Microsoft last week started distributing an initial beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to around “12,000+ private beta testers.” This is anticipated to be the first step toward a long awaited final release, expected sometime during the first quarter of 2008.

According to the Microsoft white paper and subsequent blog postings on the official Vista blog, Vista SP1 will feature a roll-up of fixes released so far and security improvements, like upgrades to BitLocker drive encryption. DreamScene is not available in the Windows Vista SP1 Beta; however, it will be made available with a later release of SP1.

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