Windows 7 SP1 to deliver "minor tweaks"

 

Gallery

By Stuart Turton

Posted on 19 Mar 2010 at 08:02

Microsoft says that Windows 7 Service Pack 1 will deliver only "minor tweaks" to the operating system, including many that have already been released.

The service pack was announced on Microsoft's Windows 7 blog, but the company was keen to play down its importance - clearly wary of spooking people into delaying upgrading their machines until its release.

"For Windows 7, SP1 includes only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update," said Microsoft community manager Brandon LeBlanc.

"SP1 for Windows 7 will, however, deliver an updated Remote Desktop client that takes advantage of RemoteFX introduced in the server-side with SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2," he added.

Microsoft will roll out SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 at the same time as the Windows release, capitalising on the fact that the two OSes share a single code base.

SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 will bring two new features: Dynamic Memory and Microsoft RemoteFX. Dynamic Memory allows IT managers to adjust the memory of guest virtual machines while a session is running.

RemoteFX creates a virtual desktop in a data centre which allows "users to work remotely in a Windows Aero desktop environment, watch full-motion video, enjoy Silverlight animations, and run 3D applications – all with the fidelity of a local-like performance when connecting over the LAN," explained Max Herrmann, who works on the Windows Server Remote Desktop Services marketing team at Microsoft.

Microsoft has not confirmed a release date for the service packs, claiming it will release further details "in the coming months". However, rumours have suggested that Microsoft is looking to pump out the Service Pack in the last quarter of 2010, which would tally with the the launch of earlier service packs for its other operating systems.