Today Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 to the general public. A service pack (referred to in short as ‘SP’) is a way of delivering to users a collection of updates, fixes and/or enhancements to a software program in the form of a single installable package. It is usually delivered through the Windows Update feature that runs automatically in the background of the Windows operating system.

As of February 22, 2011, Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 is available to the general public from the Microsoft Service Pack Center. Windows 7 SP1 includes previously released security, performance, and stability updates, plus some improvements to features and services.

Microsoft suggests that individuals let the normal Windows update system handle installation of the service pack, however, you can download the file and install it manually. Although the stated time for the install is around 30 minutes, initial reports from early upgraders are that it can take much more time. I’ve seen a few reports claiming about an hour. Of course the speed of the computer and the Internet connection/download speed can have an affect the time required. And you will have to reboot the computer during the process.

If you install SP1 using Microsoft Update, you will need anywhere from 750MB to 1,050MB of available disk space storage to complete the installation procedure. If downloading SP1 from the Microsoft website or installing SP1 using an installation DVD, you will need anywhere from 750MB to 7,400MB of available disk space, so plan accordingly. If you have a pre-release version of SP1 installed, you will have to uninstall it before you install the latest version.

Also note that some antivirus software will prevent SP1 from being installed properly, so you may want to temporarily turn off your antivirus while the installation takes place.