After sending out invites to test Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 last week, Microsoft has given its beta testers their first build of SP1. The build number is 7601.16562.100603-1800, meaning it was compiled on June 3, 2010 at 6pm, according to the German enthusiast website WinFuture. The last build that we got wind of leaked in May, and was compiled on April 21, 2010. Broader testing of SP1 should begin later next month.

-arstechnica

Mirrors are as follows:

32 Bit , torrent ~ 64 Bit: Part1 & Part2 , torrent

Updated mirrors may be found in comments section of RLSLOG

Changelog below:

Changes specific to Windows 7
 Additional support for communication with third-party federation  services:
 · Additional support has been added to allow Windows 7 clients to  effectively communicate with third-party identity federation services  (those supporting the WS-Federation passive profile protocol). This  change enhances platform interoperability, and improves the ability to  communicate identity and authentication information between  organizations.
 Improved HDMI audio device performance:
 · A small percentage of users have reported issues in which the  connection between computers running Windows 7 and HDMI audio devices  can be lost after system reboots. Updates have been incorporated into  SP1 to ensure that connections between Windows 7 computers and HDMI  audio devices are consistently maintained.
 Corrected behavior when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents:
 · Prior to the release of SP1, some customers have reported difficulty  when printing mixed-orientation XPS documents (documents containing  pages in both portrait and landscape orientation) using the XPS Viewer,  resulting in all pages being printed entirely in either portrait or  landscape mode. This issue has been addressed in SP1, allowing users to  correctly print mixed-orientation documents using the XPS Viewer.
 Changes common to both client and server platforms:
 · Change to behavior of “Restore previous folders at logon”  functionality
 · SP1 changes the behavior of the “Restore previous folders at logon”  function available in the Folder Options Explorer dialog. Prior to SP1,  previous folders would be restored in a cascaded position based on the  location of the most recently active folder. That behavior changes in  SP1 so that all folders are restored to their previous positions.
 Enhanced support for additional identities in RRAS and IPsec:
 · Support for additional identification types has been added to the  Identification field in the IKEv2 authentication protocol. This allows  for a variety of additional forms of identification (such as E-mail ID  or Certificate Subject) to be used when performing authentication using  the IKEv2 protocol.
 Support for Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX):
 · There has always been a growing need for ever more computing power and  as usage models change, processors instruction set architectures evolve  to support these growing demands. Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) is a  256 bit instruction set extension for processors. AVX is designed to  allow for improved performance for applications that are floating point  intensive. Support for AVX is a part of SP1 to allow applications to  fully utilize the new instruction set and register extensions.
 · Changes specific to Windows Server 2008 R2
 Dynamic Memory:
 · Constraints on the allocation of physical memory represents one of the  greatest challenges organizations face as they adopt new virtualization  technology and consolidate their infrastructure. With Dynamic Memory,  an enhancement to Hyper-V™ introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1,  organizations can now make the most efficient use of available physical  memory, allowing them to realize the greatest possible potential from  their virtualization resources. Dynamic Memory allows for memory on a  host machine to be pooled and dynamically distributed to virtual  machines as necessary. Memory is dynamically added or removed based on  current workloads, and is done so without service interruption.
 Microsoft RemoteFX:
 · Businesses are increasingly looking to leverage the efficiency and  cost savings that can come from a virtualized desktop infrastructure.  With the addition of Microsoft RemoteFX in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, a  new set of remote user experience capabilities that enable a media-rich  user environment for virtual desktops, session-based desktops and  remote applications is introduced. Harnessing the power of virtualized  graphics resources, RemoteFX can be deployed to a range of thick and  thin client devices, enabling cost-effective, local-like access to  graphics-intensive applications and a broad array of end user  peripherals, improving productivity of remote users.
 · RemoteFX can function independently from specific graphics stacks and  supports any screen content, including today’s most advanced  applications and rich content (including Silverlight and Adobe Flash),  ensuring that end users maintain a rich, local-like desktop experience  even in a virtualized thin-client environment.
 · RemoteFX also adds mainstream USB device support to virtual desktop  computing, including support for USB drives, cameras and PDAs connected  to the client device. RemoteFX also provides a platform for hardware and  software partners to enhance RemoteFX capabilities in a variety of  possible host, client and network configurations.
 · To use RemoteFX, the virtualization server must be running Windows  Server 2008 R2 with SP1, the virtual machine must be running Windows 7  Enterprise with SP1 or Windows 7 Ultimate with SP1, and the remote  client computer must be running either Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1  or Windows 7 with SP1. To connect to the virtual machine, the remote  client computer requires an updated version of Remote Desktop Services  (included in the service pack for all editions of Windows 7).
 Enhancements to scalability and high availability when using  DirectAccess:
 · DirectAccess is a new feature in the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008  R2 operating systems that gives users the experience of being  seamlessly connected to their corporate network any time they have  Internet access. In Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, improvements have been  made to enhance scalability and high availability when using  DirectAccess, through the addition of support for 6to4 and ISATAP  addresses when using DirectAccess in conjunction with Network Load  Balancing (NLB).
 Support for Managed Service Accounts (MSAs) in secure branch office  scenarios:
 · SP1 enables enhanced support for managed service accounts (MSAs) to be  used on domain-member services located in perimeter networks (also  known as DMZs or extranets).
 Support for increased volume of authentication traffic on domain  controllers connected to high-latency networks:
 · As a greater volume of IT infrastructure migrates to cloud-based  services, there is a need for higher thresholds of authentication  traffic to domain controllers located on high-latency networks (such as  the public Internet). SP1 allows for more granular control of the  maximum number of possible concurrent connections to a domain  controller, enabling a greater degree of performance tuning for service  providers.
 Enhancements to Failover Clustering with Storage:
 · SP1 enables enhanced support for how Failover Clustering works with  storage that is not visible for all cluster nodes. In SP1, improvements  have been made to the Cluster Validation and multiple Failover Cluster  Manager wizards to allow workloads to use disks that are shared between a  subset of cluster nodes.

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.POST-RTM.7700.X64.RETAIL.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT

FILE: 7700.0.100122-1900_x64fre_client_en-us-GRMCXFRE_EN_DVD.iso

SIZE: 3,231,166,464 byte

SHA1: C0CB719B781D49B39D8CC93A27F990A366B8E4C7

MD5: EBEB8AEC73339536564D26DB584A9474

CRC: B3F323D6

On January 30th a supposed leaked Microsoft roadmap made its way to the internet suggesting that Windows 2008 is geared for a 2011 launch.

Neowin’s Tom Warren has speculated that the jump from 7600 to 7700 may suggest some kind of early milestone towards the Windows 8 alpha and beta stage.

Temporarily bypass Reduced Functionality to rescue your files and operating system capabilities and pave the way for a clean, genuine, windows install.

On the Windows Activation, click on Access your computer with reduced functionality option.

Once the Internet Explorer loads, click on File on menu bar and then select Open on the pull-down menu.

On the Open dialog window, type in C:\Windows\Explorer.exe and then click OK.

Click OK button on “IE needs to open a new window to open this webpage” confirmation prompt.

Click Run button on “File Download – Security Warning” dialog prompt.

Click on Run button on “File Download – Security Warning” warning dialog related to unknown and not verified publisher.

User shell will load, and the desktop, taskbar, start menu and etc will be restored.

The computer has recovered from Reduced Functionality for this session. To permanently stop RFM to happen again, Windows has to be rearmed.

Click on the Windows Start button.

Type Cmd in Start Search box.

A program shortcut will show up in the Start panel search results. Right click on the shortcut and select Run as Administrator.

In the Command Prompt window, type in the following command and then hit Enter: slmgr.vbs -rearm

Restart your computer.

Not only unsupported, Mobility Radeons are further crippled by their drivers. Laptop distributors (HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc) limit the clocks on the bundled video cards and restrict access to the GPU BIOS. There are a number of logical reasons behind this, namely warranty overheating issues.

There are a number of ways to work around these restrictions, the best likely being a BIOS mod, as it would allow fluent clock changing through ATT, or other programs. However, some GPUs have their BIOS read and write protected, making the process rather futile.

Another, simpler, method is using a specific driver version. 8.9 and 8.10 Catalysts allow you to overclock when used in conjunction with AMD GPU Clock Tool.

So before we begin, these are the ingredients you want:

*optional components

To begin, uninstall your current drivers. If you have the Catalyst bundle installed, go to control panel, remove programs, ATI uninstall – remove CCC, Install manager, and Display Driver, reboot.

If you are running Windows 7, load up DSEO and enable Testing Mode, reboot computer.

If you do not have an ATI entry to uninstall in remove programs then head over to device manager (Run “devmgmt.msc”), select your display adapter, right click on it and select uninstall. Your screen will probably flash.

At this point you have the option of booting into safe mode, by pressing f8 repeatedly in between bios loading screen and the windows logo, and running Driver Sweeper to wipe all traces of ATI from your computer.

When this is done boot back to windows and extract the 8.10 drivers you just downloaded. Now run Mobility Modder, point it to the ATI directory that was created, and click Modify.

For Windows 7, there is an extra step. Skip this if you are not running Win7.

Locate atikmdag.sy_ in the ATI folder, use

DSEO to sign the file.

Now go back to device manager by running devmgmt.msc , select your display adapter, and press Update Driver. Navigate to Browse fo r File, Pick from list of drivers, select Have Disk, navigate to the ATI directory which was created *\ATI\Packages\Drivers\Display\LH6A_INF and press OK.

You may be prompted whether you wish to install an unsigned driver, press yes. If you have Windows 7, you have one more step. Use DSEO to s ign the “atikmdag.sys” in your /windows/system32/drivers folder. Now you can reboot.

When windows boots back up, you can use the AMD GPU Clock Tool to change your clocks.

When installing ATT, make sure to check Disable Overclocking, as it will not function properly. Read these notes if installing ATT on Windows 7.

To download Ray Adam’s Ati Tray Tools click the link below.:

DOWNLOAD:

• Ati Tray Tools v1.6.9.1486

As stated earlier, Windows 7 requires digitally signed drivers. This is a bummer if you want to run an awesome application like ATT rather than crappy CCC. The fix, as you may have guessed, relies on DSEO. Download it, run it, agree to prompts, enable TEST MODE, and reboot.
Following the reboot, install ATT but do not launch it. Instead, head over to its installation directory and locate atitray64.sys and atitray.sys – these are the unsigned drivers.

Launch DSEO, select sign a system file, and manually enter atitray.sys and press ok. Do this one more time for atitray64.sys Now you can run ATT without problems.

Files:

Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider

Ati Tray Tools

Because Windows 7 requires digitally signed drivers PG2 will not work out of the box. But the information provided on PG2’s instruction page is outdated pertaining to the RC. The solution?

Check out our guide to an alternative solution.

Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider – a program by NGOHQ for dealing with this pesky annoyance. The recipe requires two ingredients: DSEO and pg2-rc1-test2.exe – Firstly you must enable TEST MODE in DSEO, and reboot your computer. Following the reboot, install PG2, but do not launch it; instead, navigate to its install folder (C:\Program Files\PeerGuardian2) where you will see “pgfilter.sys”. This is the unsigned driver, to sign it use DSEO’s sign file option, manually add the path for pgfilter.sys, and press OK. Now type “bcdedit /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS” in th e run box (start>run) without quotes. Now you can launch PG2 with no problems!

If you find yourself having to redo these steps every time you launch PG, check out Vista RC Loader.

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