• Vista Service Pack 1 reached the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone but was delayed to mid-March. Microsoft is working with some hardware device manufacturers to solve issues with device functionality after SP1 RTM on Windows Vista PCs.
• Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management, said the problem is with the re-installation of device drivers during the SP1 update process, not the drivers themselves. New PCs with pre-installed Windows Vista SP1 don't have this issue.
• In response to tech community disappointment, Microsoft changed the SP1 release timeline. Beta testers were first to download the final release mainly due to their dedication and some already had it.
• Microsoft was worried about average users not being able to handle driver uninstall and reinstall. But after feedback, it realized there are technical customers (beyond beta testers) capable of solving small problems.
• The first users on Microsoft's list are those with volume licensing agreements. The software giant will make the English version available to them by the end of the week and other languages soon after. MSDN and TechNet Plus subscribers will receive SP1 RTM "later this month". For others, the release date is still in March to limit possible problems.
• Further reading: Windows Vista Team Blog: Windows Vista SP1 availability for technical customers