Microsoft Corp. said it has sent a major package of upgrades and fixes for Windows Vista, its latest operating system, to manufacturers for mass production.
The software maker said Vista Service Pack 1, or SP1, will improve reliability, security and performance. The upgrade, to be available in March, will go first to business customers with volume licensing deals, the company said.
Many of the fixes for Vista have already been released as part of regular monthly updates in the year since the operating system went on sale to consumers.
Windows Server 2008 was also released to manufacturing on Monday and will be available to new customers on March 1. Existing owners of Windows Server licenses will be able to download the software by February-end.


