patndoris TechnoGeek

Starting today, Windows 7 users can install Service Pack 1.  Users should find it available in the Windows Update screen.  It’s pretty painless to install.  Microsoft has done a very nice roll-out on this one.

I use Microsoft Security Essentials as my anti-virus at home and I had no troubles whatsoever with the installation.  At work, we have Symantec Endpoint protection. Big surprise! (That was said tongue in cheek by the way.) Symantec did not play quite as nicely.  After one failed attempt at installation, I had to temporarily disable Symantec to install the Service Pack.  (While it’s never advisable to disable your anti-virus, it is remotely possible that you might need to do so during a major Service Pack update.  Only if the service pack fails to install would I recommend disabling your anti-virus solution.  And of course, as soon as the updates are installed you should immediately re-enable it.)

Service Packs range in download size, depending on how up to date you’ve kept your machine.  I’m pretty OCD about making sure I have all my critical and optional updates installed.  Even so, it took me about 30-40 minutes to download and install SP1.  If you have not kept up to date, or have a slower internet connection, you may find that it takes you significantly longer to install.  The download size will range between 750MB and 7400MB depending on the particular machine and previous updates installed.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Service Packs are important - primarily for security reasons.  Especially if you have not kept your computer fully up to date, this is definitely one you want to do.  There are also performance and stability enhancements included, but security is the main consideration as far as I’m concerned. 

Do not interrupt the installation once it starts.  The machine may reboot one or more times during the installation - this is normal.  Just wait - it will finish eventually.  There is a restore point created prior to the installation.  If for some reason SP1 cannot install successfully, it will roll back to the last restore point automatically. 

If you need more information on installing Windows 7 SP1 you can refer to the Microsoft Website.  They have a great page on learning about installing Windows 7 SP1.  Unless you have some odd problem that you need to clarify, I doubt you’ll need this reference.  It’s a pretty seamless installation.