Microsoft has already prepared Windows 7 with code to let users download the new operating system's first service pack, a prominent blogger reported last weekend.
Rafael Rivera, who writes the Within Windows blog, sniffed out several keys in Windows 7's registry that add an eligibility check for Service Pack 1 (SP1).
A first service pack -- which includes already-issued security patches as well as new bug fixes, and in some cases, new features -- is important because many corporations won't widely deploy a new edition of Windows until that milestone has been reached. Service packs are also relatively rare: Windows XP, which debuted in October 2001, has had only three.