What does Server 2008 SP2 and Vista SP2 have to offer?

Below is a quick rundown of all the goodies in the new Service Pack for Windows 2008 and Windows Vista.  Of course, SP2 includes all hotfixes and other updates post SP1, but unlike traditional methods, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2 uses the same Service Pack executable, which makes it easier to deploy.

Although this update provides minimal changes, it’s always recommended to do a test rollout before deploying in full.

Warning:

This was taken from Information about Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008

After you install SP2, a sound device or some other hardware device may no longer work. If this behavior occurs, just install an updated driver for the device. To do this for a sound device, follow the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

948481 How to troubleshoot sound problems that you experience after you install a Windows Vista Service Pack

What it has to offer:

  • Bluetooth 2.1 Support
  • Wi-fi – Uses Windows Connect Now technologies for wireless connectivity and improves on resuming wireless connectivity from a sleep state
  • Power Management – Microsoft touts a 10% increase in power management efficiencies
  • exFat file system extension – Now includes UTC timestamps which helps with file synchronization across time zones
  • Blu-ray data burning capability – Not for making movies, but for backing up files
  • Windows Search 4.0 – faster, better support for Group Policy, able to index encrypted files
  • VIA 64-bit processor support

Windows Server 2008 offerings:

  • Hyper-V 1.0 versus a prelease version
  • Addresses Terminal Server license key issues

Most useful part about SP2:

Service Pack Clean-up Tool (compcln.exe) – Deletes older versions of the RTM and SP1 based files

Requirements:

SP1 has to be installed prior to updating.

Where to get it:

Windows Server 2008 SP2/Vista SP2 (x86, 32bit)

Windows Server 2008 SP2/Vista SP2 (x86, 64bit)