New Hack Available to Download Latest Build of Vista SP1 Beta from Microsoft

Currently, Microsoft has opened up the beta testing process of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta to over 12,000 testers, also involved in trying the development milestones of Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Server 2008. But a little hack is all that it takes to change this, and expand the test driving to all Vista users. In the last week of September, the Redmond company made available the first beta for Vista SP1 taking the operating system out of beta preview stage. By mid October, a registry hack was in place designed to permit users to access and download Vista SP1 Beta Build 6001.16659 straight from Microsoft, via Windows Update.

However, Microsoft has evolved Vista SP1 beta from 6001.16659 to build 6001.17036 v.652, according to My Digital Life. The new version of Vista SP1 Beta can no longer be grabbed using the same registry hack as its predecessor. Moving ahead with the development of the service pack, and to a new milestone release, Microsoft has also managed to block access to the new Vista SP1 version, with the exception of the limited pool of testers initially OKed for the Beta.

But, where there's a will, there's a way, and in this context, all that users have to do is alter the initial registry hack in order to access the new build of Vista SP1. You will be able to find the code at the bottom of this article. Copy and paste it into a Notepad file and save it with a ".cmd" extension, making sure to select "All files" under the "Save as type" option and not the default Text Documents (*.txt).

Then make your way to the location where you saved the file and right click it to select "Run as administrator" from the contextual menu, in order to execute it with administrative privileges and apply the modifications to the registry. Restart the operating system. When you boot in again, navigate to Windows Update and let Vista search for updates. Once it has identified update KB935509 - v1.005 install and reboot.

Launch Windows Update again and again search for updates. When KB937287 - Build 6001.17036 is detected download and deploy it. Searching Windows Update yet again will deliver KB938371 - v1.018 which also has to be installed. Now will follow a period of trial and error. You will have to repeatedly access Windows Update and check for new updates until the operating system will come across Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta - Build 6001.17036. Here is the code for the registry hack: