64-bit Vista SP1 RTM Available for Download Straight from Microsoft

In another move coming out of nowhere, unconfirmed and unannounced through official channels, Microsoft has now apparently started serving the 64-bit variant of Vista SP1 RTM to end users.

The availability of the first service pack for Windows Vista does by no means fall under the category of standard Microsoft releases. In fact, the Redmond company has been feeding end users bits and pieces of the service pack, managing to build up a healthy level of frustration, even if the Vista SP1 is on the immediate horizon. The sinuous course Microsoft has chosen to serve the gold bits of Vista SP1 began with the fact that the first taste of SP1 failed to coincide with general availability.

According to Mike Nash, Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management, the delivery of Vista SP1 RTM was pushed as far back as mid-March, in an effort to ensure an as smooth as possible process, starting with the download and finishing with the installation experience. Since it tried to avoid Vista SP1 running into similar device driver incompatibility problems as the RTM version of the latest Windows client, Microsoft simply cut access to the final build of the service pack until what now seems to be March 18.

Still, Microsoft is now diverging yet again from the initial roadmap outlined for Windows Vista SP1. Hexus has reported that the x64 version of Vista SP1 is available for download via Windows Update. The download weighs between 120 MB and 711 .6 MB and comes as an Important update under the label "Windows Vista Service Pack 1 for x64 Systems (KB936330)." Microsoft has yet to reveal if it has indeed released 64-bit Vista SP1 RTM through Windows Update.

The company has backpedaled once in the past as far as Vista SP1 is concerned, by offering the service pack to beta testers, Volume License customers and MSDN and TechNet plus subscribers the past week, ahead of the dates announced initially. As far as I can tell, users of 32-bit Vista still have to wait until mid-March to get their hands on SP1.

Reimar,

I read a report this morning in Computer World that this Update was available only for a day or two and has been pulled. The intention was to release it only to a selected category of user and it was in error available as general update for a short time and is no longer available as of Friday.

Reimar,

I read a report this morning in Computer World that this Update was available only for a day or two and has been pulled. The intention was to release it only to a selected category of user and it was in error available as general update for a short time and is no longer available as of Friday.

That could be, unfortunate! I was wondering why MS was released the 64 Bit version ahead of the 32 Bit version! Crasy MS!

Cheers.

That could be, unfortunate! I was wondering why MS was released the 64 Bit version ahead of the 32 Bit version! Crasy MS!

Cheers.

To many irons in the fire at the same time, with the branding irons being handled by some relatively green managers. I applaud MS giving the opportunity to such a young set of managers and suspect they will not change from that philosophy. It is pretty consistant with reality that more seasoned managers would make fewer mistakes, but at the same time suspect that the mistakes that they would make would be huge instead of little ones like this one.

From what I remember of the Computer World article the release through update was set for a specific group of users and thus the 64 bit for them. Interesting to note that MS is able to target only selected users or groups with the update. Would sure be interesting to get a look at that file tree.