After making them available to TechNet subscribers last month, Microsoft has released betas of Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to the general public.
This is the same version of the update that was previously released, so don't expect any new features or fixes. In fact, users of the company's consumer OS who have been keeping up with the monthly security updates won't see any notable changes at all. Windows 7 SP1 is largely a collection of fixes and updates previously made available through Windows Update.
Server users will of course get all of the patches, but will see a few new features as well. The most important are dynamic memory support for virtual machines and the introduction of RemoteFX for enhanced desktop virtualisation.
Documentation detailing all of the changes and included updates can be downloaded from the company's support site.
For those interested, beta releases of both Service Packs are available now from Microsoft TechNet in English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. Unlike the previous round of availability, no registration is needed unless you need guided support.
