Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1 CTP

The first service pack (SP1) for Windows Embedded Standard 7 was released as a community technology preview (CTP) in Dec. 2010. Embedded Standard, a componentized version of Windows 7, is designed for building a small, customized OS image for embedding in devices such as thin client workstations. Embedded Standard 7 SP1, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2011, is built on the joint service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, currently at the release candidate stage, but SP1 for Embedded Standard 7 also includes some fixes and updates specific to Embedded.

Inherited Fixes and Improved Graphics

According to a Knowledge Base article released with the beta of the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, the first service pack for the last version of Windows client and server OSs will include more than 450 fixes to address compatibility, performance, reliability, and user experience bugs and improvements, as well as more than 24 security updates previously released through Windows Update. Because of the combined Windows code base, approximately 80% of the fixes apply to both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The remaining 20% are equally split between fixes exclusive to the client, such as those addressing Media Center bugs, and fixes exclusive to the server, such as those for Hyper-V. Most of the Windows 7 SP1 fixes and improvements will also apply to Embedded.