14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues to keep mum on the development process of Windows 7 Service Pack 1, but the silence from Redmond should not be taken for inactivity. Work on the first service pack for Windows Vista’s successor is moving along fine, at least according to third-party sources, as the software giant is keeping all but a few details under a tight lid. Russian website Wzor claims that Windows 7 SP1 is up to Build 6.1.7601.16559, but it too did not offer any additional details, or the leaked bits for that matter.
It appears that 6.1.7601.16559.win7sp1_beta.100506-1349 is the interim build which belongs to the win7sp1_beta branch. Microsoft works on at least two branches of Windows simultaneously, Beta being one of them. Per the information in the build string, Windows 7 SP1 6.1.7601.16559.win7sp1_beta.100506-1349 was compiled on May 6th, 2010. This is a more recent release compared to the last leaked build, 7601.16556 (7601.16556.100421-1510).
At the same time, the build number for the Windows winmain branch is up to 6.1.7752.0.winmain.100510-1835 (wrapped up on May 10th.) For both the Beta and Winmain branches, the numbers are valid not only for Windows 7, but also for Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft is developing a single service pack for the latest iterations of Windows client and server, per the Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 model.
Windows 7 SP1 Build 7601.16556.100421-1510 v.172 was leaked earlier this month, with reports claiming that it is an Escrow of Beta 1 release. Microsoft is, of course, not offering confirmation of this fact or commenting on the release, for that matter.
Users must understand a few simple aspects, the most important of which is to stay away from leaked bits of Windows 7 SP1, as such leaks were used by attackers as ways to serve and spread malware. At the same time, customers that are already running Windows 7 RTM know that the operating system doesn’t need SP1. After all, Microsoft did indicate that users should expect nothing more than a standard service pack, and not a major upgrade from Windows 7 SP1.