As promised, Microsoft today has released Windows 7 SP1 (Service Pack 1) and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (Service Pack 1) to public as a free download.

The very final RTM bits of both Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 have managed to slip through and has landed into the wild just like the previous builds 7601.16537, 7601.16543 and 7601.16562. Build number for Windows 7 SP1 RTM is 7601.17514.win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850 which means that it was compiled on 19th November 2010.

As expected, Microsoft today at its Worldwide Partner Conference 2010 has announced the public availability of Windows 7 SP1 Beta, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta for users running the final RTM version of the respective operating systems.

The final bits of Windows Server 2008 R2 (RTM Build 7600.16385) are now up on MSDN and TechNet Plus. TechNet Plus and MSDN subscribers can now download and evaluate Windows Server 2008 R2 before the official public availability in October.

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the next version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft, building on the features and capabilities set of the current Windows Server 2008 release version.
Here are the screenshots from Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise x64 Release Candidate (Build 7100).

Here are some exclusive wallpapers for the upcoming Windows Server 2008 R2 aka Windows 7 Server internally. If you are like me testing a copy of Windows Server 2008 R2 then you would love to have these wallpapers on the desktop of your Server box!

We did a comprehensive review of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 when it was released back in August 2008. Not surprisingly, there is no major change since Beta 2. I did some testing of RC1 bits installed on Windows Vista Ultimate (x86) and my own impressions are that IE8 is indeed generally faster than Beta 2.

At this years CES, Microsoft not only unveiled Windows 7 Beta to the public but also released the beta version of their next Server Operating System – Windows Server 2008 R2 (internally known as Windows 7 Server).
Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the next version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft, building on the features and capabilities set of the current Windows Server 2008 release version.

Microsoft has released Windows Server 2008 evaluation VHD (Virtual Hard Drive) images for Hyper-V which as of now is available for download from Microsoft Download Center. VHD format is the common virtualization file format used by virtualization software’s from Microsoft like Virtual PC, Virtual Server 2005 and Hyper-V

Microsoft Update Catalog. Made for corporate environments, this service lets you download updates that can distributed over corporate networks and so on. These updates include software updates, drivers and hotfixes ( no Ultimate Extras though! ). The setup files of any individual selected update is downloaded which can then be installed manually.

Its time to check Windows Update again because just a few moments ago, Microsoft has released Windows Search 4.0 to Windows Update as Recommended update for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 based computers.. []