Service pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 is now available for users to download from Microsoft’s Download Center. This is an important update that includes previously released security, performance, and stability updates. Improvements to features and services in Windows 7, such as improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices, printing using the XPS Viewer, and restoring previous folders in Windows Explorer after restarting. For Windows 2008 R2 the update brings support for RemoteFX, which uses codecs and virtualised graphics to give virtualised desktops a richer media experience, Dynamic Memory, another visualization feature for Hyper-V users.
Tips: Downloading / Installing SP1
- Download will vary between 44MB and 1GB depending on installation method.
- In order to download and install Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 you must currently have a Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 already installed.
- If you have previously installed a pre-release version of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 on your machine, you must uninstall that version before installing SP1.
- Please note that you may need to keep from 750MB to 7400MB of free space (depending on the version of Windows) on your Windows partition.
- Check if your Windows 7 is already updated to SP1. You can find this by looking under System in Control Panel, next to System type.
- Geniune Windows validation is required to be able to download Windows 7 SP1.
Downloading via Windows Update Service
If you use this, then your total download size will be 750MB for 32-bit Windows 7, and 1050MB for the 64-bit version. For this, you need to click Start, click All Programs and click Windows Update. In the window that opens, click “Check for updates” on the left. In the list of updates, you will see Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB976932), select it and click OK. Click Install updates to start downloading and installing the update. Enter your administrator password if prompted for the same. This method requires your computer to remain connected to the internet while the update downloads and installs.
Direct Download from Microsoft Download Center
Choose the version of SP1 according to your Windows version and click Download. Run this downloaded file to install SP1. ( Microsoft Download Center). You can also order a DVD from Microsoft containing SP1 is also available, but this is valid only for users living in U.S. or Canada, from here.