Those who have been using Windows PCs for a long time are familiar with Service Packs, those very large updates that include all the security patches and updates that correct system bugs. Service packs are released, on PCs not yet updated, through the Windows Update service.
The last Service Pack released with this name actually dates back to 2011, with Service Pack 1 for Windows 7.
Subsequently, Microsoft stopped releasing Service Pack instead preferring a different update strategy, which is not only a collection of patches, but that changes its version to the system in use.
We therefore saw that Windows 8.1 (released via the App Store) was released for Windows 8 and, recently, that for Windows 10 a new build called the November Update was released.
However you call them, Microsoft has published a web page with all the links to download Service Packs and build updates for each version of Windows, for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8 and 10 .
The official web page with links to directly download Windows Service Packs is at this address: //windows.microsoft.com/it-it/windows/service-packs-download .
You will then find the links to download and install:
- Windows XP Service Pack 3 (essential to take advantage of the trick to still receive updates on XP until 2019)
- Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista (which I have never talked about in this blog
- Windows 7 Service Pack 1 .
- Windows 7 Service Pack 2 update 2016 (which does not include service pack 1 but all patches from 2011 to May 2016)
- The upgrade to Windows 8.1 for Windows 8
- Update 1 for Windows 8.1
- For the moment there is still nothing of Windows 10, for which, remember, a service pack has not been released, but just a new version Windows 10 version 1607, released via Windows Update or to download and install manually also from zero.
The version number 1607 is nothing more than an indication of the year and month of release (year 2015 month 11).
The Builds are therefore not Service Packs, but just new versions of Windows that should be released every year to add functionality, fix bugs and bring news, as happened also with Windows 8.1 for Windows 8.
On each version of Windows you can see which build is installed or which Service Pack by looking for and running, from the Start menu, the tool called Winver .
Note, that while a Service Pack can be uninstalled and removed from the update installation screen (found in Program Installation on the Control Panel), it is not possible to uninstall a new build because it represents the operating system itself.
In Windows 10 you can still go back to the previous version by going to the Start menu -> Settings -> Update and security> Recovery .
However, this option is only available for 30 days, as already explained in the guide on how to return to Windows 8 or 7 after updating to Windows 10.
After 30 days Windows 10 will remove the old files and will not be able to downgrade.
therefore, after 30 days of updating to the new build, resetting Windows 10 will restore the most recent build.
Microsoft has also brought to Windows 10 a program called Windows Insider for those who want to test new features and receive new builds before the official release.
