Well it looks like the word is now official and all the leaked bits on the internet seem to be part of a real release. So what is Windows Vista SP1?

Windows Vista SP1 is an update to Windows Vista that, along with improvements delivered to users via Windows Update, addresses feedback from our customers.  While SP1 contains valuable updates to Windows, organizations don’t need to wait to deploy and can experience the improved security, management and deployment benefits of Windows Vista today.
In addition to previously released updates, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards.  SP1 also continues to improve upon the IT administration experience. SP1 is not intended to be a vehicle for releasing new features; however some existing
components do gain enhanced functionality in SP1.

Windows Vista SP1 is designed to not significantly change the UI or to cause regressions in application compatibility.

More questions answered after the jump.

When will the Windows Vista SP1 beta be released?

The beta will be released to a moderate size audience in a few weeks.

What improvements are there to reliability in SP1?

Windows Vista SP1 improves the reliability of Windows Vista in many areas.
Thanks to the rich instrumentation capability of Windows Vista, we are able
to understand the type of problems that our customers are experiencing
(while respecting their personal information and privacy preferences).
Many of these crashes and blue screens stem from problems with 3rd party
applications and drivers, so we are working with our partners to solve these
problems together.  Other problems occur entirely in Windows code so we are
aggressively working to solve as many of these as possible too.
Some of these improvements are made available before SP1 in the August
updates available via Windows Update and the Download Center.

What are some examples of additions to the service pack in the "Support for emerging technologies and standards" category?

Throughout the lifetime of Windows, new hardware innovations occur and standards enter the marketplace.
SP1 includes support for some of these new innovations, which are expected
to become increasingly important in the coming years.  For example:
. With SP1, Windows Vista can boot via EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface)
on an x64 machine
. SP1 supports ExFAT, a new file format that will be used in flash memory
storage and consumer devices
. Support for SD Advanced DMA Support to improve transfer performance and
decrease CPU utilization is part of SP1
. SP1 includes a series of new API’s and software features to enable 3D
application and game developers to make more complete and efficient use of
the upcoming generation of graphics Direct3D 10.1 hardware
. Windows Vista SP1 includes SSTP (Secure Sockets Tunnel Protocol), a remote
access VPN tunneling protocol that will be part of Microsoft’s RRAS (Routing
and Remote Access Service) platform.  SSTP helps provide full-network VPN
remote access connections without some of the challenges that other VPN
tunnels face traversing NAT, web proxies, and firewalls

What are some examples of additions to the service pack in the "Improve

management experience" category?

SP1 improves the administration experience.  For example:
. With Windows Vista SP1, BitLocker Drive Encryption has been enhanced to
not only fully encrypt the entire Windows Vista volume but also any or all
additional locally created data volumes.  (Customers can now not only fully
encrypt C: but also D: and E:)
. SP1 Improves printer management by addressing problems associated with
printing to a local printer from within a Terminal Server session
. Network Diagnostics in Windows Vista SP1 will help users with the most
common file sharing problems, in addition to basic problems already
supported
. SP1 includes an update to Disk Defragmenter so administrators can control
which volumes the disk defragmenter runs on
Additionally, the tools used to manage Group Policy for Windows Vista will
change with the installation of Windows Vista Service Pack 1. GPMC will be
uninstalled with Service Pack 1 and GPEdit will default to Local Group
Policy editing. Following these changes, SP1 users can download an updated
version of GPMC that contains much requested functionality including the
ability to add comments to GPOs or individual settings, to search for
specific GP settings, and to use Starter GPOs which encapsulate best
practices.

What languages will Windows Vista SP1 include?

SP1 is going to be released in two waves. The initial release of SP1 will
include 5 languages (English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese).  A
Service Pack containing all 36 of the languages (including the original 5)
will be released about 3 months later.

What drivers are new in SP1?

Windows Vista SP1 does not include new drivers.  Rather, new drivers are
delivered to users via Windows Update or directly from the driver vendor.
There are two benefits to doing it this way:
. Drivers can be delivered when they are available, and not just with the
service pack
. Via WU, drivers are only delivered to PCs which need those drivers, which
help keep the size of the service pack from growing.

When will Windows Vista SP1 be released?

. We currently expect to deliver SP1 during the first quarter of 2008, but
we will collect customer feedback from our upcoming beta process before
setting a final date.  Quality is our most important factor when determining
availability.
. The beta will be released to approximately 10-15K private testers that
will not include TechNet subscribers, but MSDN and Technet subscribers will
be able to participate in testing when the RC of Windows Vista SP1 is
available. The timing of the RC will be based on feedback from the beta
testers, and we’ll share more info as we have it.
How large will the Service Pack 1 be?
The Beta of Windows Vista SP1 will be approximately 50 MB when delivered
over Windows Update (to 32-bit PCs). We expect that will be the experience
for the majority of our users.  For IT Departments in large organizations,
we also provide the "Standalone Package".  It will be significantly larger
in size (about 1 GB for 32-bit), as it includes more just the changed files
between Windows Vista Gold and Windows Vista SP1 as well as all 36
languages.
There are three changes to how the standalone Service Pack is built in
Windows Vista which are responsible for its larger size.  However, these
changes also bring benefits to IT professionals.
1. For the first time ever, the "standalone" package includes every language
that Windows is released in.  This increases the size but adds the benefit
that the same package can be used to apply SP1 on any Windows Vista computer
in an organization, regardless of language.
2. Additionally, updating in Windows Vista is now "component based." This
means that if a file is changed, the entire component, including some files
that may not been changed, is included in the standalone pack.  This is a
departure from previous versions of Windows, where the basic unit of
updating was a file, not a component.  A component is made up of multiple
files.
There are a number of benefits gained with the new component based servicing
model.  For instance:
. More reliable out of order uninstall
Uninstalling packages in a different reverse order than they were installed
in could result in an inconsistent system state.  Now packages can be
uninstalled in any order more reliably
. Automatic Language Updates
When an update is installed, the MUI files for all installed languages can
be updated simultaneously, since they are in the component store
3. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 have been built from the same
fundamental source code base since the beginning.  Many of the core files
are identical between the two products, although each product has unique
features, specific individual files and functional behaviors that are
appropriate for the intended customer uses for the specific product. For
example, Windows Media Center only appears in Windows Vista, while Active
Directory or Windows Clustering only appears in Windows Server 2008.
Examples of common files shared between the two operating systems are the
kernel and core OS files, the networking stack, file sharing.  In the past
year since the Vista public release, the common files in Windows Vista and
Windows Server 2008 have been continually improved based on customer beta
feedback, customer deployments, and Microsoft internal testing.
Because these are common files, any changes to the code for Windows Server
2008 will result in corresponding changes in the files in Vista SP1.  Some
of these changes may increase the reliability of Vista SP1, while others may
be in server-only codepaths that do not directly affect Windows Vista
customers. However, in order to keep the code common for future servicing
and management, the changes have to be included in the common version of the
files.  While many of these files have been updated for Server scenarios,
most of these changes do not change the features or functionality of Windows
Vista, but they are included in the service pack.

Who will receive the Beta of Windows Vista SP1?

There are approximately 10,000 customers and partners that will be
participating in this beta.  We rely on this group to help us test our
software on a broader range of hardware and over diverse usage scenarios as
well as to ensure that the larger partner ecosystem has had sufficient time
to test their products on Windows Vista SP1.
Microsoft has created deployment guidance, available to beta testers on
Microsoft Connect.  The Application Compatibility Toolkit and Business
Desktop Deployment (BDD) will be updated to help customers prepare for and
deploy for SP1.

What about MSDN and TechNet subscribers access the Beta?

Currently the beta is restricted to about 10,000 participants, which
represent a sampling of our user base.  MSDN and TechNet members will gain
access to a later milestone beta of SP1, to be announced later during the
beta cycle.
Additional Resources
SP1 White Paper Check TechNet for Link
Windows Vista blog
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/default.aspx

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