Microsoft confirms Windows 7 downgrade policy
MICROSOFT AND ITS TAME BOX BUILDERS have confirmed that downgrades will be possible from Windows 7, and that some OEMs will even continue to offer XP as a pre-installed option to volume license customers.
We reported yesterday that Hewlett Packard had struck a deal with the software giant, allowing it to offer XP as a downgrade option, but it would seem that the deal is not exclusive to HP as a Microsoft spokesvole confirmed in an email exchange to ZDnet blogger Mary Jo Foley:
"Downgrade rights policies are the same for all of our main OEM partners and what you are talking about is not a special arrangement. Since the End User right to Windows XP Professional is part of the license terms for these editions, it’s really about making facilitation options easier for our OEM customers and End Users."
An HP spokesman also confirmed that download agreements were consistent across all OEMs but declined to provide further details.
And the same Volish insider hinted that it wasn't only possible to turn back the clocks from Windows 7 to Vista or even XP. "This is not the first time that Microsoft has offered downgrade rights to a version other than its immediate predecessor and our volume-license customers can always downgrade to any previous version of Windows."
Which would seem to suggest that volume license users could feasibly demand downgrades from Windows 7 to Vista, XP, 2000 or even 95.
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This is still nothing new, just as it was nothing new with Vista (much as it sounds good for the Inq crew).
Microsoft had offered downgrades to its volume license customers for years now, all that has really been happening is that the OEM's have been passing on this to customers more readily.
Why people would even think about downgrading to win 95, 98, 2000 or for that matter xp is something that I will never see the sense in.
Why the Inq has a pathological hatred of Vista and it seems 7 from recent posts is beyond me. Must be a good way to generate hits and therefore advertising dollars.
While L'Inq seems to be be rather biased against Vista - not completely without a reason (but that part is not being biased ;)), I have to disagree regarding Windows 7 - most of the vibe on Inq seems to be for it.
While being a bit against MS (and Intel and nVidia), but that's life.
Given that this is for OEM volume licence, the downgrade path is mostly available for business's, not so much for end users.
So, it'd be Win 7 - Vista - XP - NT4 and so on.
... downgrade to CP/M.
XP, sadly, is an upgrade from Vista.
wANNA hAVE fun ON wINDOWS 7 BETA? oPEN cREATIVE wEBCAM, & move cursor real fast, jit icon hard, it might come up in Genuine Windows 95, or 16 colour mode, big, blockie & blown. Cool part is machine keeps running fairly well 16 colour paletee & grossly hullcigenic & raw display image. continue about your business, yet webcam is not capable working capture of such smear, unlike W95, it makes no difference in cpu operation though. log off: 7 restores itself. SEE Simulated Real Windows 95/98 experiences at NO Extra Charge in Ultimate. Drashek
... if I could get XP on it. Why only volume users?
To downgrade to I'd pick 98SE
Surly more so then say 95, Me or MeII (which I'm currently running on this Laptop) :(
a new Toshiba for a friend, it came with Vista Biz preinstalled and discs with XP Pro, thus allowing "down"grading. My laptop came with Vista and I really tried to live with it for almost six months before I called it quits. Bought an XP license.
Vista is junk, always has been always will.
Windows7 is faster junk....why? XP is pretty much everything people want and the way it should work.
In Vista and W7 they messed up the configuration screen to something horribly.
Same as with my documents.
But they never fixed the single-threaded shell, so it locks up on a simple printjob, or mediaplayer can do anything while searching for music.
Microsoft should never ever have killed OS/2, maybe old, but it still outshines everything on the market.
Linux is way beyond M$ on that matter...Windows after XP is simply horrible but looks nice.
I feel that it is important to note that there is nothing "FREE" about upgrading/downgrading Windows 7 to XP or whatever: the victim has already been forced into paying the Microsoft Tax when Windows 7 was "bundled" with their PC.
It is also probably important to note that users do not have to pay the Microsoft Tax in the first place; on a brand new PC just REJECT (do not accept) the EULA if your PC for some reason has Windows on it, and ask for a refund from the manufacturer. This can be around $100-200 depending on the level of Windows installed. Dell and HP both have given this refund.
http://www.linux.com/articles/59381
Then, after you have your refund safely in you wallet, you can load a truly free operating system that works faster, is more secure, and comes with most everything you will need: Linux
Nothing new to see here. This has been common practice for years.
What IS funy is seeing how many inept users there are whom can still not figure out a simple OS but fancy themselves computer literate!
The best version of Windows ever is Windows 2000. I bought a full version years ago and when I ditch old hardware for new I transfer my trusty W2K :-)
At work we have XP and it's simply trash.
..."Since the End User right to Windows XP Professional is part of the license terms for these editions, it’s really about making facilitation options easier for our OEM customers and End Users."
Hahaha. That's the finest example of DoubleSpeak I've read since 1984. Previously, Microsoft was very clear that OEMs could not install XP even on OEM Vista Business/Ultimate licensed computers.
I'm willing to bet over half of the people who have commented have never used Windows 7.
Windows Vista pre SP1 did have issues, however that doesn't automatically make every Microsoft OS in the future bad because they are based on it.
I've been using Windows 7 64bit since build 7000, and now I'm on build 7068.
Thus far I prefer Windows 7 to every prior OS, in this order:
Windows 7 Server 2003 XP Vista 2000 9x
Yeah, I have never used Vista or Windows 7: XP was bad enough. Do you think I'm a frikin idiot? Once burnt, never again.
Um yeah, I do. Passing judgement on things you admit(!) to not having used kinda makes that conclusion obligatory.
So as I understande there are 3 possibilities to downgrade from Vista/7
to WinXP (2k, 98, 95 win3x ? :) ):
a) some mistery OEM volume licensing (only eefects big gays like Dell, HP, Lenovo and so on), there OEM (volume OEM!) license, tranfers to end user as OEM license, they must give end user 2 installs Vista/7 and XP
b) Volume licensing
c) OEM Pro/Bussiness (and higher) Windows versions right to downgrade
conclusion:
a - some mishtake (Big manufactores have used variant c ?
b - Thats MS was taking about, but this is not for home user, but middle/big bussiness, may be, in some cases for
small business
c - have a time frame till 2010 smth ?
What a shame DEC/Compaq/HP never offered a version of OpenVMS for x86.
Now THAT would be one hell of an upgrade!
But then Microsoft would be so embarressed by being still so outclassed by a "legacy" OS...
Just ran builds 7000, and 7077 for Vista. Crap. Just crap. Like the office ribbon, all the enhancements suck and are forced with no options like a classic start menu.
The era of big names behind big operating systems is coming to a close apparently, because nothing Linux-based UIs, Windows or OS X is interesting at all. In fact, the biggest change in UIs came from a damn Nintendo with the WII.
This stuff sucks, its a rip off to have to pay for a service pack, and this new "more powerful" "better" piece of crap cant even emulate a legacy start menu? Honestly, how can Dave Cutler not go on a murderous rampage - he should kill the marketing retards responsible for this stupid trash.
Windows 7. Sucks. Boring, nothing new, and its a pay for service pack scheme and on top of it all it removes features and treats legacy applications like crap. Some power, so much power that older apps dont work. Stupid.
FOAD Microsoft. This is bad that 7077 has nothing in it over Vista, nothing.
MS is a brilliant marketing company, hey guys lets put our a piece of crap OS, if some idiots buy it then thats good for us. Our motive is to bring out Windows 7 (aka Vista SP3) they will stomp over each other to buy it as its much better than Vista.
Vista was developed as crap on purpose to make MS even more money.
The fools who fall for this deserve it.
Remember you had to upgrade your computers to be able to run the thing in the 1st place.
PC are developed and marketed to be replaced every 18 - 24 months at max.
I am running a G4 Power Mac (about 8 years old).
Running Tiger, but could load Leopard if I wish.
Tell me how many PC (Piece of Crap) can do that ?
Come on be honest MS fanbois
I agree with the classic start comment - Windows is classic start - The block start thing is OK for people sat in government office (or serialized megacorpers) who have all the time in the world to find things by typing in the search box. However if you are a real worker with a real job who needs to make a living then....Classic start any day. Plus search doesn't work. Especially if windows doesn't recognize the file suffix (it simply ignores searching those file altogether) How can they have got it so wrong?????????