Microsoft offers free support for Vista SP1 installs

By Suzanne Tindal
Special to CNET News.com Published: March 25, 2008 4:24 AM PDT

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Vista users encountering problems when they upgrade to Service Pack 1 can breathe easier: the company is giving away free support for those installing the service pack.

The transition to the service pack has not been problem-free for many users, some of whom have seen their computers fall into endless reboot cycles and struggled with broken applications after installing the upgrade.

Normally, only Windows Vista users who bought the retail product would be eligible for free support but, for SP1 installation, even users with an original-equipment-manufacturer copy of Vista on their computer can get Microsoft's help, according to the official Vista blog.

"We are offering free-of-charge support to anyone who is having issues installing Windows Vista SP1," Microsoft blogger Brandon Le Blanc said.

Unlimited installation and compatibility support is available at no charge until March 18, 2009, according to the Microsoft Service Pack 1 support site.

There are three options available under the free support plan for U.S. users: e-mail support, which will be answered within one business day; online chat, which has a current waiting time of around 40 minutes; and call, available only for users who have a software-assurance agreement, professional contract, TechNet subscription, or MSDN subscription, or for those who come under the Microsoft Partner Program.

Support will be handled on a case-by-case basis, a Microsoft spokesperson said, and the user will always be advised if costs are involved.

Whether enterprise customers will also receive support without cost will depend on their agreement, the spokesperson added.

Suzanne Tindal of ZDNet Australia reported from Sydney.

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 26 comments (Page 1 of 2)

a week late
by Ian Kirkland March 25, 2008 4:46 AM PDT: and useless. I know that Australia is in a different time zone to North America but surely it's not 7 days behind. This information is useless since the expiry date is a week ago! LOL!; Reply to this comment View all 2 replies
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How bad is an OS...
by umbrae March 25, 2008 6:20 AM PDT: That needs a special support extension/inclusion for a Service Pack (i.e. patches). Its kind of sad really. XP was almost a renaissance for Microsoft: a fairly stable OS that seemed well accepted. Although every release has its problems, XP did much better than Vista has done so far. MS should have really tried to continue improving XP than releasing such garbage. Hopefully, Singularity will turn out better and not be affected by the con-job Vista crew.; Reply to this comment View reply
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In other words, I need a working computer to get support
by ElMartino1 March 25, 2008 6:41 AM PDT: if I don't have a contract already in place. That's simply ridiculous. Perhaps by Feb 2009, my BIOS will have Windows Live built in. ~sarcasm~; Reply to this comment

It's like a warning label....
by mreiher March 25, 2008 6:42 AM PDT: WARNING! Now that you've spent months getting Vista to run in some fashion, installing VISTA SP1 may (or will) cause many of your existing applications to fail or not operate properly. At Microsoft, we understand your pain (as we're experiencing it too) so we're offering free Technical Support to help reduce your days of frustration down to several hours on the phone with someone out of the country. We do this because we care and we don't want to be sued (again) for releasing software that is just not ready for prime time - even if it is months late. "Beta Late" than never! P.S. Bill has stepped down as CEO, please forward all hate mail to Mr. Ballmer.; Reply to this comment View reply
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Direct Evidence of Defective Windows Vista
by magicmaster March 25, 2008 6:48 AM PDT: A working Windows XP proves itself a reliable companion. Although the interface is not as fancy by today's standard, the stablity has conviced me to wait. Why bother when Windows Vista still looked like a nightly build?; Reply to this comment View reply
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Mine When Fine!
by cross platform March 25, 2008 7:05 AM PDT: I did have to call MS about a strange problem oof the installation making a hidden file show up on the desktop. It didn't take long to fix. I think the problems are more about the installer than the OS!; Reply to this comment View all 2 replies
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VISTA SP1 MAY SIMPLY NEED A DOCTOR.
by FO-FI_FO_454 March 25, 2008 1:25 PM PDT: May I suggest my Medicare Advantage Plan: Click: http://www.vistahealthplan.com/ Thank you for this opportunity to TALK BACK. TTFN From WW2 and our British allies - TA TA FOR NOW.; Reply to this comment

Vista SP1 Instaled fine
by dbmrn March 25, 2008 1:28 PM PDT: Vista SP1 installed fine on all 3 of my machines and it has helped make them all faster. Even my new laptop which developed a glitch, on startup it would freeze temporarily, after installing one of the mandatory pre-SP1 updates started booting up just fine after installing SP1. It's faster than ever now.; Reply to this comment

Vista Working Great
by hvoss10 March 25, 2008 7:15 PM PDT: Installed ok with no problems. I have Vista Ultimate, although I had to install the Fix for Space Cadet Pinball, no other problems.; Reply to this comment

Any chance you might mention.....
by DougXD March 26, 2008 4:09 AM PDT: ......that SP's for Windows have ALWAYS received free support? Another example of sensationalized blogging. Get your story straight!!!!; Reply to this comment

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