Microsoft has quietly posted two updates for Windows Vista that address several performance and hardware issues that have cropped up in the new operating system since it was released in January. Though both updates have been floating around in unauthorized form for about a week, the “Vista performance fix pack” and the “Vista reliability fix pack” are now official releases.

The first of the two updates deals with sluggish system responses in various situations as well as several data corruption issues. For instance, it fixes inaccurate “estimated time remaining” calculation when downloading large files, and delays when resuming a PC from hibernation.

The second update, described as meant to improve the "reliability and compatibility" of Vista, fixes several issues related to video displays, and the loss of Internet Connection Sharing after upgrading a PC from Windows XP to Vista.

Microsoft has been vague about its timetable for releasing the first Vista service pack, though a company spokesperson said that “a beta will be made available sometime this year.” Neither update is available through Windows Update yet, can be found here and here.