While installing Vista SP1 isn’t always easy, the final result is worth the trouble. In our test Vista SP1 is noticeably more stable than the version previously foisted on the public.
Unlike Office 2007 Service Pack 1, the Windows Vista service pack is undergoing much wider testing before public release. Anyone brave enough can now get the first release candidate from Microsoft.
While installing Vista SP1 isn’t always easy, the final result is worth the trouble. In our test Vista SP1 is noticeably more stable than the version previously foisted on the public. One of our test machines will now run for more than 12 hours without totally locking up and required a full reboot.
Office 2007 is also more reliable when running on the more stable operating system offered in Vista SP1. In particular the indexing service seems to have been vastly improved and doesn’t fall over when faced with more than a few documents or Outlook items.
Take with a grain of salt the talk of performance improvements in Vista SP1, especially regarding file copying and network transfers. The ‘boost’ is really fixing Vista bugs and putting Vista on the same performance level as Windows XP. In other words, Microsoft is trying to sell us fixes to their own failures under the guise of ‘improvements’.
It’s a shame that Microsoft has taken a year to fix unforgivable bugs in Windows Vista – bugs that should never have been allowed in any publicly released product (we’re especially thinking of the file copy and indexing problems).
When Vista SP1 is released to the public in 2008, we’re inclined to recommend getting it. Though we know that most people are wisely staying with Windows XP for the moment, Vista Service Pack 1 might tip the balance in favor of Vista for new computers.
