After facing a few setbacks and delays, Microsoft’s long-awaited service pack for Windows Vista is finally set to be delivered tomorrow, March 18. Customers will have the option of obtaining SP1 as a stand-alone installer or through the Windows Update service where it will be labeled as an optional update.

Though Microsoft has long been arguing that service packs are less significant than they used to be, many are pointing to the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as a key sign that the product is ready to be taken seriously. That said, SP1 already caused problems for some testers who installed the RTM version, so it would be advisable for those planning to adopt early to perform requisite backups and locate their restore media before proceeding.