Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 Beta Invites Sent Out

[InsaneNutter]

This just arrived in my inbox a few minutes ago:

Welcome to Windows Vista SP2 & Windows Server® 2008 SP2 Beta Program Opportunity

You are receiving this invite based on the valuable contributions you made to the Windows Vista and/or Windows Server 2008 beta program!

Service Pack 2 has been developed primarily for Windows Server 2008, with improvements for Windows Vista included.

This is the first service pack that takes advantage of both the single service model and improvements from early customer deployments. These include improvements in the following:

· Backwards compatibility with Terminal Services licensing keys,

· Better manageability features with DFS/FRS console, and Storage Resource Manager (i.e.: Quota Filter and File Screening Filter, and so forth),

· Print Server and Spooler performance improvements for printers in Windows Vista and Server 2008,

· Improved error reporting in DFSR to help identify incorrectly configured deployments which lead to failed replication.

In addition, some of the improvements to notable inclusions for Windows Vista are the following include:

· Additional Application Compatibility updates,

· Windows Search 4 for improved search performance and relevance,

· Support for emerging Hardware trends (primarily Bluetooth Wireless, latest BT 2.1 fixes, and support for new VIA 64-bit CPU), and

· Fixes addressing the top support call issues as reported by Microsoft and Computer Manufacturers

As with previous Service Packs, Service Pack 2 includes all previous Windows Updates to create a more convenient updating experience for customers with new PCs.

Accepting Your Nomination

If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete the steps below to indicate your interest. We have a limited number of slots available and will be accepting participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be aware that you must have a valid RTM copy of Windows Vista in order to participate as we will not be providing any keys.

You have now completed the acceptance process and are ready to begin!

What to Expect in the Coming Weeks

· There is currently no build available for testing. However, we anticipate a release within the next four weeks. Broad email will be sent to all accepted participants at that time.

· After the build has been released and you've had a chance to install and work with the updates we'll host a live chat with the product teams to answer all your questions. Stay tuned for details.

· All technical newsgroups will be made available when the build is released. However, in the meantime you may access both the announcements and café newsgroups. For those who don't remember, we always post the latest news here so it pays to monitor it frequently.

· While you're waiting we would appreciate you taking the time to complete the three demographic surveys located below. This information helps us ensure we accurately represent our audience to internal teams. Each survey should take ~15 minutes to complete.

While we will have additional newsgroups available at launch we have currently only made the announcements and café live.

Regards,

The Windows Beta Team

Carolyna, Geoffrey, Phil, and Tian

 

[InsaneNutter]

Just like with Windows Vista SP1 it is possible to install a pre-beta of Vista SP2 via Windows Update by modifying the registry. Save the following into a .bat file and run it as administrator:

@echo off

reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSp2 /f > NUL 2>&1
reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSP2 /f > NUL 2>&1

reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSp2 /v Beta1 /t REG_SZ /d C21A5C64-2530-CC19-042F-9ABDB4ED27F9 /f
IF NOT %errorlevel% == 0 ( goto ERROR)

:SUCCESS
@echo.
echo ================================================== =========
echo Windows Vista SP2 registry keys successfully set.
echo Please check for updates on Windows Update.
echo ================================================== =========
@echo.
goto END

:ERROR
@echo.
echo ================================================== =========
echo ERROR setting the Windows Vista SP2 registry keys
echo Please run this script as Administrator (right-click, 'Run as Administrator').
echo ================================================== =========
@echo.
goto END

:END
pause
pause

Checking for updates after running the .bat file will find and install the pre-beta of SP2.

 

[Safinn]

Ahh, so If I do what you say above I will get SP2 aswell?

 

[InsaneNutter]

Yes you should do, remember though the service pack is a beta so you will have to un-install it when the final is released.

I usually install them in a Virtual PC or an old pc if I want to play about with them.