Sneak peak for Vista SP2 now available

Yesterday the Service Pack 2 build for Windows Vista was posted for testers on Microsoft Connect, reports Ars Technica. Today, the Softpedia site offers information on how to download a sneak peek of SP2. It has posted a file that will allow users to download a pre-beta file from Microsoft Windows Update, the site says.

SP2 includes all updates since SP1 was launched, plus a few new features such as these:
- Support for Bluetooth 2.1, recording data to Blu-Ray media, ICCD/CCID smart cards and the VIA 64-bit CPU.
- The ex-FAT file system is enabled, supporting UTC timestamps to ensure correct file synchronization across time zones
- Windows Search 4.0 supporting Group Policy integration, which offers administrative control over search parameters

Note that Microsoft has not set a public release date for Vista SP2, which complicates matters for enterprises that may want to skip Vista altogether. Nevertheless, enterprise IT departments weighing their options between cutting over to Vista, waiting for Windows 7 or deploying an entirely new method of desktop computing may want to ignore the bad Vista hype (or even their own experience with an older consumer machine) and test the latest release from Microsoft. Who knows? It might A-OK for your users, despite the bad reputation Vista has earned from its previous failings.

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