Microsoft is hard at work hammering away at the first service pack for Windows Vista. But at the same time the Redmond company is test driving the refresh in order to evaluate the evolution of development milestone releases in respect to the quality standard that will recommend SP1 for the final launch. Just the past week, a preview of the first release Candidate of Vista SP1 went to approximately 15,000 testers. Still, Microsoft is also hosting on-location events focused around Vista SP1.

With just 88 million copies of Vista shipped to channel partners worldwide, Nick White, Microsoft Product Manager, felt the need to explain SP1. "What is Windows Vista SP1? Windows Vista SP1 is an update to Windows Vista that addresses feedback from our customers. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. SP1 also addresses some management, deployment and support challenges", he stated.

Last month, Microsoft was the host of a Windows Vista SP1 Beta Install fair in Redmond. At the beginning of December, the company is doing a repeat of the event, but this time at the Silicon Valley campus. If you are in the area, and want to try Vista SP1 first hand straight from Microsoft, then all you have to do is send an email at vsp1reg@microsoft.com in order to register for the Windows Vista Install Fair. All participants will walk away with a copy of Office 2007.

"The goals of the Install Fair are to: upgrade your system that is already running Windows Vista with unfamiliar (to MS) applications, configurations and devices to pre-release (Beta) version of Windows Vista SP1; acquire valuable feedback about the Windows Vista SP1 Beta Windows Update and standalone install experience from the broader community; and send attendees away with a usable Windows Vista SP1 Beta operating system", White added.