Microsoft is hoping that progress with its Service Pack 1 (SP1) update for Windows Vista will kick start more enterprise migrations to its latest desktop platform.

Meanwhile, the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2008 has slipped to around SP1’s expected general release in the first quarter of 2008.

Microsoft announced that a beta release of Vista SP1 will be available within weeks. This will be distributed to a small number of testers only, while a later release candidate (RC) will be open to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. The finished code is due in the first quarter of 2008, although the timing of this and the RC availability are both dependant on tester feedback, Microsoft said.

SP1 will address reliability and performance issues that customers have reported, but will not add any new features, Microsoft said. The firm said the download size will be small, about 50MB, and that SP1 will include all hotfixes and updates released since Vista’s launch.

Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Windows division, said SP1 will provide some fixes for application compatibility. “But by and large, we are sticking with the promise we made of first delivering superior security, and we won’t make any changes that compromise that for the sake of better compatibility,” he added.

Specific fixes cover compatibility with newer graphics cards and greater reliability for systems upgraded from Windows XP. It will also fix issues that some customers have experienced whereby browsing of network file shares slows the system to a crawl.

For administrators, SP1 will extend the BitLocker drive encryption tool to cover any local volume, while the current Vista release only encrypts the C: drive. The Network Diagnostics tool will cover more file sharing problems, and SP1 will also change the tools used to manage Group Policy.

Microsoft has urged firms not to wait for SP1’s delivery before starting pla ns for a Vista migration, and Stuart Preston, managing consultant at Conchango, agreed.
“Organisations that are running older Windows versions and waiting for Vista SP1 should start application compatibility testing on Vista now and pilot on the release candidate of SP1 when it is available,” Preston said.

Vista SP1’s delivery will now coincide with the RTM of Windows Server 2008. Both products were previously expected in the fourth quarter of this year, but will not now ship until early 2008. Microsoft said the delay is to ensure the final code meets its quality requirements.