14 DAY TRIAL // The motto for the first service pack for Windows Vista should be if you wait for very little, or even nothing at all, then you won't be disappointed. The fact of the matter is that Microsoft underlined that Vista users should not expect any new features out of the refresh. The Redmond company only went on a limb and revealed that some of the existing features across the operating system will be enhanced. But that is as far as Microsoft is willing to go and to commit to. It is company traditional that service packs are not used as vehicles to deliver new features, with the sole exception of Windows XP SP2 back in 2004. But Vista SP1 will not be a repeat of XP SP2, not even in the least.
"Windows Vista SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing feedback from our customers across a number of areas. In addition to all the fixes delivered via other channels like Windows Update, Windows Vista SP1 will address specific reliability and performance issues that have been discussed on many self-help forums, such as copying files and shutdown time. It will support new types of hardware and emerging standards, like EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) and ExFat (a new file format that will be used in flash memory storage and consumer devices)," stated Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft
"SP1's purpose is not primarily as a feature-delivery vehicle but as a way to improve the user experience and enhance it in some areas. In terms of the importance of what's included in SP1, it really depends on what matters to the particular user. If you're a mainstream consumer user with a laptop, you're likely to be most interested in the performance improvements included in SP1. Some of these include: optimization to improve power consumption when the display is not changing by managing the processor so it consumes less energy; single sign-on (SSO) for authenticated wired networks; and improvements in the method used to determine which network interface to use (e.g., should a laptop use wireless or wired networking when both are available)," stated Nick White, Microsoft product Manager, as cited by Geek.
Additionally Microsoft informed that Vista SP1 will introduce BitLocker Drive Encryption support for encrypting multiple volumes on the same machine, in addition to the partition where the operating system is installed. The refresh will bring to the table streamlined printer management, allowing for a simpler printing process. The company also promised that the service pack would introduce to the operating system the ability to identify and resolve file-sharing issues via Network Diagnosis. And of course, in the big picture, Vista SP1 will improve management, compatibility, support, deployment, reliability, in a word, will soften all the rough edges of the platform. But in terms of actual, visible additions to the architecture of the operating system you simply should avoid getting your hopes up. Microsoft will center its efforts exclusively on the under the hood infrastructure.