windows
Should you install Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Last week, Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. I’ve been monitoring the release in online forums and via individual reports since then. I’ve also talked, unofficially, with some people who have access to Microsoft’s customer support database.
At that time, I noted that this “looks like a successful rollout.” Everything I’ve seen since then suggests that there are no widespread issues with Service Pack 1. Microsoft representatives who have looked into the release have also confirmed for me that they are not seeing any indication of significant issues with the update on Windows 7.
That doesn’t mean 100% of installations will be trouble-free. SP1 doesn’t add any new features, but it is a major update. Given the complexity of the PC ecosystem, it’s inevitable that there will be some hiccups in the process. For example, one reader pointed me to this lengthy thread on Microsoft’s TechNet forums, which highlights a troublesome issue that arises when all language packs are installed on Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise. If that describes your setup, I strongly recommend reading this thread before starting an SP1 update.
Fortunately, that type of error seems to be extremely rare. The more common (and still rare) outcome is an SP1 installation that fails to complete, leaving the system unchanged and still usable. This happened to one of my readers, who noted that she received error 0×800f0826 at the end of the installation process. A quick search of the TechNet forums finds other reports of this specific error, which has been associated with Vista service packs as well. This error reportedly occurs on some systems where the third-party DriverSweeper utility has been used. If you encounter this issue you might be able to fix it by running the System Update Readiness Tool and then reattempting the SP1 installation. According to Microsoft, this tool is automatically offered to machines where the Service Pack installer detects inconsistencies such as store corruption.
Should you avoid Service Pack 1? That’s certainly the most conservative approach. Given that SP1 is primarily a rollup of previously issued updates and hotfixes, there’s no compelling reason to install it today. If you’re cautious, feel free to wait a little longer. For network administrators who want to continue testing before deploying SP1, use the official SP1 Blocker toolkit from Microsoft to prevent SP1 from being delivered through Windows Update. (Note that this toolkit blocks the SP1 files from being offered through Windows Update until February 22, 2012. It does not prevent the installation of the service pack from CD/DVD, or from the stand-alone download package.)
If you decide to press ahead with an SP1 installation, some basic precautions are in order, the same ones you should use with any important upgrade:
- Create a manual System Restore point first. That gives you the option to roll back to the current configuration in the event of a problem. (Click Start and type restore point in the search box to see the Create a restore point option.)
- Perform a manual image backup of your system drive before starting the SP1 install. Every version of Windows 7 offers the option to create a system image that can be saved on an external hard drive and restored from a repair disk. The process is quick and easy, and it provides a foolproof recovery option even from a worst-case failure. To create a backup image, type backup in the Start menu search box and use the Backup and Restore utility.
In the event you do encounter an SP1 installation issue, you can find excellent support resources at Microsoft’s TechNet forums. That should be your first stop if you need help with any SP1 issue.
If you have other reports to share, please feel free to leave them in the TalkBack section or use the comment link to send them to me via email. I’m continuing to monitor these reports.
Microsoft OS lifecycle
In an ideal world, old versions of Windows would roll off Microsoft’s list of supported products and be replaced by new ones at regular, predicable intervals. That upgrade cycle has been anything but smooth and predictable in recent years, however. Microsoft’s support policy is still returning to normal after XP was allowed to live well past its normal retirement date and then got multiple extensions to placate customers who just said no to Vista.
Microsoft product lifecycle policy is actually quite coherent and easy to understand, at least on paper.
Microsoft has a well-documented support lifecycle for its software products. It’s part of the agreement that the company makes with everyone who installs Windows, especially business customers who want some assurance that they’ll be able to get updates and support for operating systems and applications even if they choose not to upgrade to the latest and greatest.
Now that Windows 7 is firmly entrenched in the marketplace, I’m starting to get questions about its life span (and it doesn’t help when high-profile web sites and bloggers get the facts dead wrong, as they did last month with the bogus “XP in 2020″ story). To help clear the air, I’ve put together a chart listing all of Microsoft’s supported operating systems. The calculations start with the general availability (GA) date for each product. Consumer operating systems are supported for five years after their GA date, and business OSes are supported for 10 years (with the last five years classed as “extended support”). The official date of retirement for support is the second Tuesday in the first month of the quarter following that anniversary (which also happens to be Patch Tuesday), which means each support cycle typically gets a few weeks or months of extra support tacked on at the end.
For Windows 7, you can do the math yourself. The GA date for all Windows 7 editions was October 22, 2009. Five years after that date is October 22, 2014. The next calendar quarter begins in January, 2015, and the second Tuesday of that month is January 13. So, that’s when mainstream support is scheduled to end. Extended support for business editions goes an extra five years, until January 14, 2020 (the second Tuesday of the month).
For Windows XP, however, those calculations don’t work, because Microsoft has extended XP’s life artificially. To find XP’s end-of-support date, you should use the Microsoft Product Lifecycle Search page to get the official answer. Enter the name of the OS and click Search, and you get back a table that shows the general availability date, the retirement dates for mainstream and extended support, and retirement dates for service packs, which are governed by a separate set of rules.
Here’s the set of search results for Windows XP:
The one date that matters most on this chart is the one I’ve circled in red—April 8, 2014.
Service Packs 1 and 1a were retired back in 2006. Service Pack 2 rode off into the sunset last month, on July 13. And Service Pack 3 will be retired along with all editions of Windows XP on Patch Tuesday, April 8, 2014.
By that time, Windows 8 will probably be well past its first birthday, and Microsoft will (at least for a short time) be supporting four separate Windows versions. Here’s a table that summarizes the support policy for all of the current Windows desktop versions: