Microsoft telah merilis beberapa update untuk kompatibilitas aplikasi dimana memperbolehkan suatu aplikasi untuk bekerja tanpa masalah di Vista. Hal ini juga muncul di SP2, yang mempunyai beberapa tambahan update untuk beberapa aplikasi individu.

SP2 juga memasukkan kemampuan untuk merekam data ke media Blu-Ray Disc.

SP2 mengintegrasi Windows Vista Feature Pack untuk Wireless, dimana termasuk support untuk Bluetooth v2.1 dan Windows Connect Now (WCN) Wi-Fi Configuration. Bluetooth v2.1 adalah spesifikasi terkini untuk teknologi wireless Bluetooth.

SP2 juga meningkatkan performa untuk koneksi Wi-Fi setelah kembali aktif dari mode sleep.

Microsoft juga merilis SP2 untuk Windows Server 2008. Untuk detil dari isi SP2, lihat Hotfixes and Security Updates in Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2.

User dengan Windows Vista SP1 dapat mengunjungi Microsoft Download Center atau menggunakan Windows Update (WU) untuk menginstall SP2, atau menjalankan Automatic Update (AU).

Download: Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 x86 (5 Language Standalone)
Download: Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 x64 (5 Language Standalone)

The company said it plans to lower retail prices for Vista in 70 countries later this year in tandem with the shipment of the Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Packaged versions of Windows Vista sold at stores and on the Web account for less than 10 percent of all licenses of the dominant Windows operating system that sits on more than 90 percent of the world’s personal computers.

Most consumers opt to buy a new PC, which comes preloaded with the latest version of Windows.

In the United States, Microsoft will reduce prices for Windows Vista Ultimate, the company’s top-end operating system, to $319 from $399 for the full version and cut the price for an “upgrade” version to $219 from $259 for consumers who already run Windows XP or another edition of Vista.

It also cut prices for upgrade versions of Vista Home Premium, its mainstream product, to $129 from $159. The price cuts vary by country.

In emerging markets, Microsoft will stop selling “upgrade” versions of Vista, because, for many customers, it will be the first purchase of a genuine copy of Windows. The company will instead sell Vista Home Premium and Home Basic, a stripped-down version, at the upgrade prices.

Microsoft has sold more than 100 million licenses of Vista since its January 2007 release and its adoption has underpinned strong earnings results at the company in recent quarters.

Nonetheless, some consumers have raised issues with Vista’s performance, stringent hardware requirement and lack of support for other software and devices like printers. Microsoft said it would continue to sell Windows XP until June 2008, delaying a scheduled transition to Vista.

Get it here