Microsoft Introduces Vista SP2 Release Candidate for Testers!

Good news for those who are going to use Windows Vista Service Pack 2! According to reports, Microsoft has released a candidate “Escrow” build of Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Server 2008. It was introduced after Microsoft moved up its release schedule for the software. Apparently, the releases are only available to private testers through Windows Update. If no further delays are introduced, the initial wave of the software is expected to be delivered this year. The final release candidate build is now expected to be issued on February, 2009. The new update includes changes to support new types of hardware and some emerging standards.

The "Escrow" build signified that development work on the code has stopped and the focus has turned to fixing bugs ahead of release. The "Escrow" build is reported as "6002.16659.090114-1728" and denotes a final bug-fixing stage. It also indicates that no new features are planned for the upcoming RC version, a near-final release.

Presently, the general public is only able to access SP2 Beta versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. They were issued in December, 2008. The TechARP Website claims to know the schedule of Microsoft. It disclosed the final release date for SP2 RC to be February 16-20, 2009. It's Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version is expected to be released sometime in the second quarter of 2009.

Vista SP2 includes all the updates made available since SP1. It includes Windows Search 4.0, which promises improved relevancy and faster searching, Blu-ray support, Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack and Windows Connect Now in order to simplify Wi-Fi configuration and increase its performance after returning from sleep mode. Vista SP2 also supports for UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) timestamps in the extended FAT file system. It is also going to support 64-bit processors from VIA. New capabilities are going to be added to DirectX, with audio and video performance improved to better handle high-definition content.

SP2 is supposed to be the last major update to the software, giving users motivation to upgrade the present Windows operating system before Windows 7 is to be launched in a short while. In case the RC release works similarly to the SP2 Beta, users will be required to have Service Pack 1 installed beforehand in order to update Vista or Windows Server 2008.

Resources:
Microsoft restores Vista Service Pack 2
Vista SP2 Release Candidate is launched
RC "Escrow" build of SP2 for Vista and Server 2008 released