Two days after Microsoft announced its Windows Vista Service PacK 1 is RTM ready, the update package can be found on torrent sites, such as PirateBay or Mininova.

However, the official release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is scheduled for mid-March. “In mid-March, we will release Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update (in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese) and to the download center on microsoft.com’” said Mike Nash, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President on Windows Vista official blog.

“In mid-April, we will begin delivering Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista customers who have chosen to have updates downloaded automatically”, he added.

Microsoft previously said that Windows Vista SP1 will not add new features, but instead it will address key feedback received from its customers. Also the company insisted that the SP1 will not affect any applications that are currently running on Windows Vista.

Also, Microsoft said that the Service Pack 1 will improve existing features. For example, the service pack improves the performance of the desktop shell, but it does not provide a new search user interface or a new version of Windows Media Center.

Microsoft claims SP1 will enhance BitLocker Drive Encryption (BDE) by offering an additional multifactor authentication method that combines a key protected by the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) with a Startup key stored on a USB storage device and a user-generated personal identification number (PIN).

For notebook users Windows Vista SP 1 could mean better battery life, as Microsoft reduced the CPU utilization.

However, while some users are rushing to download SP1 form torrents sites, George Ou from ZDNet blogs and Melissa J. Perenson from PC World have a few things to share about their first close encounter with Windows Vista Service Pack 1.