Digital Home Thoughts: Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate Now Available for Public Download

"Reversing its initial decision to keep the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 release candidate restricted to private testers, Microsoft has made the near-complete upgrade available for download to the general public. Although still not a final version of Vista SP1, the latest release is said to be on track with the estimated first quarter release date for the first service pack update for Windows Vista. This is the first significant enhancement to Microsoft's latest desktop operating system, which was released in January of 2007, meaning that Vista's early adopters have had to wait almost a year for a refresh. Those holding on for the final release of SP1 will have to wait even longer. ZDNet Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley says that her sources put the final release date sometime in February."

Feel like taking Vista SP1 RC out for a spin? Now you can - previously only available to a closed group of beta testers, SP1 is now available for general download. As always, make sure you have a solid system backup before installing something as serious as a service pack.