Windows Vista SP2 baulks if SP1 is not present

Posted on By Mark Wilson

For as long as I can remember, Windows service packs have been cumulative – i.e. if you install the most recent service pack, it includes the earlier ones. Unfortunately, Microsoft has broken that model with Windows Vista and Server 2008 service pack 2 and it won’t install on a Vista computer until you have installed service pack 1.

Windows Vista SP2 baulks if SP1 is not presentWhether this is a technicality from the single service pack being applicable to both client and server editions of Windows or because Microsoft has a new approach to service packs is yet to be seen.

At least Windows Server 2008 administrators will find life a little easier as service pack 1 was integrated into the RTM release of that operating system.

Quick tip for opening Microsoft Office files without installing Office

Posted on By Mark Wilson

From time to time, I find myself working on a server and thinking it would be useful to be able to open a document and, whilst WordPad usually manages to open enough of a Word document for me to get by, sometimes I need to open a spreadsheet – and this is what happened a few minutes ago when I was checking to see if a couple of hotfixes were included in Windows Server 2008 service pack 2.

Microsoft publishes this information as an Excel spreadsheet, which is all very well if I want to open it on my PC, but doesn’t help if I’m working directly on a server (which is unlikely to have any Office applications installed).

This is where my Office Live Workspace came in handy. I uploaded the file to my online Documents workspace and, within a few seconds, I was able to preview it (including searching for the relevant hotfix numbers), without having to go and find a computer with Excel installed.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace opening an Excel spreadsheet