I lied. I read in a press release that they were doing this. I went and filled out the 15 minute form to find out the only free software I get is the spyware that collects information about my computer usage.

Originally you could apply to the Windows Feedback program, and then for the trouble of letting them watch everything you do - you could get a free copy of Vista, and/or Office 2007.

After filling out their huge survey and giving away my first born I couldn’t find anywhere on the feedback site where I could download the software. I started googling. It looks like starting today (My luck eh?) they quietly discontinued the program.

The funny part is they left the website open. That way suckers like me could fill out all the info, and only after the fact find out there is nothing on the other side.

Not that I need it - since our MSDN subscription gives me all the Vista, and Office I need. I just wanted to see what this free offer looked like.

Now I know ;)

We’re making available today the RC release of Windows Vista SP1, found here on MSDN and here on TechNet, with an FAQ here.  I invite you to download, install and use the SP1 RC and let us know about your experience by providing your feedback here.

Before you install SP1 RC, please bear in mind the following points of advice, detailed in this short article:

• If you have a prior version of SP1 Beta installed, you must uninstall it prior to installing RC.
• This is pre-release code and will change before the final release.
• This pre-release software is provided for testing purposes only.  Microsoft does not recommend installing this software on primary or mission-critical systems.
• Microsoft recommends that you backup your data prior to installing any pre-release software.
• Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate is time-limited software.  It will no longer operate after June 30, 2008 and should be uninstalled prior to that date.
• Support is through self-help and peer support via the Windows Vista SP1 forum.  Assisted support (phone, email and online chat) is not available from Microsoft Support for this RC release of SP1.  Support is not available via this blog.
• If you install the Service Pack 1 Release Candidate, it is strongly recommended that you also plan to install the final version of Windows Vista SP1 when it is released in the first quarter of 2008.  To do this, you will be required to uninstall this pre-release code.
• You must have a genuine copy of Windows Vista installed on the computer prior to installing the Windows Vista SP1 update.

Thanks to all of you who’ve expressed interest in testing the RC!

Microsoft has released the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) ‘Release Candidate’ (RC). This is the last step before the official SP1 is released in the first quarter of 2008. Note that this is still not official code, so there could still be bugs (but hey, there will still be bugs in the official release as well). If you install this, you will most likely need to remove it before installing the final release.

If you have a fast network connection, the easiest way to install will be with one of the stand-alone installers, which include everything you need to get rolling. Just pick which one you need, based on if you are running 32-bit (most common) or 64-bit, and what language you are using (choose from the last two if you use multiple languages).

• 32-bit in English, German, Japanese, French, Spanish
• 64-bit in English, German, Japanese, French, Spanish
• 32-bit in 36 Windows Vista languages
• 64-bit in 36 Windows Vista languages

The other way to get it (beside the inevitable P2P connections) is to download it directly through Windows Update. Microsoft describes it as ‘Experience the WU based Vista SP1 installation by following 4 simple steps’. This involves running a script that modifies your registry. Windows Update will then begin to download the pieces you need, which will take some time as some components are dependent on other components already being installed (so there will be multiple downloads and restarts). The script is available here, as well as a detailed description of the four simple steps.

Description: This critical security update resolves four privately reported vulnerabilities. The most serious security impact could allow remote code execution if a user viewed a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Update type: Critical

Release date: December 11, 2007

Applies to: All versions

Knowledge base: support.microsoft.com/kb/942615

Download link: 32-bit | 64-bit

Comments: The four vulnerabilities are:

• Uninitialized Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2007-3902
• Uninitialized Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2007-3903
• Uninitialized Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2007-5344
• DHTML Object Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2007-5347

Description: This critical security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Windows Media File Format. This vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user viewed a specially crafted file in Windows Media Format Runtime. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Update type: Critical

Release date: December 11, 2007

Applies to: All versions

Knowledge base: support.microsoft.com/kb/941569

Download link: 32-bit | 64-bit

Comments:

Description: A security issue has been identified in ALPC that could allow an attacker to compromise your Windows-based system and gain control over it. This important security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Windows kernel. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full administrative rights.

Update type: Important

Release date: December 11, 2007

Applies to: All versions

Knowledge base: support.microsoft.com/kb/943078

Download link: 32-bit | 64-bit

Comments: