One of our members recently tried to get the Service Pack 1 upgrade for Windows Vista. Unfortunately he has a dial-up connection and the file is almost 500 MB. After a couple of failed download attempts, he tried to get the upgrade from Microsoft NZ another way, but ran into a few bureaucratic barriers.

After we got in touch with Microsoft NZ, they sent our member a Service Pack 1 CD, and stressed that they wanted to get it to as many people as possible.

I think it’s a good point to stress: if you have Windows Vista and don’t have Service Pack 1, get it now.

You may not have bothered updating your operating system before, but this update is important for security, fixing bugs and speeding up the Vista experience. Here’s what it provides:

• Better device compatibility. Around 80,000 devices are now compatible with Vista. In some cases performance of these devices has also improved, so your cameras, music players, printers etc may exhibit less slow-down.
• Improved reliability (according to Microsoft). Hopefully this means fewer disruptions such as applications not working, system crashes and other productivity killers.
• Faster file copying. Whether over a network or on a single computer, copying should be 44 to 71 percent faster. This is significant if you have a lot of photos to move from one device to another!
• Tighter security features. Microsoft claims that users of Vista are far less likely to be infected with malware or spyware compared to other operating systems – including previous versions of Windows.

So how do you get your hands on Service Pack 1? If you have a broadband connection, I recommend downloading it here. But if you’re stuck with dial-up like our member, there are other options – although as we discovered they’re not always ideal.

If you’re in Auckland you can arrange to collect a free Service Pack 1 CD from Microsoft NZ’s office. Make sure you ring first!

People outside Auckland can have a CD couriered to them. This costs around $14 – which seems expensive for a courier fee and GST.

Finally, here’s the word from Microsoft NZ about its policy of getting Service Pack 1 to as many people as possible:

“Microsoft delivers service packs and security patches free, for all products, via automatic update. We also offer extensive…consumer promotions, in an effort to distribute software updates to a broad range of New Zealand customers.  Microsoft provides an extensive product life-cycle support programme, which includes the provision of at least five years of free security updates for all its consumer products.

Where customers specifically request CDs of service pack or security updates, we provide these for a nominal shipping and handling charge. This fee is in no way associated with the cost of the digital media, but rather the delivery of the product itself.”

Have you had problems with Vista, and/or Service Pack 1? Noticed any improvements? Want to know more about anything mentioned above? Post below!

Tristan Clark - Technical Writer

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