NOW READ THIS
("Security Advisory")
Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA List Master
NRT-0444 Microsoft Provides Free Support for VISTA SP1 Installation:
Microsoft is offering free support to any Windows VISTA user experiencing problems with
installing Service Pack 1 (SP1), according to a company spokesman. The SP1 site offers
support via email, online chat, and telephone, and lists hours of operation for the last
two options. Free phone support, for instance, is available from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET on
weekdays, and from 3 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on weekends. The free support will available for
one year, and covers installation and compatibility issues. Normally, Microsoft offers
no-cost support only to users who bought Windows at retail. Users who obtained the
operating system already installed on a PC are referred to the computer manufacturer, or
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer); the company's for-a-fee support runs $59 per
request unless the user or business has a pre-paid support plan with Microsoft. A spokes-
woman said in an email, that the no-fee support is actually part of Microsoft's Windows
Service Pack policy, not something specific to Windows VISTA SP1. Microsoft, however, has
done little to broadcast news of the free SP1 support. The home page for the Windows VISTA
Solution Center, the operating system's help and support starting point, makes no mention
of it; nor does Microsoft's main Windows VISTA SP1 site.
(IDG News Service 24MAR08)