Microsoft routinely provides a single installable package with collection of updates, fixes and/or enhancements for their software as Service Packs addressing common annoyances and adding new features to their products, After quite successful launch of company's latest operating-system Windows 7 it now seems that Microsoft is all-set to start external beta-testing of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), Blogger Rafael has found that as previously done a beta ‘candidacy check’ within Windows Update achieved via simple registry key and value pair needs to be done for getting authorized to download the new Windows 7 SP1 Update.

Revealing the registry key for candidacy check, Rafael Says:

Although I’ve documented the required key and value names, the value’s data (likely a GUID as before) remains unknown. The takeaway here is that external Windows 7 SP1 testing should commence soon, if it hasn’t already. Tips regarding the significance of the name SPORTM would be greatly appreciated.

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Win7SP1
Value: SPORTM (REG_SZ)
Data: Unknown (likely a server-side checked GUID)

Sooner or later the required registry values will get found and shared, letting everybody download Windows 7 SP1 before the official public release.