Windows Vista SP2 gets beta launch

Microsoft is set to release Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) to beta testers on Wednesday.

The update to Microsoft’s Vista OS will enable support for Blu-Ray media and Bluetooth 2.1, and will add Windows Search 4.0, exFAT file system to support UTC time stamps and Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify wi-fi configuration.

SP2 is also intended to address general issues around specific reliability, performance, and compatibility issues, and to build on the existing SP1.

According to the blog posting by Mike Nash, corporate VP for Windows product management at Microsoft, the company does not recommend that users wait for SP2 however.

“The reality is that Windows Vista SP1 is a great platform that is both available on new Windows PCs and available as a free download for systems that are running the "gold" release of Windows Vista. While we will recommend SP2 when it ships, your best bet today is Windows Vista SP1,” Nash wrote.The initial beta release will only be for a small group of Technology Adoption Program customers, according to the Windows Vista blog, with the aim of providing quality control before launch.

No date was given for the full release of SP2, but it is expected to be sometime in Q1 2009.