什么是服务包？(What is a Service Pack? )任何包含一组操作系统或应用程序更新的软件包都称为服务包。小(Small)的、单独的更新称为补丁或软件更新。如果公司开发了许多更新，它会将这些更新组合在一起并将它们作为单个服务包发布。服务包，也称为 SP，旨在提高用户的工作效率。它消除了用户在以前版本中面临的问题。因此，服务包包含新功能或旧功能和安全循环的修改组件以修复错误和错误。
需要服务包(Need for a service pack )
为什么公司会定期发布服务包？有什么需要？考虑一个操作系统，例如Windows。它包含数百个文件、进程和组件。所有这些都被所有用户定期使用。任何操作系统的功能和进程都容易受到错误的影响。随着使用，用户可能会开始遇到各种错误或系统性能下降。
因此，为确保软件的用户拥有流畅的体验，需要进行更新。服务(Service)包完成软件维护的工作。它们消除了旧错误并引入了新功能。服务(Service)包可以有 2 种——累积的或增量的。累积服务包是先前服务包的延续，而增量服务包包含一组新更新。
服务包——详细(Service packs – in detail)
服务(Service)包可从开发者的官方网站免费获得。如果您想收到通知，您可以在您的计算机上安装软件更新程序。该程序将在发布时提示您下载新的服务包。在操作系统中启用自动更新功能也有帮助。您的系统将自动安装新的服务包。如果没有良好的 Internet 连接，通常可以以象征性的成本获得服务包 CD。
虽然一些用户说在提供服务包时下载和安装服务包很好，但其他一些用户认为新服务包可能包含某些错误或不兼容性。因此(Therefore)，有些人在安装服务包之前要等待几个星期。
Service Pack 包含修复和新功能。因此，如果您看到新版本的操作系统看起来与旧版本有很大不同，请不要感到惊讶。命名服务包的最常见方法是通过其编号来引用它。操作系统的第一个服务包称为SP1，其次是SP2，依此类推…… Windows用户对此非常熟悉。SP2是Microsoft为(Microsoft)Windows XP发布的流行服务包。除了通常的错误修复和安全更新外，SP2还带来了新功能。引入的一些新功能包括 – 更好的Internet Explorer界面、新的安全工具和新的DirectX技术。SP2被认为是一个综合服务包，因为即使是某些较新的Windows程序也需要它来运行。
由于软件维护是一项永无止境的工作（直到软件过时），所以服务包每年或 2 年发布一次。
服务包的好处是，虽然它包含多个更新，但这些更新不需要一个一个手动安装。下载服务包后，只需单击一下，即可安装所有错误修复和附加特性/功能。用户要做的最大的事情就是点击下面的几个提示。
Service Pack 是Microsoft产品的常见功能。但其他公司可能并非如此。以MacOS X为例。使用软件更新(Software Update)程序对操作系统进行增量更新。
您使用的是哪个服务包？(Which service pack are you using?)
作为用户，您会很想知道您的设备上安装了哪个操作系统的服务包。检查这一点的步骤很简单。您可以访问控制面板(Control Panel)以了解系统上的服务包。
如果您想了解特定软件程序的服务包，请查看程序中的“帮助(Help)”或“关于”菜单。您也可以访问开发者的官方网站。发行(Release)说明部分的变更日志(Changelog)将包含有关最新服务包的信息。
当您检查设备上当前运行的服务包时，最好检查它是否是最新的。如果没有，请下载并安装最新的服务包。对于新版本的Windows ( Windows 8,10 )，不再存在服务包。这些被简单地称为Windows 更新(Windows Updates)（我们将在后面的部分中讨论这个）。
由服务包引起的错误(Errors caused by a service pack )
单个补丁本身就有可能导致错误。因此，请考虑一个包含多个更新的服务包。服务包很有可能导致错误。原因之一可能是下载和安装所花费的时间。由于(Due)内容较多，Service Pack 通常需要很长时间才能下载和安装。因此(Thus)，为错误发生创造了更多机会。由于(Due)同一包中存在许多更新，因此服务包也可能会干扰系统上存在的某些应用程序或驱动程序。
对于由各种服务包引起的错误，没有全面的故障排除步骤。您的第一步应该是联系相应的支持团队。您也可以尝试再次卸载并安装该软件。许多网站提供Windows更新的故障排除指南。用户需要首先确定某个特定问题是由Windows 更新(Windows Update)引起的。然后，他们可以继续进行故障排除过程。
如果您的系统在安装 Windows 更新(Windows Update Installation)期间死机，请遵循以下一些技巧：
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Ctrl+Alt+Del –按(Press)Ctrl+Alt+Del并检查系统是否显示登录屏幕。有时，系统会允许您正常登录并继续安装更新
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重新启动(Restart)- 您可以使用重置按钮或使用电源按钮关闭系统来重新启动系统。Windows将开始正常工作并继续安装更新
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安全模式(Safe mode)——如果某个特定程序干扰了更新的安装，可以通过在安全模式下启动系统来解决问题。在这种模式下，只加载最少需要的驱动程序，以便进行安装。然后，重新启动系统。
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系统还原(System restores)- 这用于清除系统中不完整的更新。以安全模式打开系统。选择还原点作为安装更新之前的还原点。如果一切顺利，您的系统将恢复到应用更新之前的状态。
除此之外，请检查您的RAM是否有足够的空间。内存也可能是补丁冻结的原因。使您的BIOS 保持最新(BIOS up to date)。
向前迈进——从 SP 到构建(Moving forward – from SPs to Builds)
是的，微软(Microsoft)过去常常为其操作系统发布服务包。他们现在已经转向了另一种发布更新的方式。适用于Windows 7的Service Pack 1是(Service Pack 1)Microsoft发布的最后一个 Service Pack （2011 年）。他们似乎已经取消了服务包。
我们看到了服务包如何提供错误修复、增强安全性以及带来新功能。这特别有用，因为用户现在只需单击几下即可一次安装多个更新。Windows XP 有三个服务包；Windows Vista 有两个。Microsoft 仅发布了一个适用于 Windows 7 的服务包。(Windows XP had three service packs; Windows Vista has two. Microsoft released only one service pack for Windows 7.)
然后，服务包被停止。对于Windows 8，没有服务包。用户可以直接升级到Windows 8.1，这是一个全新的操作系统版本。
那么发生了什么变化？(So what has changed?)
Windows Update的工作方式与以前没有任何不同。Windows 更新(Windows Update)仍会在您的设备上安装一组补丁。您可以浏览列表，甚至可以卸载您不想要的某些补丁。然而，在Windows 10中，微软(Microsoft)已经开始发布“构建”而不是传统的服务包。
构建有什么作用？(What does a Build do?)
构建不仅包含补丁或更新；它们可以被认为是操作系统的全新版本。这是在Windows 8中实现的。不仅有大的修复或调整的功能；用户可以升级到新版本的操作系统——Windows 8 .1
Windows 10 可以为您的系统自动下载和安装新版本。您的系统是他们重新启动并升级到新版本。今天，Windows 10 用户可以在他们的设备上查看内部版本号，而不是服务包号。要检查(check for the build number)设备上的内部版本号，请按Windows键，在“开始”菜单中输入“ (Start Menu)Winver ” 。按(Press)回车(Enter)键。
构建中的版本如何编号？Windows 10中的第一个版本编号为Build 10240。随着著名的11 月更新(November Update)，采用了新的编号方案。11 月更新(November Update)的版本号为 1511——这意味着它于 2015 年11 月(November)(11) 日发布。内部版本号为 10586。
构建不同于服务包，因为您无法卸载构建。但是，用户可以选择恢复到以前的构建。要返回，请转到Settings > Update and Security > Recovery。此选项仅在安装构建后的一个月内有效。在此期间之后，您将无法降级。这是因为还原所涉及的过程与从Windows 10(Windows 10)回到以前的版本 ( Windows 7/8.1 )非常相似。安装新版本后，您可以看到磁盘清理向导包含“以前的Windows安装”使用的文件。Windows会在 30 天后删除这些文件，这使得无法降级到以前的版本(impossible to downgrade to a previous build). 如果您仍想恢复，唯一的方法是重新安装原始版本的Windows 10。
概括(Summary)
- 服务包是包含操作系统或应用程序的多个更新的软件
- Service Pack 包含对错误和错误的修复以及其他特性和功能
- 它们很有帮助，因为用户只需单击几下即可一次安装一组更新。一个一个地安装补丁会困难得多
- Microsoft过去曾发布(Microsoft)Windows早期版本的服务包。然而，最新版本有构建，更像是操作系统的新版本
What is a Service Pack? [Explained]
What is a Service Pack? Any software package that contains a set of updates for either an operating system or an application, is called a service pack. Small, individual updates are referred to as patches or software updates. If the company has developed many updates, it clubs these updates together and releases them as a single service pack. A service pack, also known as SP, aims to enhance the user’s productivity. It eliminates the issues the users faced in the previous versions. Thus, a service pack contains new features or modified components of old features and security loops to fix the errors and bugs.
Need for a service pack
Why do companies regularly release service packs? What is the need? Consider an operating system such as Windows. It contains hundreds of files, processes, and components. All of these are regularly used by all users. The functionalities and processes of any OS are vulnerable to bugs. With use, users may start encountering various errors or a drop in system performance.
Therefore, to ensure that the users of the software have a smooth experience, updates are required. Service packs do the job of software maintenance. They eliminate old errors and introduce new functionalities. Service packs can be of 2 kinds – cumulative or incremental. A cumulative service pack is a continuation of the previous ones while an incremental service pack contains a set of fresh updates.
Service packs – in detail
Service packs are available for free from the developer’s official website. If you want to be notified, you can install a software update program on your computer. This program will prompt you to download the new service pack when it is released. Enabling the auto-update feature within an OS also helps. Your system will automatically install a new service pack. In case of the absence of a good internet connection, service pack CDs are usually available at nominal costs.
While some users say that it is good to download and install service packs as they are made available, some others argue that new service packs may contain certain bugs or incompatibilities. Therefore, some people wait for a couple of weeks before installing a service pack.
Service packs contain fixes and new features. Thus, do not be surprised if you see that the new version of an OS looks much different than the older one. The most common way to name a service pack is to refer to it by its number. The first service pack for an OS is called SP1, which is followed by SP2 and so on… Windows users would be quite familiar with this. SP2 was a popular service pack that Microsoft released for Windows XP. Along with the usual bug fixes and security updates, SP2 brought new features. Some of the new features introduced were – better interface for Internet Explorer, new security tools, and new DirectX technologies. SP2 is considered as a comprehensive service pack because even certain newer Windows programs need this to run.
Since maintenance of software is a never-ending job (until the software becomes obsolete), service packs are released once every year or 2 years.
The benefit of a service pack is that, although it contains several updates, these need not be manually installed one by one. After you download a service pack, in a single click, all the bug fixes and additional features/functionalities can be installed. The maximum a user has to do is to click through a few prompts that follow.
Service packs are a common feature of Microsoft products. But the same may not be true for other companies. Take MacOS X for example. Incremental updates to the OS are applied using the Software Update program.
Which service pack are you using?
As a user, you would be curious to know which service pack of the OS is installed on your device. The steps to check this is simple. You can visit the Control Panel to know about the service pack on your system.
If you want to know about the service pack of a particular software program, check the Help or About menu in the program. You can also visit the developer’s official website. The Changelog of Release notes section will contain information regarding the recent service pack.
When you check what service pack is currently running on your device, it is a good idea to check whether it is the latest one. If not, download and install the latest service pack. For new versions of Windows (Windows 8,10), service packs do not exist anymore. These are simply known as Windows Updates (we shall be discussing this in the later sections).
Errors caused by a service pack
A single patch itself has chances of causing errors. So, consider a service pack which is a collection of several updates. There is a good chance of a service pack causing an error. One of the reasons could be the time taken to download and install. Due to more content, service packs generally take a long time to download and install. Thus, creating more opportunities for errors to occur. Due to the presence of many updates within the same package, a service pack may also interfere with certain applications or drivers present on the system.
There are no blanket troubleshooting steps for errors caused by various service packs. Your first step should be to contact the respective support team. You may also try to uninstall and install the software again. Many websites provide troubleshooting guides for Windows updates. The user needs to first ascertain that a particular issue has been caused by the Windows Update. They can then proceed with the troubleshooting process.
If your system freezes during a Windows Update Installation, here are a few techniques to follow:
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Ctrl+Alt+Del – Press the Ctrl+Alt+Del and check if the system displays the login screen. Sometimes, the system will allow you to log in normally and continue installing the updates
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Restart – You can restart your system either by using the reset button or powering it off using the power button. Windows will start working normally and continue installing the updates
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Safe mode – If a particular program is interfering with the installation of updates, the problem can be resolved by starting the system in safe mode. In this mode, only the minimum required drivers are loaded so that the installation can take place. Then, restart the system.
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System restores – This is used to clean the system from incomplete updates. Open the system in safe mode. Choose the restore point as the one just before the update was installed. If all goes well, your system returns to the state before the update was applied.
Apart from these, check if your RAM has enough space. The memory could also be a reason for patches to freeze. Keep your BIOS up to date.
Moving forward – from SPs to Builds
Yes, Microsoft used to release service packs for its OS. They have now moved to a different way of releasing updates. The Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 was the last service pack that Microsoft released (in 2011). They seem to have done away with service packs.
We saw how service packs delivered bug fixes, enhanced security, and brought new features as well. This was particularly helpful because, users could now install multiple updates at once, with a few clicks. Windows XP had three service packs; Windows Vista has two. Microsoft released only one service pack for Windows 7.
Then, the service packs were stopped. For Windows 8, there were no service packs. Users could directly upgrade to Windows 8.1, which was a whole new version of the OS.
So what has changed?
Windows Updates have not started working any differently than before. A Windows Update still installs a set of patches on your device. You can browse the list and even uninstall certain patches that you do not want. However, with Windows 10, Microsoft has started releasing ‘Builds’ rather than the traditional service packs.
What does a Build do?
Builds do not just contain patches or updates; they can be thought of as an entirely new version of the OS. This is what was implemented in Windows 8. There were not just big fixes or tweaked features; users could upgrade to a new version of the OS – Windows 8.1
Windows 10 can automatically download and install a new build for your system. Your system is them rebooted and upgraded to the new build. Today, instead of service pack numbers, Windows 10 users can check the build number on their device. To check for the build number on your device, press the Windows key, enter ‘Winver’ in the Start Menu. Press the Enter key.
How are the versions in builds numbered? The first build in Windows 10 was numbered Build 10240. With the famous November Update, a new numbering scheme has been followed. The November Update has the version number 1511 – this means it was released in November (11) of 2015. The build number is 10586.
A build is different from a service pack in the sense that you cannot uninstall a build. The user, however, has the option of reverting to a previous build. To go back, go to Settings > Update and Security > Recovery. This option is active only for a month after a build is installed. After this period, you cannot downgrade. This is because the process involved in reverting is very similar to going back from Windows 10 to a previous version (Windows 7/8.1). After installing a new build, you can see that the disk cleanup wizard has files used by ‘previous Windows installations.’ Windows delete these files after 30 days, which makes it impossible to downgrade to a previous build. If you still want to revert, the only way is to reinstall the original version of Windows 10.
Summary
- A service pack is a software that contains several updates for an operating system or an application
- Service packs contain fixes for errors and bugs along with additional features and functionalities
- They are helpful because the user can install a set of updates at a time, with a few clicks. Installing patches one by one would be far more difficult
- Microsoft used to release service packs for the previous versions of Windows. The latest versions, however, have builds, which are more like a new version of the OS
