How to obtain the latest Windows Vista service pack

Method 1: Turn on Automatic Updates

Click here to watch the video The best way to make sure that you receive the latest Windows Vista service pack is to turn on the automatic updating feature.

To turn on the automatic updating feature, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2. In the navigation pane, click Change settings.
3. Select the Windows automatic updating setting that you want. If you are not sure which setting to select, follow these guidelines. Otherwise, go to step 4:
   • Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them: Click for details
     
     We recommend that you select this option. Simply click to select the day and the time for scheduled updates to occur. You can schedule Automatic Updates for any time of day, but your computer must be on at the scheduled time for updates to be installed.
   • Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them: Click for details
     
     With this option selected, Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your Internet connection to automatically download updates from the Windows Update Web site or from the Microsoft Update Web site. An icon appears in the notification area of your taskbar when the updates are being downloaded. When the download is complete, a message appears in the notification area. Click the Automatic Updates icon or the message. If you do not want to install a downloaded update, click Details, and then click to clear the check box next to that update to decline it. Click Install to install the selected updates.
   • Notify me but don't automatically download or install them: Click for details
     
     Windows recognizes when you are online and uses your Internet connection to search for downloads from the Windows Update Web site or from the Microsoft Update Web site. An Automatic Updates icon and message appear in the notification area of your taskbar when new updates are available to download or to install. Click the icon or the message to view the updates. If you do not want to download a selected update, click to clear the check box next to that update to decline it. Click Start Download to download the selected updates. The Automatic Updates icon remains in the notification area of your taskbar while the updates are being downloaded. You can point to the icon to view the download status. To pause or to resume the download, right-click the icon, and then click Pause or Resume. When the download is complete, another message appears in the notification area to inform you that the updates are ready to install. Click the Automatic Updates icon or the message, and then click Install to install the updates.
   • Never check for updates (not recommended):
     Do not select this option.
4. Click to select the Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates check box, and then click OK.
   
   
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   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

If the latest Windows Vista service pack was not installed successfully, try

Method 3 .

Note Before you can install Windows Vista SP2, you must install Windows Vista SP1. If you have not installed Windows Vista SP1, Automatic Updates will not install Windows Vista SP2. Click here to download SP1.

Method 2: Check for updates on Windows Update

Although Automatic Updates can automatically install updates for you, you can also do this manually.

To manually check Windows Update for updates, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2. In the navigation pane, click Check for updates.
3. After Windows Update has finished checking for updates, click View available updates.
4. Click to select the check boxes for the updates that you want to install, and then click Install.
   
   
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   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.

If the latest Windows Vista service pack was not installed successfully, try Method 3.

Note Before you can install Windows Vista SP2, you must install Windows Vista SP1. If you have not installed Windows Vista SP1, Windows Update will not install Windows Vista SP2. Click here to download SP1.

Method 3: Obtain the latest Windows Vista service pack from the Microsoft Download Center

Important Before you install Windows Vista SP2 from the Download Center, follow these steps:

• Make sure that you have installed Windows Vista SP1. 
  
  SP1 is a prerequisite for SP2. Click here to download SP1.
• Recommended: Install the latest updates for Windows from the Windows Update site or click here (https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/results.aspx?pocID=&freetext=950127) to install the update for Ks.sys from Microsoft Web site.
• Check whether your computer is running the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. If you know this information, go to the " Downloads " section. If you are unsure about which version is running on your computer, click Start, right-click Computer and click Properties. The system type is listed under System. 

Downloads

Note If your language version of Windows Vista is English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish (Traditional), install the Five Language Standalone package. The Five Language Standalone package is smaller than the All Language Standalone package and therefore is faster to download. If your language version of Windows Vista is not English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish (Traditional), you might want to install the All Language Standalone package.

Click to download different versions of Windows Vista Service Pack 2

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Click to download different versions of Windows Vista Service Pack 1

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Release notes for the Windows Vista SP1

For more information about what is fixed in Windows Vista Service Pack 1, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For more information about a problem that may occur when you use this method, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The current service pack for Windows Vista is Service Pack 2.

This information is primarily intended to help IT professionals and corporate helpdesks support and maintain company computer systems.

Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Vista SP2 include previously released hotfixes and security updates. For more information about the previously released hotfixes and security updates that are included in these service packs, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: