Microsoft rolls out Vista patches

Microsoft has released two updates for Windows Vista.

One update deals with the performance and reliability of Vista, while the other deals with the compatibility and reliability of the operating system.

The first update, dealing with various problems with performance and reliability in Vista, fixes a glitch which means that, if User Account Control is disabled on the computer, a user cannot install a network printer successfully.

The patch also addresses problems with file transfer 'estimated time remaining' speeds, offline file corruption during synchronisation to a server and memory-leak and management problems.

Compatibility and reliability bugs are addressed in the second update, which mostly concerns video problems. A situation where the screen may go blank when a user tries to upgrade the video driver has been addressed, as has a problem with the screen going blank after an external display device connected to the computer is turned off.

The problem can occur when a projector is turned off during a presentation, according to text supplied by Microsoft with the update.

Users must validate their version of Vista with Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) - a Microsoft mechanism to protect against the illegal copying of its software - to receive the updates.

At the time of writing Microsoft could not confirm reports that the updates would be included in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), which is due out later this year. However, the company did say that the updates will be "broadly available via Windows Update in the near future".

Microsoft also confirmed that pre-beta code for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 had been distributed to testers.

Tom Espiner writes for ZDNet UK