Windows 7 SP1 Build 6.1.7601.16537 v.153

Service Pack 1 is a natural step in the evolution of Windows operating systems, and SP1 for Windows 7 makes no exception to this rule. Just as it was the case with the service packs for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the first SP for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will upgrade both platforms. However, customers must be aware of the fact that Microsoft has promised to deliver nothing more than a minor upgrade for the latest iteration of its Windows client and server operating systems. Not that Windows 7 RTM needs SP1 to be ready for adoption, with corporations such as Intel already upgrading thousands of seats to Build 7600, and breaking the mold of waiting for the first service pack before they upgrade.


Although Windows 7 SP1 had been cooking for quite some time, it was only in mid-March 2010 that Microsoft started sharing the first details related to the update. The move signaled the proximity of the service pack’s first public release, although the Redmond company did not give any indication as to when it planned to offer a Beta development milestone to users for testing. This doesn’t, of course, mean that early adopters are not already running previews of Windows 7 SP1.

In fact, one of these releases, Windows 7 SP1 Build 6.1.7601.16537 v.153, allegedly a Beta Build, has made its way into the wild and is offered for download by various illegal third-party sources. Microsoft has yet to confirm or to deny the validity of the leaked bits, which ended up on torrent trackers and warez websites, and for which I will not be providing any links.


Leaks inevitably accompany the development process of a new Windows release, especially as testing bits are served to early adopters outside of Microsoft. But then again, the company can’t rely exclusively on dogfooding for the testing of products of Windows’ size (or for service-pack releases, for that matter), and certainly not considering the impact that the OS delivers worldwide.