If your itching to get your hands on the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 you could try the following fool-proof method that downloads the new service pack right from the Microsoft Windows Updates server. Currently, only a beta version for Windows Vista is available but that is probably better than nothing at this time.

Apparently, all you need to do is to install a small registry fix which will then display the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta as an available update at Windows Updates. The Service Pack 1 adds a watermark to your screen saying Evaluation copy, Build 6001 which can be removed with another script as well.

You should be aware that this is a beta version of the Service Pack for Windows Vista which means that it could harm your computer or files. I know that some of you guys still want to give it a go and I can fully understand that. Everyone else who is probably working with a Vista computer right now should probably better wait until the Service Pack is officially released by Microsoft.

Downloading Windows Vista Service Pack 1 from Windows Updates:

• Download Windows Vista Service Pack and unpack it to your system.
• Run SP1Beta_Hack.cmd with administrator privileges and Windows Updates afterwards. It should show KB935509 which you should download and restart afterwards.
• Run Windows Updates again, it should display KB937287. Download and restart your PC afterwards.
• Run Windows Updates for a third time. Download the now appearing KB938371, restart your computer.
• Finally, visit Windows Updates again and you should see the Service Pack 1 Beta for Microsoft Windows Vista available for download.

Removing the Evaluation Copy message:

• This is fairly easy to accomplish. Run watermark_fix.reg first
• Rename user32.dll.mui to user32.dll.mui.old in C:\Windows\System32\en-US\
• copy user32.dll.mui from the archive to that location
• Reboot Windows Vista

Several websites claim that this is the legal way to download Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta. I'm not a lawyer and can only use my judgment here but I really can't see a huge difference between downloading the Service Pack from Torrent sites or the Microsoft website. Both are not really authorized downloads somehow.

Download: Windows Vista SP1 Registry Hack

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