VistaKnowledge.com

New details have appeared about the future availability of a new feature pack for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. The ‘Windows Feature Pack for Storage’ has been in beta testing for a while, but has now appeared on Microsoft Connect. This was spotted by Mary-Jo Foley who has received excited beta tester feedback. We’re not sure there’s that much to get excited about.

The three main features available in the beta are as follows:

• Active Storage Platform: This pre-release package enables Windows to restrict access to portable devices (such as a USB flash dongles) via a certificate or password authentication
• Image Mastering API update for Blu-Ray media: This feature enables Windows to do master style optical burning on Blu-Ray media
• Smart Card Driver: Provides support for new form factors, such as ICCD/CCID

Unlike Service Packs which generally bundle a set of fixes and security patches, feature packs are intended to deliver additional functionality between Windows releases.

Microsoft has previously released the ‘Wireless Vista Feature Pack’ in July, available here.

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