What Windows Service Pack Do I Have Installed? Knowing what service pack your version of Windows is running at is important because you need to know that you have the latest available service pack installed. Service packs improve the stability, and sometimes the functionality, of Windows. Making sure you have the latest service pack installed ensures that Windows, and the software you run on Windows, is working to its fullest. You can see what service pack you have installed in Windows in Control Panel. However, the specific way you go about accessing the area in Control Panel where you can view the service pack you have installed depends on which operating system you have. If you're not sure which version of Windows you're using, see What Version of Windows Do I Have?
This is because in these versions of Windows, Microsoft releases updates on a continual basis in smaller chunks instead of infrequent and in large packs like is the case with the other Windows versions. Note: You can always install the latest Windows service pack automatically via Windows Update or manually via the links I keep updated here: Latest Microsoft Windows Service Packs & Updates. What Windows 7 Service Pack is Installed? Click on Start and then Control Panel. Tip: In a hurry? Type system in the search box after clicking the Start button. Choose System under Control Panel from the list of results and then skip to Step 4. Click on the System and Security link.
Note: If you're viewing the Large icons or Small icons view of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply open the System icon and proceed to Step 4. Click on the System link.
In the Windows edition area of the System window you'll find your Windows 7 edition information, Microsoft's copyright information, and also the service pack level. Take a look at the screenshot on this page for an idea of what you should see. Note: If you don't have any service pack installed (as in my example), you won't see . In other words, you only need to install the latest Windows 7 service pack available because it contains the patches and other updates for all previous service packs as well. For example, if the latest Windows 7 service pack is SP3 but you don't have any installed, you do not need to install SP1, then SP2, then SP3 - just SP3 is fine. What Windows Vista Service Pack is Installed?
Click on Start and then on Control Panel. Tip: Skip the next few steps by typing system in the search box after clicking Start. Then choose System from the list of results and then move on to Step 4. Click on the System and Maintenance link. Note: If you're viewing the Classic View of Control Panel, you won't see the System and Maintenance link. Instead, double- click on the System icon and proceed to Step 4.
Click on the System link. In the Windows edition area of the View basic information about your computer window you'll find see information about your version of Windows Vista, followed by the service pack that's installed.
Description: The Windows XP Service Pack 2 (XP SP2) fixes a range of bugs in Windows XP. The file is a large download and can be applied to any version of Windows XP. Service Pack 2, the latest service pack for both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista, supports new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards, includes.
See the screenshot on this page for an idea of what you're looking for. Note: If you don't have a Windows Vista service pack installed then you won't see anything at all. Unfortunately, Windows Vista doesn't specifically note it when you don't have a service pack installed. The latest Windows Vista service pack is Service Pack 2 (SP2). If you don't have Windows Vista SP2 installed, or don't have a service pack installed at all, then you should do so as soon as you can. You can install Windows Vista SP2 automatically from Windows Update or manually by downloading it via the correct link here.
What Windows XP Service Pack is Installed? Click on Start and then Control Panel.
Click on the Performance and Maintenance link. Note: If you're viewing the Classic View of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply double- click on the System icon and proceed to Step 4. In the Performance and Maintenance window, click on the System Control Panel icon at the bottom of the window. When the System Properties window opens it should default to the General tab. If not, choose it manually. In the System: area of the General tab you'll find the operating system version and the service pack level.
See the screen shot on this page for an idea of what you're looking for. Note: If you don't have any service pack installed, you won't see.
Windows Vista/Server 2. Service Pack 2: What to Expect.
Transform Windows XP into Windows Vista without using Customization Pack. The most interesting thing in Windows Vista is its look, new icons, cursors, theme, sounds. Description of Windows Server 2008 Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Microsoft Windows Vista was one of the least well received Windows operating systems released by Microsoft. While for the most part corrected in later patches and.
Client operating systems Latest update or service pack End of mainstream support End of extended support; Windows Vista : Service Pack 2: April 10, 2012.
I've gotten a number of emails about Microsoft's next major update to Windows Vista (and Windows Server 2. Service Pack 2 (SP2). And while I did in fact publish a short description of this release before Microsoft announced SP2 last October, I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't really provided any substantial updates since then. This is particularly odd because I've been using various builds of SP2 with Windows Vista on a Lenovo Think. Pad SL5. 00 since last fall. So let's take a look.
Timing. First, Microsoft will almost certainly ship SP2 to the public in April. This final release will follow three major pre- release milestones, including a Beta 1 release in late October 2.
Beta 2 release in December 2. Release Candidate 1 (RC1) version that shipped late last week.
I've installed each of these releases, in turn, on that Lenovo laptop, on which I also test the Internet Explorer 8 RC build and other Vista- related software. Vista + Windows Server 2. Better together. Before getting into the functional changes in this release, I should also point out that SP2 will be a shared, common update between both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2. This is possible because Microsoft has now aligned its client and server OS releases, so that when Server 2.
SP1 included. Moving forward, customers will now have a simpler task of testing and deploying service packs, since the exact same service pack(s, one each for x. Windows Vista and Server 2. I'll try not to dwell on that.)What's new in Windows Vista SP2. From a functional standpoint, SP2 is nothing like Windows Vista SP1 (see my review). That is, it does not include major functional, reliability, and performance improvements. Instead, SP2 is largely a traditional service pack, aggregating all of the hot- fixes and other updates that Microsoft has released since SP1. After all, time moves on, and Microsoft does need to address emerging trends when it can.
Functional updates in SP2 are highlighted in the next two sections. Updates that apply to both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2.
Hot- fixes and security updates. As with all Windows service packs, SP2 includes all the previously released updates for Windows Vista and Server 2. This includes several hundred updates, which are comprised of both publicly available updates and others that were previously only made available to specific customers or partners. The inclusion of previously- released updates and the minor functional changes noted below will provide users with moderately improved compatibility, reliability, and performance, Microsoft says. Some of these updates come from Microsoft's partners as well. Servicing stack update. Though it's technically not part of SP2, it's worth pointing out that a servicing stack update (KB9.
Windows Vista before SP2 is installed. Available now as a separate update for Windows Vista, Windows Search 4. Group Policy support, and the ability to index encrypted files.
Bluetooth 2. 1 support. Also available now as a separate update called the Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless, this update supports the latest version of the Bluetooth wireless standard. Blu- Ray data disc writing. With SP2, you can natively write to Blu- Ray data discs from the Vista shell.
Microsoft developed the Extended FAT, or ex. FAT, file system as a more modern file system for flash devices such as USB storage. SP2 utilizes Windows Connect Now (WCN) technologies to simplify Wi- Fi configurations (this functionality is also available now as part of the Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless). Wi- Fi connection performance is also improved when resuming from Sleep mode. VIA 6. 4- bit support.
With SP2, Windows Vista now supports 6. VIA microprocessors. Power management improvements.
The default power management policies are approximately 1. Microsoft. RSS Feed gadget improvements. The Feed Headlines gadget for Windows Sidebar has been updated for better responsiveness and performance.
Windows Media Center. Microsoft has improved the performance of protected TV content in Windows Media Center. Service Pack clean- up. Finally, SP2 will come with a Service Pack Clean- up tool (compcln.
RTM- and SP1- based files that have been replaced by SP2. This can save disk space, of course, but can also be used to reduce the size of future install images. Updates that apply to Windows Server 2. In addition to the changes noted above, some SP2 changes are Server- specific. For example, while the original shipping version of Windows Server 2. Hyper- V virtualization solution, with SP2, the final shipping version of Hyper- V 1. SP2 also cleans up some Terminal Server license keys issues.
How SP2 will be delivered. As with other recent Windows service packs, SP2 will ship in three main versions, one that is downloaded to individual machines via Windows Update and two standalone installers that are provided to system administrators so that they can deploy SP2 to multiple machines. The Windows Update download will vary in size according to which updates are already installed on the client machine; this can range from a minimum of 4. MB to a maximum of 9. MB, depending on your configuration. One or two reboots will be required during installation. SP2 will be delivered via Windows Update as an optional update at first.
After that first phase, it will appear on Automatic Updates (AU), again as an optional update. Eventually, Microsoft will make SP2 available more prominently. As always, businesses that wish to prevent SP2 from being offered to client machines can install an SP2 Blocking Tool, which will work for 1 year from the general availability of SP2. The smaller of the two, which supports 5 core languages (English, German, Spanish, French, and Japanese), weighs in at about 3. MB for the x. 86 (3. MB for the x. 64 version.
The complete version, which supports 3. MB and 6. 22 MB, respectively. The 3. 6- language version of SP2 will trail the release of the other version by several weeks. The standalone installers work with both Windows Vista and Server 2. Additionally, the standalone installers include a pre- installation analyzer that will block SP2 installation or warn the user if an incompatible driver is detected. Note: Remember that Windows Vista/Server 2.
SP2 requires that SP1 be installed first. Microsoft will not be providing a rollup version of SP2 that includes all SP1 updates, primarily because such an update would be too large. Going forward, Microsoft will of course integrate SP2 into Windows Vista and Windows Server 2. Setup DVDs. These integrated DVDs will be made available to customers via MSDN and Tech. Net subscriptions, via volume license media kits, and will ship with new PCs.
Windows Vista with Service Pack 2. Availability. If you're interested in testing SP2 and aren't on the technical beta, Microsoft should be making the RC1 version available via MSDN and Tech. Net soon. If you do install a prerelease version of SP2, you will need to uninstall it before installing the final release. You can uninstall SP2 via the Program and Features control panel; to do so, check View Installed Updates and search for Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB9. Final thoughts. Microsoft notes that organizations and individuals interested in running Windows Vista (and Windows Server 2. Service Pack 2 (SP2) update before moving ahead. This is good advice as SP2 does not appreciably change the Windows Vista experience in any measurable way in my experience.
But that said, SP2 fulfills the requirements of a traditional service pack by aggregating previously- shipped updates into a single, easily deployable package that does not disrupt or dramatically change day- to- day use. With that in mind, SP2 is exactly what it should be, and appears to be of the high quality we've come to expect from Microsoft service packs.
An edited portion of this article originally appeared in the February 2. Windows IT Pro UPDATE.