Windows Vista SP1 Release Delayed By Driver Troubles

[Scorpion1]

A day after Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) announced that it has finished work on the first major update to its Windows Vista operating system, the company conceded that many users won't have access to the software any time soon due to driver incompatibilities.
"We're still in the process of reaching out to the specific hardware partners that are affected and are providing them with the necessary guidance to ensure a smooth installation," a Microsoft spokesman said Tuesday.

In other words, Microsoft has yet to finish ensuring that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will work properly with keyboards, printers, mice, and other peripheral devices commonly attached to personal computers.

Such peripherals use bits of software called drivers to communicate with the host computer

more here
Windows Vista SP1 Release Delayed By Driver Troubles -- Microsoft -- InformationWeek

[T@2]

Again same problems,drivers,Microsoft havent heard yet of the simple and excellent phrase "if aint broke dont fix it".Their passion for digital rights management its the cause for sure.
Sticking with XP ,no hurry, i havent got into the Vista for almost 2 weeks and the new issue doesnt make me switching 100% on it.

[tcsenter]

Some corrections, since Information Week's Paul McDougall apparently is either too lazy or disinterested in getting his facts straight:

A day after Microsoft announced that it has finished work on the first major update to its Windows Vista operating system, the company conceded that many users won't have access to the software any time soon due to driver incompatibilities.

Microsoft "conceded" this information on the very same day it announced the RTM of SP1, within the very same announcements:

Announcing the RTM of Windows Vista SP1 - Vista Team Blog (published February 4th, 2008)

In other words, Microsoft has yet to finish ensuring that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will work properly with keyboards, printers, mice, and other peripheral devices commonly attached to personal computers.

Err...no. The opposite is true. Microsoft has already identified which devices and applications not only are at risk of being rendered inoperable or dysfunctional by SP1, but pose a risk of rendering Vista inoperable or dysfunctional during or after installation of SP1.

The fact that Microsoft is releasing SP1 only to manufacturers at first, suggests it knows very well which devices and applications must be updated before SP1 can be installed and why. Manufacturers are the only customer type that Microsoft can be certain will deploy SP1 exclusively as an integrated install rather than patching existing computers.

This is consistent with Microsoft's general explanation of the issue; attempting to apply SP1 to an existing computer that contains an affected driver and application poses an unacceptable risk. Only an integrated installation (i.e. clean install) is safe to perform until patches/updates for the affected drivers and applications have either been supplied to Microsoft for distribution on Windows Update as requisites for SP1, or available directly from the vendor.

The driver hitch also means that it may be months before Windows Vista SP1 is available as pre-installed software on new PCs or as packaged software in stores. "Both will be available in stores for new Windows Vista customers in the coming months," Nash wrote.

Rubbish. The driver hitch will have no impact at all on how quickly or slowly PC companies will be shipping PCs pre-installed with Vista SP1 or the availability of packaged retail versions. The integration and preinstallation technologies that large PC companies use on the production floor renders the driver and application hitch a non-issue.

It may be months before the first computers are shipped with Vista SP1 pre-installed because that's how long it takes PC manufacturers to internally test and validate any major update to their production roll-out images. You can't buy a mass-produced PC that isn't at least three months behind on Windows patches, even computers that left the factory two weeks ago.

[kilroy67]

Got SP1 RTM running on my system, no problems here.