Windows Vista Service Pack 2 made an appearance on MSDN and TechNet today, April 30, 2009, alongside Windows Server 2008 SP2 RTM. But there's nothing actually there. Both MSDN and TechNet subscribers can see the following item - Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 for all editions (x86, x64, i64) - DVD (English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish). However, clicking the link produces no result, and just returns the following message “your search did not match any products when using your filter settings.” No telling at this point in time whether Microsoft has already made Vista SP2 RTM and Windows Server 2008 SP2 RTM available via MSDN and TechNet and the download links is yet to go live, or whether it is a simple glitch.

Microsoft announced the release to manufacturing of Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 on April 28, 2009, indicating that downloads would go live in the second quarter of 2009. Traditionally, MSDN and TechNet subscribers are set to grab the bits ahead of the public, but Microsoft offered no deadline for the availability of the gold version of Service Pack 2 for Vista and Windows Server 2008 through its online portals for developers and IT professionals.

“Business customers with Windows Vista will find that the transition from Windows Vista to Windows 7 will be significantly more straightforward due to the high degree of compatibility between Windows Vista and Windows 7. If your Windows Vista SP1 deployment is already underway we recommend you continue with SP1 as planned. Then you can deploy SP2 using your systems management infrastructure. If you are in the early stages of deployment or still planning Windows Vista deployment our best advice is that you plan on testing and deploying Windows Vista SP2,” revealed Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team.

In the meantime, both the five language and the 36 language packages for 32-bit and 64-bit variants of Vista SP2 RTM and Windows Server 2008 SP2 RTM have been leaked and are available for download in the wild. Not only this, but the ISO images with the x86 and x64 slipstreamed/integrated SP2 RTM in Vista and Windows Server 2008 have popped up on torrent trackers.