Build 6002.16659.090114-1728

Jan 29, 2009 08:49 GMT  ·  By

In parallel with the first public Beta program for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft is making headway with the second Service Pack for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. In this context, the Redmond company has made available for download fresh builds of both Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. The software giant is offering testers what it is referring to as the Release Candidate Escrow build of SP2 for Vista and Windows Server 2008. Leaked information on the releases available indicates that Vista SP2 has the following build number: 6002.16659.090114-1728.

“We are excited to announce RC-Escrow build as the next milestone release of Windows Vista SP2 / Windows Server 2008, now available for download. This build is available on Windows Update for download and install, or by a number of other package options,” reads an excerpt from the email sent by Microsoft to testers according to Mary Jo Foley.

Vista SP2 RC-Escrow Build 6002.16659.090114-1728 is offered both as a standalone download, in various “packages,” as well as a slipstreamed ISO. At the same time, Microsoft is also testing the delivery of the RC-Escrow Build of Vista SP2 through its update infrastructure. As was the case with previous development milestones of service packs for Windows, the Redmond company is offering a script designed to hack/tweak the registry so that the Windows Vista will identify, download and deploy Service Pack 2 RC-Escrow Build via Windows Update (delivery is scheduled to start come January 30, 2009). Users will of course have to already have Vista SP1 installed in order to jump to the latest release. Microsoft warned users of Windows Small Business Server 2008 to keep clear of the SP2 RC-Escrow Build due to potential negative impact on “branding.”

“Starting with RC Escrow, Windows Update installation is available to ALL supported languages for Vista and Server 2008,” the software giant informed. (The build is available in English, Spanish, German, French and Japanese) The company added that it was no longer looking for feature suggestions, but just for regression issues and confirmation that the fixes introduced have resolved problems that survived the Beta release. The Escrow label means that Microsoft will no longer intervene with the code of Vista SP2, with the exception of dealing with regression problems.

Users of Vista SP2 Beta will have to uninstall the Beta version prior to deploying Build 6002.16659.090114-1728. As Vista and Windows Server 2008 have been joined at the hip since the release of Service Pack 1, the server operating system is also getting the SP2 RC-Escrow Build through the same channels as the client. English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese. The Escrow release signals not only the proximity of the fully-fledged Release Candidate build, now expected in February 2009, but also of the RTM (release to manufacturing) versions.

For the time being, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) Beta is available for download here.