After the beta of Vista Service Pack 2 was finally launched to the public, I decided to give it a try and see if there were any major improvements.

You can grab a download of SP2 beta for free from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/dd262148.aspx but its only recommended you do so if you are an experienced computer user.

I went ahead and downloaded it last night and the first thing that was a little annoying was that the file is getting on for 400mb and the install program has to download even more so if you are on tight bandwidth be careful. I, thankfully, checking the Fair Use Policy with my broadband provider and according to Tiscali I won’t have to worry if I’m not using in excess of 100gb per month which is miles off what I use. Anyhow, I downloaded the file and ran it.

It doesn’t require much of your attention. It first confirms you want to install and you have to accept terms, then it kicks off. Once it has downloaded a few files you have to confirm again that you want to install the serivce pack and then you just leave it to it.

However, it takes several hours to install the pack and on a 1GB memory laptop thats dual core I had to wait about 3 hours before the first PC restart. 

It hasn’t really changed very much since the install. Admittedly it is a little faster and there are a couple of minor upgrades in features but I wouldn’t say its something thats vital.

I dont think its worth bothering to upgrade, and I would wait until the final next year.