Microsoft has just posted the official download links for the final version of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. You need to have Service Pack 1 to install SP2 and that's pretty much everything. The standalone downloads are available in five different languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish. Find more info in the download links.

DOWNLOAD: Windows Vista/Server 2008 Service Pack 2 x32 | Windows Vista/Server 2008 Service Pack 2 x64

Laying to rest months of speculation surrounding the launch date of Windows 7, Microsoft categorically stated that it is readying the OS to ship in time for the holiday shopping season (aka Christmas 2009 shopping season). "With early RC testing and extensive partner feedback we've received, Windows 7 is tracking well for holiday availability," says Bill Veghte, senior VP of the Windows Business at Microsoft. The launch comes ahead of what was earlier speculated, "three years after the launch of Windows Vista", putting it sometime early 2010. Windows 7 launch will be accompanied by the company's release of Windows Server 2008 R2. While the company is yet to provide an actual release date, a recent statement from Acer's Bobby Watkins saying that it would reach retail by October 23 sounds plausible. It comes after the "back to school" season, and weeks ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Microsoft has announced the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Except applying all updates released to date, this issue of SP will bring some key features to both operating systems. Those are:

• Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches
• Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack supporting the most recent specification for Bluetooth Technology
• Ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista
• Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi Configuration
  Windows Vista SP2 enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronization across time zones.

A single installer of SP2 will be supplied by Microsoft, and it will work with both Windows Vista and Server 2008. For a complete overview of the changes introduced in SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, check TechNet. As usual, a final date hasn't been set. At present, the final SP2 release for Vista and Server 2008 is scheduled for the Q2 2009 period, but this might change.

Continuing its momentum and leadership in virtualization technology, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. today released the first video and images demonstrating live migration across three generations of AMD processors on VMware ESX 3.5, including the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor code-named "Istanbul." Live Migration of virtual machines across physical servers is key to providing superior flexibility for managing today's data centers. Additionally, AMD is highlighting its continued, cooperative development efforts with Microsoft as evidenced in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V, which is available today as a beta and adds support for AMD-V technology with Rapid Virtualization Indexing. The new 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor provides scalable performance for both Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 and has received support from all four global OEMs.

As expected, both Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 RC were made available for public download today. This build is the same one that was sent to testers last week. Download links follow:

• Five Language Standalone DVD ISO for Windows Server 2008 x86/x64/ia64 and Windows Vista x86/x64
• Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista x86 version
• Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista x64 version
• Windows Server 2008 - Five Language Standalone for ia64-based systems

Exactly as predicted by TechARP, Microsoft today supplied all its beta testers with a Release Candidate version of the Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. Microsoft did not mention when that version might be made publicly available, but if all predicitons turn out to be right, we can have the final second service pack for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 around April or May this year.
"We continuously engage with our partners and testers on the development of service packs and we will track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for distribution," Microsoft said in a statement. "We will have more to share on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 soon and are targeting final delivery in (the second quarter of) 2009."
At the same time, Windows 7 is also gearing toward the release candidate stage. There's a rumour saying that the next iteration of Windows could reach RC stage at the end of this month, more specifically on February 27, 2008. This will be the only RC build of Windows 7 released, after that the manufacturer will be pushing the official and final product to the market.

Showcasing new and emerging technologies that create connected and differentiated experiences for consumers throughout the retail environment, Microsoft Corp. today announced its new Retail Experience Center, which serves as a center of innovation for how Microsoft and the retail industry can address rising consumer expectations and competitive pressures during today's challenging economic conditions.

Located at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash., the Retail Experience Center is a private, 20,000-square-foot facility housing a fully functioning, interactive store environment, from point of service to receiving dock. Representing a blend of Microsoft's merchandising efforts as a consumer goods company and its solution capabilities as a technology provider for the retail industry, the center is part of Microsoft's ongoing investments in exploring how technology-driven innovations can enhance consumers' lives and shopping experiences.

Right on time, Microsoft today released the public beta of Service Pack 2 for both Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. Both Service Packs are available now here in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Initially the Service Packs are downloadable in five different languages: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Service Pack 1 for both operating systems is necessary in order to obtain the second Service Pack. Find more information here.

Tomorrow Microsoft will launch both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta for everyone, Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management Mike Nash announced. Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta are major updates to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 respectively. They provide customer with all the fixes found untill the moment of their release and in addition SP2 will contain changes focused on addressing reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. For more information, please read the release notes for both service packs. Starting today, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the beta service packs. Beginning Thursday, Dececember 4, the beta will be available to everyone through a Customer Preview Program (CPP). To find more information about the CPP program, please click here. Mike Nash also added that Microsoft is tracking to ship the final version of Windows Vista SP2 in the first half of 2009.

Microsoft announces that a Windows HPC Server 2008 beta-based system now ranks among the top 25 supercomputers of the world. They have also announced a release-candidate version of the operating system software available for download towards the end of June. The final release version of this software will be available by the end of this year.

A Beta 2 version of the said software was used by NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications) in a system which ranked 23 in the list of top 500 supercomputers. The NCSA achieved 68.5 TFLOPs and 77.7% efficiency on 9,472 cores, making this one of the most powerful supercomputing systems in the world. This also marks the first time a Microsoft operating system-based cluster made it into the top 25.

Microsoft Corp. recently delivered a surprise for customers and partners, unveiling a public beta for its hypervisor-based server virtualization technology called Hyper-V, a feature with some versions of Windows Server 2008. Customers and partners today can download Windows Server 2008 RC1 Enterprise with the beta version of Hyper-V to evaluate the new technology, test applications and plan future consolidation, business continuity and high-availability projects.

Although the Windows Server operating systems aren't primarily intended for gaming, some gamers prefer to run them due to lower resource usage and, arguably, better security. Such people, and perhaps some others, will be pleased to hear that Microsoft has launched a public beta of Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate, where users automatically receive a 30-day trial and will need to register for a product key to continue using the software up to June 30th next year. You can download Windows Server 2008 and register for a product key here.

At Microsoft TechEd IT Forum 2007, Bob Kelly, corporate vice president of Infrastructure Server Marketing at Microsoft Corp., updated an audience of more than 5,000 IT professionals on the development of Windows Server 2008 and a new virtualization offering. As Microsoft nears the final stages of Windows Server 2008 development and the Feb. 27, 2008, worldwide launch event, Kelly announced detailed packaging, pricing and licensing information for Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft has reached another milestone with the initial Release Candidate (RC0) of the highly anticipated Windows Server 2008 operating system, now available for download. Now customers and partners can download and test-drive the latest development version of Windows Server 2008 for themselves.

Download Windows Server 2008 RC0