Today Microsoft has released to the public the latest Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Release Candidate (RC). As everybody may know Release Candidate or RC, is the prior version released before hitting Release to Manufacture or RTM stage, the final version.
While SP1 can help you keep your computer up to date, in this Windows Service Pack there are not new features for Windows 7; this release contains all the updates already available on Windows Update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. The only new features that were added in SP1 are for the server side and they are virtualization related features: Dynamic Memory, which enables servers running Hyper-V for server virtualization to adjust dynamically Virtual Machine memory usage based on demand, making the server more efficient, and RemoteFX, which allows to deliver a local like experience for remote users through Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). In addition RemoteFX comes with a variety of USB devices support to improve productivity in a virtual environment.
If you think on waiting until the final release, do not expect Service Pack (SP1) until sometime in the first quarter of 2011.
You can download Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 RC from TechNet Evaluation Center Website.
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Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].