Windows Vista SP2 Beta

Posted by sinlung

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. Just think: Christmas is only a few more weeks away and we all get to stuff ourselves, again! Yummy!

There has been a lot of talk about Windows 7 lately. I've been asked time and again whether it makes sense to move forward with Windows Vista today or wait until Windows 7 is released. If you haven't already made the move to Windows Vista, I'm sure you probably asked that same question. And there are multiple answers, depending on who you ask. So I'm going to take a different approach and give you some questions that you should ask yourself. Then you can make your own educated decision:
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Am I the kind of person who deploys new technology the moment it's released? If you answer yes to this, then why haven't you already deployed Vista?
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Am I ready to move to Vista today? This means testing is complete (or close) and you've already invested time and money in preparation to make the move.
Okay, so that's really only two questions, but they're the ones you really should be asking yourself before you make the decision to upgrade to Vista now or to wait. As I have this conversation with folks, most of them realize the move to Vista today is the option that makes most sense for them. You make the choice that best fits your needs.

For those of you who have already deployed Vista and are interested in testing the next service pack, I have good news for you. You can now download Vista SP2 Beta through the Customer Preview Program (CPP). If you are like me and prefer to get access prior to a CPP or general public availability, then you need to learn more about the TechNet Plus Subscription. Vista SP2 Beta was made available to TechNet Plus subscribers prior to CPP and general availability. This holds true for other betas as well, so you may want to look at this resource.

There are other great resources available to IT pros as well, including live events from the TechNet Events team, screencasts and videos located at TechNet Edge, local user groups, and MVPs (Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals). Currently, the TechNet Events team (this is the team I am on) is not holding any live events this holiday season. We will resume events toward the end of January. Keep an eye on TechNet Events for the list of cities and locations as soon as we get them locked in.

In terms of community, I'm sure there is a user group that meets in your area. If you want to get involved but don't know where to start, you can visit Culminus and do a search for your area. Since not all user groups are listed on Culminis, you are more than welcome to contact me as well. If there truly isn't a user group in your area and you are interested in starting one, I can help you with that too. In fact, MVPs Jim McBee and Ben Schorr are looking to start a new IT pro user group in Honolulu. If you happen to live there and are interested, please contact me. Besides, I need an excuse to make a trip to Hawaii!

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Download the SP2 Beta