In general, I strongly recommend that anyone running a Windows server should wait and install a service pack only after they have fully tested it in their environment, with their applications. Update: It's worth emphasizing that these comments apply to Windows 7 and not to Windows Server 2008 R2. It does not prevent the installation of the service pack from CD/DVD, or from the stand-alone download package.)

(Note that this toolkit blocks the SP1 files from being offered through Windows Update until February 22, 2012. For network administrators who want to continue testing before deploying SP1, use the official SP1 Blocker toolkit from Microsoft to prevent SP1 from being delivered through Windows Update. If you’re cautious, feel free to wait a little longer. Given that SP1 is primarily a rollup of previously issued updates and hotfixes, there’s no compelling reason to install it today. Should you avoid Service Pack 1? That’s certainly the most conservative approach. According to Microsoft, this tool is automatically offered to machines where the Service Pack installer detects inconsistencies such as store corruption. If you encounter this issue you might be able to fix it by running the System Update Readiness Tool and then reattempting the SP1 installation.

This error reportedly occurs on some systems where the third-party DriverSweeper utility has been used. A quick search of the TechNet forums finds other reports of this specific error, which has been associated with Vista service packs as well. This happened to one of my readers, who noted that she received error 0x800f0826 at the end of the installation process.

The more common (and still rare) outcome is an SP1 installation that fails to complete, leaving the system unchanged and still usable. If that describes your setup, I strongly recommend reading this thread before starting an SP1 update.įortunately, that type of error seems to be extremely rare. For example, one reader pointed me to this lengthy thread on Microsoft’s TechNet forums, which highlights a troublesome issue that arises when all language packs are installed on Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise. Given the complexity of the PC ecosystem, it’s inevitable that there will be some hiccups in the process. SP1 doesn’t add any new features, but it is a major update. That doesn’t mean 100% of installations will be trouble-free.

Microsoft windows 7 service pack 1