Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta

[solin]

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta helps keep your PCs and servers on the latest support level, provides ongoing improvements to the Windows Operating System (OS), by including previous updates delivered over Windows Update as well as continuing incremental updates to the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 platforms based on customer and partner feedback, and is easy for organizations to deploy a single set of updates.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta will help you:

* Keep your PCs supported and up-to-date
* Get ongoing updates to the Windows 7 platform
* Easily deploy cumulative updates at a single time
* Meet your users' demands for greater business mobility
* Provide a comprehensive set of virtualization innovations
* Provide an easier Service Pack deployment model for better IT efficiency

In order to download and install the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta you must currently have a Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 already installed.

To learn more about piloting, deploying and managing Windows 7, visit the Springboard Series on TechNet.

To learn more about SP1 Beta and Windows Server 2008 R2, visit the SP1 Details Page.

*Windows 7 Minimum System Requirements:

* 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
* 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
* DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
* DVD-compatible drive
* Internet access (fees may apply)

Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, BitLocker, or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware. Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM and 15 GB of available disk space.

Size: 337 MB

Download Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx

[JayCub]

Thanks for the news Solin great for people wanting to test SP1 beta, tried to download it to see the file size and there is a problem at the moment, so i will check back later, Beta is not really a good idea but no harm in seeing what is on offer.

[solin]

The news read here: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-7-SP1-RC-Build-7601-17105-Leaked-and-Available-for-Download-162683.shtml

[LizardMan]

Thanks solin, I won't try it now cause my system is stable and working fast. I don't wanna test this until it's out of beta

[safeguy]

While there are no new features in Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), there are indeed a variety of changes that the upgrade brings to the table. Microsoft has made a resource available on its Download Center, detailing the most important modifications that Windows 7 will support, following the implementation of SP1. I included the list of notable changes in Windows 7 SP1 Beta, as provided by Microsoft below.

Source:
Windows 7 SP1 Beta Notable Changes, but No New Features

According to previous comments by Microsoft, Windows 7 SP1 will not include any new features, but will simply be a combination of security updates already available through Windows Update, as well as non-security fixes that it's gleaned from customer feedback.

Source: ComputerWorld

Windows 7 SP1 will include the usual hotfix patches and new virtualization tools in SP1 will help Windows Server 2008 R2 users prepare for cloud computing. SP1 will include RemoteFX which provides rich 3-D graphical experience for remote users. The service pack also will include a series of incremental updates, previously released on Windows Update for both Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

Source: Neowin

I'd personally go with this advise:

One important thing to remember is that this isn't the final SP1 code -- and there's a good chance you may have to uninstall this pre-release at some point down the road so that you can install the Windows 7 SP1 RTM.

Features-wise, there's not much going on in SP1 to get excited about, so if you're happy with the way your Windows 7 system is running you may as well hold off until the service pack is available via Windows Update.

Source: DownloadSquad