Microsoft Unofficially Releases 'Vista Service Pack 0.5'

The updates for the 32-bit and and 64-bit versions of Vista were posted Sunday on the Windows Server 2008 Beta portion of the Microsoft Connect Website.

The updates reportedly address a number of issues with Vista, including problems with PCs waking up from sleep or hibernate mode, file copying, memory management, network configuration, and video and printer driver compatibility issues, according to testers.

Judging from the reaction of users who have downloaded the updates, Microsoft appears to have addressed many of the Vista related headaches that users have been reporting since the OS launched in January.

News of the updates originally appeared on the forums of the Windows enthusiast blog AeroXperience, but had mysteriously disappeared as of Monday afternoon Pacific time.

However, detailed information on the updates was available on the Nvidia enthusiast blog NVnews, and both the 32-bit and 64-bit Vista update packs were available for download Monday morning on the free file hosting website MediaFire.

Microsoft couldn't be reached for comment on the updates.

Microsoft, which last week announced that sales of Vista have reached the 60 million mark, has been vague about its timetable for releasing the first Vista service pack, and says it doesn't expect it will have a much of an effect on Vista uptake when it is eventually released.

Microsoft has been more forthcoming about the release of Windows Seven, the successor to Vista, which the vendor last week said it expects to launch sometime in 2010.