Microsoft has released Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 RC (Release Candidate) to the general public for free download.

Windows Server 2008 / Windows Vista SP2 Release Candidate apply to people, organizations, and technical enthusiasts who are comfortable evaluating prerelease software. This prerelease software is provided for testing only. Installation of Service Pack 2 Release Candidate will result in Microsoft collecting information about the installation process, even if the installation is not completed. We recommend that you have a backup of your data before you install any prerelease software.

SP2 is an update to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 that addresses feedback from Microsoft customers and partners, and includes all previously released updates in addition to changes focused on addressing reliability and performance issues, supporting new kinds of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards.

 

Direct Download Links for Windows Vista SP2 RC and Windows Server SP2 RC (all languages edition)

Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 RC DVD-ISO (all x86/x64/ia64 versions inclusive): 6002.16670.090130-1715_iso_update_sp_wave1-RCSP2.1_DVD.iso (visit Microsoft Download Center)

Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 RC 32-bit (x86) Standalone: Windows6.0-KB948465-X86.exe (visit Microsoft Download Center)

Windows Vista and Server 2008 SP2 RC 64-bit (x64) Standalone: Windows6.0-KB948465-X64.exe (visit Microsoft Download Center)

Windows Server 2008 SP2 RC ia64 Stand-alone: Windows6.0-KB948465-IA64.exe (visit Microsoft Download Center)