NOW READ THIS
("Security Advisory")
Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA List Master
NRT-0438 Windows VISTA SP1 Complaints:
A day after its release for public download on 18MAR08, Windows VISTA Service Pack 1 (SP1)
is drawing complaints from some computer users who say the software wrecked their systems.
One user complained that a "blue screen" appeared during the update, while others noted a
simple inability to download the software from Microsoft's Windows Update site or sudden
spikes in memory usage. Such issues are not uncommon for major software patches when first
released.
The service pack will not install on computers that use peripheral device drivers that
Microsoft has deemed incompatible. The list includes a small set of audio and display
drivers made by Realtek and Intel, as well as drivers from several other manufacturers.
Microsoft said it is working to resolve the compatibility issues.
VISTA SP1 contains numerous features designed to enhance the operating system's speed,
performance, and stability. Among other things, it offers a patch that will allow the
user to run the BitLocker encryption tool on multiple hard drives. It also improves
the speed at which the operating system (OS) wakes up from hibernate mode.
SP1 also will remove the so-called Kill Switch from VISTA - a feature that deactivated key
components of the OS if Microsoft detected users were not running a properly licensed
copy of VISTA. The feature was plagued by false alarms that flagged thousands of legitimate
VISTA users as software pirates.
VISTA SP1 includes more than 300 hot fixes for the OS. Users will need to install three
prerequisite files onto their computers before they can upgrade to VISTA SP1. Those
files are also available through Windows Update.
(www.informationweek.com 19MAR08)