FILEnetworks Blog

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (Beta) Standalone Direct Download Links

Posted: 06 Dec 2008 05:55 AM CST

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) Beta has been available for Microsoft Technet subscribers and MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) subscribers for a while now. With the public direct download links given below, regular users too can now experience the beta version of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (KB948465). From what I have gathered, some (not all) of the new features in Vista SP2 include Bluetooth 2.1 feature pack, ability to record/read data on new Blu-Ray media, Windows Connect Now (WCN), Windows Search 4, Vista feature pack for Wireless, support for new form factors and so on. Additionally, SP2 includes all security and reliability updates released for Vista up to now and includes a number of new reliability and security enhancements as well.

Developer Description

Windows Vista introduces a breakthrough user experience and is designed to help you feel confident in your ability to view, find, and organize information and to control your computing experience.
The visual sophistication of Windows Vista helps streamline your computing experience by refining common window elements so you can better focus on the content on the screen rather than on how to access it. The desktop experience is more informative, intuitive, and helpful. And new tools bring better clarity to the information on your computer, so you can see what your files contain without opening them, find applications and files instantly, navigate efficiently among open windows, and use wizards and dialog boxes more confidently.

Download

Before you download, make sure you have an English, French, German, Japanese or Spanish Windows Vista installation. These updates will not work for any other localized versions of Vista. Also, keep in mind that this is BETA software.

Note : All download links given below are direct links from official Microsoft servers (no 3rd party links). Note that SP2 beta is compatible with both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Service Pack 2 standalone installer for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 32-Bit (X86) [Download Description] [Direct Download Link] – 434MB

Service Pack 2 standalone installer for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 64-Bit (x64) [Download Description] [Direct Download Link] – 726MB

Service Pack 2 DVD ISO for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 32-bit (x86) and 64-Bit (x64) [Download Description] [Direct Download Link] – 1229MB

[Click Here] to view full release notes for Windows Vista Service Pack 2

[Click Here] to view a complete list of hotfixes and security updates included with Windows Vista Service Pack 2

nVIDIA releases GTA 4 optimized display drivers (180.84) – Download

Posted: 06 Dec 2008 02:27 AM CST

If you were disappointed with Grand Theft Auto 4 performance on your nVIDIA display adapter, here is some good news. nVIDIA have released a set of drivers specifically designed to enhance Grand Theft Auto 4 game play performance on nVIDIA hardware. The new drivers carry version number 180.84.

These drivers are compatible with Geforce 7,8,9 and Geforce 200 series hardware. If you were getting crappy framerates with your high end nVIDIA display adapter, give these a go. However I do not know how the new drivers will affect the performance of other games present on your system. And note that v180.84 are beta drivers.

Download

Although v180.84 drivers have been released, nVIDIA's official driver download page still lists the older v180.48 drivers as the 'latest available'. 180.84 can however be downloaded from n-Zone. We have included below direct download links obtained from n-Zone for your convenience:

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AVG Internet Security 8.0 + Updates for 10 Years

Posted: 06 Dec 2008 01:52 AM CST

AVG Internet Security 8.0 is an integrated set of security products developed by AVG Technologies (formerly Grisoft). It provides all around protection for your PC with an Anti-Virus scanner, Anti Spyware/Anti-Rootkit software, Antispam application, a software firewall, and an online security component (webshield). I personally have not used this product but judging by online reviews and forum posts, there are quite a lot of AVG fans. Version 8.0 is the latest version of AVG Internet Security. Check it out.

Developer Description

Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Spam, Web Protection & Firewall; Comprehensive protection for Windows against all online threats from the world's most trusted security company. Use the Internet with confidence in your home or small office.

Main Features

Easy to download, install and use
Protection against all Internet threats
Real-time security while you surf and chat online
Top-quality protection that does not slow your system down
Free support and service around the clock and across the globe
Compatible with Windows Vista and Windows XP

Spirit Tracker – History/Documentary/Educational torrent tracker signups open

Posted: 05 Dec 2008 12:31 PM CST

Spirit Tracker (SpT) is a private torrent tracker that has a lot of content related to History, Education, Religion and various other topics. It actually is a general tracker but a lot of focus has been given to the aforementioned subjects (we had a hard time figuring out which category to place this tracker on). Most of the content on Spirit Tracker is unique and usually not found on any other BitTorrent sites out there.

Spirit Tracker is a pretty rare and an unknown tracker with only about 1000 registered members. But it sure does track a wealth of information. There are over 2000 torrents of E-Books, Audiobooks, Video/Audio documentaries, movies and TV Shows on a wide range of subjects such as history, education, religion, kids, military and so on (It's difficult to explain everything in a single post). They have a lot of packs as well (Discovery/BBC/History Channel documentary packs, Movie packs, TV Show packs, etc). The community on Spirit Tracker is great- there are a lot of friendly and very active users. You get 1GB upload credit upon signup and you need to keep a global ratio of 0.5 or above. They have seed hour bonuses which will no doubt help a lot in maintaining a healthy ratio.

Spirit Tracker opens signups periodically when inactive accounts are deleted. Usually this leaves only 2-3 open spots at any given time. However, they seem to have done a cleanup right now and there are close to 150 spots available. If you hurry, you may get in before the signups close again.

Site Name: Spirit Tracker (SpT)

Signup URL: http://www.spirit-tracker.org/signup.php

Private Tracker Watch : Tang Soo Do – For UFC and MMA torrents - Signups open

Posted: 05 Dec 2008 09:00 AM CST

Some good news for fans of UFC and other MMA events. Tang Soo Do (TSD) is a private torrent tracker which specializes in MMA related torrents. You can find videos/TV shows, E-books, guides and tutorials related to MMA events on this tracker. With over 16000 users and 2200+ active torrents, TSD is one of the best MMA trackers around.

We have posted a detailed review of this tracker before. For signup URLs, category details and screenshots, please refer to the full review located here.