With Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 cooking in Redmond, Microsoft has released an update designed to kick up a notch the user experience offered by the latest iteration of its Windows client and server platforms. Specifically, the software giant is making a number of fixes available early via an update package increasing the stability and reliability of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, ahead of releasing SP1. The April 2010 stability and reliability update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 is currently available for download from Microsoft.

“This update resolves issues that affect some computers that are running Windows 7 or that are running Windows Server 2008 R2. These issues are reported by customers who use the Error Reporting service or who use Microsoft Customer Support Services,” an excerpt from the knowledge base article accompanying the refresh reads.

Microsoft has a long tradition of releasing stability and reliability updates for Windows, as the company has moved to downplay the relevance of major upgrades for the operating systems via service-pack releases. Despite the fact that the Redmond company remains loyal to the strategy advancing Windows platforms through service packs, it is also making sure to catalyze the evolution of the operating systems ahead of major upgrades.

According to the software giant, “This update improves the stability and the reliability of Windows 7 and of Windows Server 2008 R2 in various scenarios. This update resolves the following issues:

“- Windows Explorer crashes and then restarts when you access a third-party Control Panel item.
- You cannot connect to an instance of SQL Server Analysis Services from an application in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 after you install Office Live Add-in 1.4 or Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant 6.5.
- Windows Explorer may stop responding for 30 seconds when a file or a directory is created or renamed after certain applications are installed.
- The Welcome screen may be displayed for 30 seconds when you try to log on to a computer if you set the desktop background to a solid color.
- You are not warned when you delete more than 1000 files at the same time. Then, the files are deleted permanently and are not moved to the Recycle Bin.”

Here are the download links for the April 2010 stability and reliability update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2:

- all supported x86-based versions of Windows 7
- all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7
- all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
- all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2