Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista – launched for the corporate environment in November 2006 and for the end users in January 2007 – has had everything but an easy ride. One aspect that impacted customer perception on the quality of Vista does not consist in the generalized problems with the operating system but in specific issues affecting only limited pools of customers in specific scenarios. In such cases, Microsoft's response is to produce and issue a hotfix addressing exclusively one matter. For the most part,
these hotfixes cannot simply be accessed from the Redmond company just as any other download. In this
sense, Microsoft aims to limit the deployment of the hotfix only to the operating system affected by the issue addressed by the resolve.
Generally, Windows Vista users have to call Microsoft support via phone in order to get the hotfix they require. However, there is an alternative to this process. All you have to do is identify the Knowledge base article containing references related to the hotfix meant to fix your problems. Once you know the KB then all you have to do is fill in the Hotfix Request Web Submission Form. (via Steve Patrick)
"A Hotfix is a single package that includes one or more files that is used to address a very specific customer problem with a product. A supported Hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in the previous mentioned article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This Hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this Hotfix," Microsoft revealed.
After you specify the country of residence, the KB article number, the platform, the product language and an email address, Microsoft will send you a download link within a day. Still, it is important to understand that if your copy of Windows Vista, or any other Microsoft product, is not affected by the specific issue for which the hotfix was designed, you shouldn’t apply the resolve.
"These Hotfixes have not gone through full Microsoft regression testing. Specifically, these Hotfixes have had targeted testing which does not include testing in combination with other Hotfixes. You are encouraged to only install the specific Hotfixes needed to address the problem you have. Please carefully review the associated KB article for each Hotfix you install to verify that this is the fix you need and that there are no known compatibility or installation issues," Microsoft added.
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