Microsoft has just released the first service pack for Windows 7 and it’s available for download. Interested users can get it by downloading it from the official site, through Windows Update, or by ordering the installation DVD.

From the official site, here’s what’s included:

“Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is an important update that includes previously released security, performance, and stability updates for Windows 7. SP1 also includes new improvements to features and services in Windows 7, such as improved reliability when connecting to HDMI audio devices, printing using the XPS Viewer, and restoring previous folders in Windows Explorer after restarting.”

Installation takes less than an hour and you’ll have to reboot your computer.

Microsoft has sent out a warning of a vulnerability found in the 64-bit Windows 7. The vulnerability was found in cdd.dll or Windows Canonical Display Driver on 64-bit systems of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that have the Aero theme installed. Since this is the default on most Windows 7 systems, we’re talking of a lot of possible victims.

Microsoft’s security advisory stated:

“If exploited, it would likely cause the affected system to stop responding and restart. Code execution, while possible in theory, would be very difficult due to memory randomization both in kernel memory and via Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR).”

The advisory suggests users disable the Aero theme to prevent possible exploits. The next scheduled security update is slated for early June so disabling the theme in question is the best option for now.

If you’re one of those who miss XP’s start menu, don’t worry. There’s a free and easy way to fix that problem. Classic Shell will bring back XP’s start menu to Windows, add a toolbar to Windows Explorer, and bring back the XP look in the folder view. Let’s take a look:

This is not only a good way to test if your computer can handle it, but also as a means of seeing which of your applications are compatible with the latest version. If you’re just curious about the eye candy, using the trial version will let you play around with all of it.

There’s a limit to the number of downloads available so get your copy while supply lasts.

For more in-depth observations, check out Ed Bott’s article mentioned above. Let’s take a look at some of the screens Ed provided in his post.

The user interface seems to have a smoother feel compared to Vista and we’re sure that there are numerous improvements with regard to the OS performance itself. If you’re wondering about driver compatibility issues, take a look at Ed’s post.

If Windows 7 turns out to be just a fixed version of Vista, we’re pretty sure users would get it without hesitation. As it looks, Windows 7 is what should have been released instead of Vista.

Windows XP and Vista users who are wanting to upgrade won’t have to wait too long. Microsoft has announced the release date of the next version of Windows along with the prices for different versions.

The release date for Windows 7 is set for October 22 so those of you testing out the release candidate know how much longer you’ll have to wait. Windows 7 will be available in 14 languages at launch: Japanese, Korean, English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Russian, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Chinese (Hong Kong). Other languages will be added on the 31st of October.

Windows 7 Home will go for $119 and Windows 7 Pro will cost you $199. Will Microsoft decrease the price scheme as the launch date nears? We’ll see.

MokaFive comes with Linux XP by default so you get to try out Linux right off the bat. Want to try out Windows 7? No problem. The MokaFive Lab offers various operating systems for download which saves you the hassle of looking for ones you want on different sites.

You can download Windows 7, Ubuntu, various versions of DOS, and a lot more.

MokaFive runs on Windows XP SP2, Vista, and Mac OSX 10.4 with VMWare Fusion installed.

Windows 7

Most Windows users are no doubt waiting for the next incarnation of their operating system. For some, the wait is even more painful due to the fact that their current computer might not be able to run the next OS version.

If you’re one of those who want to know if you’ll need a new computer to run the next Windows, the following application will help you find out.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft will analyze your computer and check to see if there are any compatibility issues. It will even notify you if you need to upgrade certain drivers and tell you where  to get them.

Just make sure that all the devices that you normally use are connected to your computer during the evaluation. Basically, if you can run Windows Vista, you’ll be able to run Windows 7 as well.

The upgrade advisor will send information about your computer back to Microsoft.