RC versions of Windows Vista SP1 will expire on June 30 - Uninstall Now!
How do you know if you’re running a pre-release build?
If your desktop says “For Evaluation Purposes”, you are running time-limited beta/RC software and will need to uninstall. Another check is to hit the start button and type “WinVer” – if it lists an expiration date then you have a time-limited version of SP1.
How do you uninstall pre-release versions of Vista SP1?
If you installed SP1 Beta/RC as an update to an existing RTM version of Vista, you can probably uninstall it directly. For instructions on how to uninstall SP1.
If you did a full install (a.k.a clean install) of SP1 from a DVD or network share, or updated an RTM version using the DVD to do an upgrade full install, there is no uninstall method; we recommend you back up your data, reformat, and start with an RTM DVD (and then install SP1) or a final SP1 integrated install DVD. While you may be able to force upgrade using a full install upgrade, this isn’t a recommended practice over the Beta or RC version of SP1.
Installing the final build of SP1 after the uninstall of the pre-release build
If you want to install the final SP1 build after uninstall is complete, first check Windows Update. If Windows Update offers you SP1, that’s the best way to install. If Windows update does not offer SP1 your computer may have one of the problematic drivers we have documented in KB948343. If you installed the Beta or RC builds, you probably dealt with this with already and it wasn’t a major issue. If you don’t see SP1 on Windows Update, you should visit the download center to install the standalone SP.
Written by ShaDow on June 15th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Windows Vista Updates (KB) and otherSoftware and vista sp1.















