Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 4, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Service Pack 2 contained improvements and updates from Microsoft and its hardware and software partners, while also incorporating customer feedback.
Benefits for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 included support for VIA Technologies’ 64-bit processors, Windows Search 4.0, optimized energy consumption, UTC timestamp support for the exFAT file system, Blu-ray media burning, drivers for ICCD and CCID smart-card readers, and expanded authentication options for the WebDAV Redirector.
Windows Vista also gained the Feature Pack for Wireless, Windows Media Center optimizations and fixes for Windows Media Player.
For Windows Server 2008, SP2 included the Hyper-V virtualization environment and improved backward compatibility for Terminal Server licence keys.
Users planning to obtain SP2 through Windows Update first needed to install the Servicing Stack Update KB955430, which affected the installation and removal of software updates, language packs and optional Windows features.
