beta or release timeline for SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 today. Once SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 is released, the service pack will be delivered through Windows Update and be available on Microsoft Download Center for download as well.

Source : WindowsTeamBlog + MSFT TechNet

[Avi]

Talk about misleading thread titles... :p

[itzwolf]

And you got me all excited... The Windows 7 Service Pack really seems to be pointless... All currently released patches and a RDP update? Come on Microsoft! :whistle:

[Dick Montage]

The Windows 7 Service Pack really seems to be pointless... All currently released patches and a RDP update? Come on Microsoft!

EXACTLY what a service pack should contain. Not apps, not new major features.

[Ridlas]

Its basically to fool big business. Most people switch OS's when they release the first service pack.

[vladmphoto]

Well now, come on people. Let's just step back and think about this for a second. So what we're saying here is that we WANT SP1 to contain lots of stuff and be jam-packed full of fixes. Well I don't know about you but the way I see it is that we're hoping that Windows 7 has many many bugs so that SP1 can have a purpose.....That's like wishing you'd get cancer just so that hospitals can have a chance to give you doses of chemotherapy and radiation.....:D I've been a tester for windows since windows xp and so far the Windows 7 testing experience had been quite a boring one because I had only submitted one major bug report among other pretty minor bugs. With Vista I had 92......In any case, I think Microsoft may have written themselves a pretty easy life-cycle with Windows 7. We'll see in the coming months when we'll have more details about SP1.

[Luis Mazza]

Well now, come on people. Let's just step back and think about this for a second. So what we're saying here is that we WANT SP1 to contain lots of stuff and be jam-packed full of fixes. Well I don't know about you but the way I see it is that we're hoping that Windows 7 has many many bugs so that SP1 can have a purpose.....That's like wishing you'd get cancer just so that hospitals can have a chance to give you doses of chemotherapy and radiation.....:D I've been a tester for windows since windows xp and so far the Windows 7 testing experience had been quite a boring one because I had only submitted one major bug report among other pretty minor bugs. With Vista I had 92......In any case, I think Microsoft may have written themselves a pretty easy life-cycle with Windows 7. We'll see in the coming months when we'll have more details about SP1.

Geeks just love fixing, even if it doesn't need to be fixed... :p

[itzwolf]

Geeks just love fixing, even if it doesn't need to be fixed... :p

My point exactly :laugh:

[ViperAFK]

And you got me all excited... The Windows 7 Service Pack really seems to be pointless... All currently released patches and a RDP update? Come on Microsoft! :whistle:

Well win7 is already a very stable OS. Not much else it needs for sp if it needs one at all.

[MS Bob 11]

I just wish future service packs (SP2 when it arrives and later) for Windows 7 are all cumulative and Windows 8 service packs are slipstreamable again.

[facepalm]

Who cares? :unsure:

It's Microsoft saying 'We sold you buggy software, and we're fixing it with SP1' so, well - great! Hooray?!! :fun:

[+.Vamp Subscriber²]

Who cares? :unsure:

It's Microsoft saying 'We sold you buggy software, and we're fixing it with SP1' so, well - great! Hooray?!! :fun:

Except they didn't as Win7 was very stable from release. Every OS has updates and patches/fixes released as the enviroment around them changes and they have to adapt to new threats and compatability issues (and also fixing existing ones too - nothing's perfect).

[ilev]

Well now, come on people. Let's just step back and think about this for a second. So what we're saying here is that we WANT SP1 to contain lots of stuff and be jam-packed full of fixes. Well I don't know about you but the way I see it is that we're hoping that Windows 7 has many many bugs so that SP1 can have a purpose.....That's like wishing you'd get cancer just so that hospitals can have a chance to give you doses of chemotherapy and radiation.....:D I've been a tester for windows since windows xp and so far the Windows 7 testing experience had been quite a boring one because I had only submitted one major bug report among other pretty minor bugs. With Vista I had 92......In any case, I think Microsoft may have written themselves a pretty easy life-cycle with Windows 7. We'll see in the coming months when we'll have more details about SP1.

I don't know how you test win7 but until now there are more than 500 bug fixes , security fixes and hot fixes . Only some of the fixes were updated on users clients PCs (these fixes were sent to OEMs only)

[Kirkburn]

I don't know how you test win7 but until now there are more than 500 bug fixes , security fixes and hot fixes . Only some of the fixes were updated on users clients PCs (these fixes were sent to OEMs only)

Sure you're not including general updates in that, and stuff not directly related to Win7? (e.g. daylight savings updates, IE8 updates). Link please.

I'm not disputing that there might be 500 individual things for Win7 so far, but I think you're attempting to extrapolate too much out of it in order to paint Win7 in a bad light.

[hdood]

"General updates?" An update that applies to 7 is an update that applies to 7. Heck, even an IE8 update is a 7 update, because it's an OS component.

There have been hundreds released publicly for 7, plus a bunch that haven't. Generally only fixes for major vulnerabilities make it to Windows Update.

I don't see how this "paints Win 7 in a bad light." It is arguably the most complex software product out there. Of course it's going to have bugs. Of course Microsoft are going to fix them. Of course they're going to combine the updates into a Service Pack at some point. Of course it's rational for businesses to wait until SP1 to make sure the initial problems have been worked out. What's the big deal? I don't even see anything to "defend" here. Only people who believe Windows is some sort of infallible deity would even consider this noteworthy.

[Kirkburn]

hdood, notice how I also said stuff like daylight savings updates? I don't know how you could legitimately call those "issues" with Windows 7.

Sure, 500 sounds like a large number, but I'd be interested to see what actually makes up those numbers.

ilev was insinuating that Win7 actually isn't that bug-free because of the "500" number, including calling into question ManOfMystery's experience of only finding one issue during testing.

[hdood]

hdood, notice how I also said stuff like daylight savings updates? I don't know how you could legitimately call those "issues" with Windows 7.

They aren't, but I don't think DST updates make up any notable amount. It's only a couple of countries that don't have fixed dates, isn't it? Regardless, there are lots of other updates.

Sure, 500 sounds like a large number, but I'd be interested to see what actually makes up those numbers.

Well, you'd have to search or go to something like kbupdate.info or whatever. I'm gonna let him answer for himself.

ilev was insinuating that Win7 actually isn't that bug-free because of the "500" number

I don't think saying that Windows 7 has lots of little bugs is a particularly bold statement. What doesn't? Hell, it will probably have shipped with thousands of known issues. I haven't bothered to count them, but the total amount of public and private fixes made so far probably are in the hundreds. This isn't controversial at all, and doesn't mean that Windows 7 sucks. It's just how software works.

including calling into question ManOfMystery's experience of only finding one issue during testing.

Wasn't he just pointing out that there are a lot of bugs? ManOfMystery's anecdote doesn't mean much, although he actually did not say he only found one bug. There was a massive amount of bug reports filed before it RTMed. That caught the most common ones. You'll never get them all until it actually ships though, and it really starts being deployed on all kinds of weird configurations. I mean, take KB979711. How many people even meet the requirements to trigger the bug at all? Not many. The number shrinks even more when you consider that it probably only happens sometimes, at "random." It's still a bug though, so it counts.

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Windows 7 really doesn't need much of an update imo, You wont see anything new, mostly small Bug fixes that they might have missed.

[iwod]

Please please can we have updated default drivers for SP1. There are many new drivers the gets improvement and stablity fixes after Windows 7 launch. A freashly installed Windows 7 SP1 should have those included by default. Add more hardware support drivers that wasn't availbe when 7 launch..... etc....

[Kirkburn]

Wasn't he just pointing out that there are a lot of bugs? ManOfMystery's anecdote doesn't mean much, although he actually did not say he only found one bug. There was a massive amount of bug reports filed before it RTMed. That caught the most common ones. You'll never get them all until it actually ships though, and it really starts being deployed on all kinds of weird configurations. I mean, take KB979711. How many people even meet the requirements to trigger the bug at all? Not many. The number shrinks even more when you consider that it probably only happens sometimes, at "random." It's still a bug though, so it counts.

In general I agree, but regarding ManOfMystery's comment, he said:

I've been a tester for windows since windows xp and so far the Windows 7 testing experience had been quite a boring one because I had only submitted one major bug report among other pretty minor bugs. With Vista I had 92......In any case, I think Microsoft may have written themselves a pretty easy life-cycle with Windows 7. We'll see in the coming months when we'll have more details about SP1.

He said he found one bug in Win7 during beta testing.

I'm not saying Win7 is bug free, just getting annoying at ilev's unsubstantiated implications in this post:

I don't know how you test win7 but until now there are more than 500 bug fixes , security fixes and hot fixes . Only some of the fixes were updated on users clients PCs (these fixes were sent to OEMs only)

[Mr. Gibs]

And you got me all excited... The Windows 7 Service Pack really seems to be pointless... All currently released patches and a RDP update? Come on Microsoft! :whistle:

Service packs are designed for corporations in mind. Imagine if you managed 5000 computers and had to install months worth of patches. Wouldn't just installing a Service Pack make your life so much easier?

[REM2000]

From a RTM install there are a few updates for Win7, not as many as Vista during the time period. Service Packs where introduced when the internet was new and it was easier to update a network from a single big file instead of lots of smaller files. The process of waiting for SP1 was adopted from this.

Generally in todays world, waiting for SP1 helps companies not from the actual updates from the service pack itself (not saying they help) but from the fact they give companies time to test and also to note any show stopping bugs which may have crept in the RTM. It makes business sense to wait for SP1 to see how the OS shapes up. This is also true of Mac OSX, if you are rolling it over a business network and because the turn about is quicker it's not unusual for companies to wait for a .2 or a .3 release of OSX.

[hdood]

He said he found one bug in Win7 during beta testing.

Maybe that's what he meant, but I read it differently. It says "I had only submitted one major bug report among other pretty minor bugs" which I read as meaning he found one major bug and several minor ones. Not that it really matters.

I'm not saying Win7 is bug free, just getting annoying at ilev's unsubstantiated implications in this post:

I'm not going to defend his specific number, but I think you might be reading a little too much into it. Have there been a large number of "bug fixes, security fixes and hot fixes(?)"? Yes. Is it true that virtually all of these have to be downloaded manually and are not available on Windows Update? Yes. Is it true that there are also private updates that are even only made available to a small number (even one) of customers on demand. Yes. What's the issue here? Is it just the 500 number? Would it really make any difference if it was 200? Isn't the real point it's trying to make that there are lots of bugs in Windows 7 and that Microsoft has plenty of work to keep them busy, and that saying or implying that there's no need for a service pack is a bit silly? That's what I got out of it.

[MagicAndre1981]

I just wish future service packs (SP2 when it arrives and later) for Windows 7 are all cumulative and Windows 8 service packs are slipstreamable again.

no, all Windows 7 service packs won't be slipstreamable. They way Windows 7 Updates work is mostly the same like in Vista.

[itzwolf]

Service packs are designed for corporations in mind. Imagine if you managed 5000 computers and had to install months worth of patches. Wouldn't just installing a Service Pack make your life so much easier?

Oh I know that. Where I work our Network Security guy does thousands of patches a year. We keep ghost images of all the computer models and update them on patch Tuesday and such to help with that. Regardless it's always going to be a fair amount of overhead work and Service Packs are spaced pretty far apart. Shoot, with Windows XP seeming to never die I think it's time for a Service Pack 4...

I'm very happy with Windows 7 and I am glad it's as stable and solid as it is. Looking at previous operating systems Microsoft really got it right this time. (Y)