Report: Windows 7 SP1 Coming Summer, Fall

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Are you ready for a business-ready stamp for Windows 7?

Just to be extra safe, many IT professionals prefer to wait until at least the first Service Pack for a Windows version before implementing it into their departments. The reason is that the first massive wave of users will already have hit the OS to clear out any possible bugs and compatibility issues.

Now that Windows 7 has settled in inside consumer homes after the considerable marketing push from retail, attention is turning to Microsoft's next step in development. ZDNet blogger Adrian Kingsley-Hughes claims to have reports that Windows 7 SP1 is already undergoing testing and has seen several lists of post-RTM build numbers.

There haven't been any word on what major changes, if any, to expect other than the inclusion of all patches and fixes released to date and the likely inclusion of USB 3.0 support.

At this point, it seems that the work on the first Service Pack is more of a green light for business and enterprise users to consider Windows 7 rather than a true major boost to the OS.

As for when we can see this first Service Pack roll out, IT Chuiko claims to have sources at Microsoft that point to a June 2010 release for testers, with the final version slated for September 2010.

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Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
39 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ravewulf
    I'll be waiting to test it :)
    Reply
  • rags_20
    Isn't the USB controller on the motherboard? If I get a USB 3.0 port card, won't I be able to connect without SP1?
    Reply
  • Shadow703793
    Wow... that's quick for a SP release.
    Reply
  • jsc
    Yes. So Soon?
    Reply
  • saint19
    ohhhh... early for a SP, maybe try to solve some security problems with the SP? and add support to the new things like USB 3.0 and ATI HD 58xx. I heard hundred of problem with Win 7 and 8GB or more on DDR3 RAM
    Reply
  • randomizer
    It's worth installing if you want to reformat, but it's a waste of time and disk space installing a cumulative security patch over the top of the security patches you've already got. That's basically what most Windows SPs are - cumulative patches.
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    Service packs have become a marketing tool since the updates are usually already available. It would have to be substantial to have any real benefit (like XP SP2).
    Reply
  • jblack
    Isn't this going to screw some IT people? --- I thought Microsoft was going to stop offering Windows XP 18 months after 7 came out OR when SP1 comes out for Windows 7, whichever is sooner. I hope everyone has tested this before Microsoft shuts off the supply of Windows XP.
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    Even now Windows 7 is pretty much perfect, but any improvement is good improvement :)
    Reply
  • knowom
    XP64 SP2 still is the best OS around overall to me. Microsoft needs to start taking a minimalism approach to OS's where users can pick and choose more of what is or isn't installed as part of the OS itself and leaner, cleaner, more efficient code. Black box for windows is a prime example of the kind of mentality Microsoft should be taking.
    Reply