Business IT

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 enters beta, is 1.2GB

By John Gillooly on Jul 15, 2010 10:41AM
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 enters beta, is 1.2GB

Editor's Picks

Building a modern workplace for a remote workforce

Right to repair: Large scale IT buyers can influence product design... and they should

Five minimum features needed in your choice of a business laptop

Venom BlackBook Zero 15 Phantom

Microsoft has now made the beta of the pack available for download via its TechNet website. By rolling all those patches into the one package you can save having to suck down that much data every time you reinstall Windows

Once upon a time Microsoft's service packs for Windows were something to wait for. The company tended to use service packs as a way to introduce support for new technologies that had gained traction in the market since an operating system's launch.

Windows 95 OSR2 brought in the first support for USB, Windows XP SP2 revamped wireless networking support, Windows Firewall and Data Execution Prevention. Windows Vista service packs brought everything from performance improvements to support for new technology like EFI and even a retrofitted chunk of Windows 7 features.

This is in stark contrast to the first Service Pack for Windows 7. It contains quite minor feature updates including a revamped remote Desktop client. However the main purpose of the Service pack is to collate all the updates that have been released since the OS was released to manufacturing on July 22nd last year.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 has now entered beta, and while there is currently no schedule for an official launch, it can be downloaded and installed by going this Microsoft TechNet page.  

Newsletter Signup

Get the latest business tech news, reviews and guides delivered to your inbox.

I have read and accept the privacy policy and terms and conditions and by submitting my email address I agree to receive the Business IT newsletter and receive special offers on behalf of Business IT, nextmedia and its valued partners. We will not share your details with third parties.

Despite the lack of features this is going to be a boon to anyone who has suffered through the near endless cycle of downloads, installs and reboots that comes after a Windows 7 install. To give an idea of how much data is sucked down after a fresh Windows 7 install the Service Pack weighs in at 1.2GB. By rolling all those patches into the one package you can save having to suck down that much data every time you reinstall Windows.  

If your Windows 7 system is up to date with patches then there isn't really any need to rush out and grab the Service Pack. However for those about to do a fresh install using the Service Pack should be preferable than entering into the seemingly endless loops of update downloads and reboots.

Tags:
7 software windows
By John Gillooly
Jul 15 2010
10:41AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Don't miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June
  • 5 essential digital transformation ideas
  • Last chance for tickets! Channel Meets: UC | Live Event
  • Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Right to repair: Large scale IT buyers can influence product design... and they should

Right to repair: Large scale IT buyers can influence product design... and they should

Five minimum features needed in your choice of a business laptop

Five minimum features needed in your choice of a business laptop

Building a modern workplace for a remote workforce

Building a modern workplace for a remote workforce

IoT Explained: What is the Internet of Things in Australia (June 2022)

IoT Explained: What is the Internet of Things in Australia (June 2022)

Poll

What would you like to see more of on BiT?
News
Reviews
Features
How To's
Lollies
Photo Galleries
Videos
Opinion
View poll archive
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.