On February 4, 2008, Microsoft announced that Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista had hit the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone, but it would not be available for public consumption until sometime in March due to certain driver issues. Microsoft has actually already given some users SP1, which is no different than RC Refresh 2, but the Release to Web (RTW) is still in the works. Assuming Microsoft fixes the prerequisite update issue in time, the exact date for the SP1 Release to Web is reportedly March 18, 2008.

Microsoft has emphasized that certain systems will not be able to receive SP1 because of drivers that could cause problems but, once updates for the problematic drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update. Only then will the user have the option to install SP1, if he or she so chooses.

Initially, SP1 will be available for manual download on Windows Update and the download center in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese. It will take until April for the remaining languages to hit Windows Update; at that point, SP1 will be pushed automatically to PCs. Tech ARP claims that the remaining languages will hit on April 9 while the automatic push will begin on or after April 18. Users who do not want SP1 should disable the automatic installation of updates before this date.