t e c h i e - t a l k s ::: technology at its best

If you are one of the people who upgraded to Windows XP after having a nasty encounter with Windows Vista, there is still hope. Although Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) release candidate 1 is already released, note that RC1 is meant only for beta testing. It is a version short from the final release, release to manufacturing (RTM) version. I would expect that the RTM version will be released in 2008.

Not only Windows Vista users will be given a new shine. Microsoft current most stable operating system, aka Windows XP, will also be given a last service pack update. This last update is seen to cover the old cracks and give Windows XP the last needed coat of new paint. This last service pack to the six-year-old Windows XP is slated for release in the first half of 2008.

Windows Vista SP1 will include these fixes:

• A collection of previously-released and new security fixes, bug fixes, and other minor updates.

• An update to the Windows kernel to bring the Vista kernel (version 6.0) up to date with the version in Windows Server 2008 (version 6.1).

• A change to the Kernel Patch Protection (”PatchGuard”) feature in the Vista kernel that prevents security companies like McAfee and Symantec from integrating as tightly with the OS as they could in previous Windows versions. This will include a set of APIs aimed at helping developers write code that interacts with this security feature.

• A change to Vista’s Instant Search feature that will allow third party desktop search product makers to more closely integrate their products with Windows Vista. In the initial shipping version of Vista, the Instant Search indexer still runs at full speed even if a third party product is installed, reducing overall system performance.

• A change to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) that will remove the Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) and Non-Genuine State (NGS) mode for Vista installs in expired non-activated and non-genuine states. See New WGA Behavior in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 for more information about this change.

You can find out more here.

These are several of the many fixes that will be included in Windows XP SP3:

• New Windows Product Activation model: no need to enter product key during setup. Thank God for that!
• Network Access Protection modules and policies have been brought to XP after being one of the more-well-received features in Windows Vista. You can read more about NAP here.
• New Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module - the Windows XP SP3 kernel now includes an entire module that provides easy access to multiple cryptographic algorithms and is available for use in kernel-mode drivers and services.
• New “Black Hole Router” detection - Windows XP SP3 can detect and protect against rogue routers that are discarding data.