Downgrade from Windows Vista SP1 to XP SP3
The introduction of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista and of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, along with the June 30 retail and OEM availability cut-off date for XP, have generated a consistent a mount of confusion over the future of the two
Windows clients.
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6.6.2008 Should Microsoft downgrade Vista vulnerabilities?
The man who wrote the book on Microsoft's highly rated SDL (Security Development Lifecycle) believes buffer-related security vulnerabilities found in Windows Vista should be downgraded because of back-up mitigations built into the operating system.
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12.3.2007 As Windows XP Deadline Looms, OEMs Turn To Vista Downgrade Rights
Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) may be preparing to discontinue sales of Windows XP, but some OEMs have found a way to circumvent the software giant's June 30 deadline.
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25.4.2008 Microsoft sued over Vista-XP downgrade
Microsoft is under legal siege again over Vista. This time, a consumer is suing the company for using its monopoly power to force her to pay to downgrade from Vista to XP on a new laptop.
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14.2.2009 Microsoft sued over Vista-XP downgrade
Microsoft is under legal siege again over Vista. This time, a consumer is suing the company for using its monopoly power to force her to pay to downgrade from Vista to XP on a new laptop.
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17.2.2009 Microsoft offers free Vista-to-XP downgrade help
Microsoft said Monday it would offer free technical support to small businesses that buy new PCs with Windows Vista in the next three months, its latest attempt to convince users that moving to Vista is a good idea.
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10.7.2008 How to Downgrade from Windows Vista Business or Ultimate OEM Edition and Install Windows XP Professional
A lot of users still don’t getting used to Windows Vista. A lot of reviews have been labeling Windows Vista as bloated, hard to use, tons of compatibility issues, inconvenient, not user friendly, not stable and etc.
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22.8.2008 Windows 7 users can downgrade to XP
Microsoft and its PC partners are going to allow Windows 7 users to downgrade not just to Windows Vista, but also to Windows XP, Microsoft officials are confirming.
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6.4.2009 XP downgrade program may continue to hurt Windows 7
Most people know that come the release of Vista, most businesses chose to hang onto to Windows XP due to lacking reviews of the new OS, and the fact that XP did everything they wanted.
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17.6.2009 Microsoft caps Windows 7 to XP downgrade program at April 2011
Microsoft has kept itself quiet on details of the Windows 7 to XP downgrade program until today.
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20.6.2009 It's Time to Face the Ugly Truth, SP3 or No SP3, the Clock Is Ticking for Windows XP
As 2008 has kicked in, it's now time to face the ugly truth. The clock is ticking for Windows XP. And while Microsoft may view this as a natural stage in the evolution of a product introduced all the way in 2001, a healthy proportion of end-users and businesses will fail to see eye to eye with the company on this one.
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5.1.2008 Will Vista SP1 Go Where Vista Never Went? Even with XP SP3 and Windows 7?
Throughout 2007, it became painfully clear to Microsoft that the main competitor for Windows Vista was not Apple's Mac OS X or even the open source Linux operating system but Windows XP, and, in fact, specifically XP SP2.
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1.3.2008 Are XP SP3 and Windows 7 Getting in the Way of Vista SP1?
Are Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows 7 getting in the way of Windows Vista and Vista Service Pack 1? Well, Microsoft's position is exactly this.
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21.1.2008 Don't slipstream XP sp3 on Windows Vista!
So I build a new Windows XP ISO with SP3 integrated, this is a Volume License editions (VOL) which only accepts Volume License Keys (VLK).
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6.5.2008 Windows XP SP3 Twice as Fast as Windows Vista – Leaves Vista SP1 in the Dust
Forget about Windows Vista. And forget about Windows Vista SP1. Microsoft's latest Windows client has been quite sluggish to begin with. This in both consumer adoption and in terms of the performance it delivers.
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27.11.2007 Windows XP SP3 Vista Inspirant for all PC
This is my Unattended instalations Windows XP SP3 get all Critical Updates-Hotfixes from feburary 2007. Thanks to Yurek3 for this article.
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21.4.2007 Forget about Vista SP1, Just Go with XP SP3 and Windows 7
Windows Vista has managed to deliver an experience at the opposite pole of the Wow, becoming in this context a bitter disappointment for Microsoft.
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29.11.2007 No More Registry from Vista SP1 and XP SP3 to Windows 7?
Windows 7 is the next iteration of the Windows operating system that will succeed Windows Vista. Following the availability of the latest Windows Client, Windows Vienna was the codename for the next version of Windows.
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16.1.2008 Windows 7 Is Here! Don't Give Vista SP1 and XP SP3 a Second Look
Windows 7, the successor of Windows Vista and the next iteration of Windows is here. Forget about Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3, Microsoft has currently began serving an early development milestone of its next Windows operating system to partners.
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17.1.2008 XP SP3 Will Live on Alongside Vista and Windows 7
There are still consistent signs of life on the Windows XP front. Microsoft is in the final stages of cooking Windows XP Service Pack 3, and the Redmond company just doesn't seem ready to give up on the predecessor of Windows Vista.
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3.4.2008 Windows Installer 4.5 for XP SP3 and Vista SP1
Microsoft has made available for download a new version of the Windows Installer Redistributable package on June 2, 2008.
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3.6.2008 Windows Vista Wow! Forget about Vista SP1, XP SP3 and Windows 7!
That's it, forget about Windows XP Service Pack 3, about Windows 7, the next iteration of Windows and even about Windows Vista Service Pack 1.
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1.2.2008 Windows 7 Will Stretch into the Cloud, Beyond Vista SP1 and XP SP3
If you think that Windows Vista, or Vista Service Pack 1, or even Windows XP Service Pack 3 are the apex when it comes down to the Windows operating system, then you should reconsider...
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24.1.2008 XP SP3 and Vista SP1 Are in the Clear, Word Is Still Out on Windows 7
While Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista are in the clear, word is still out on Windows 7, when it comes down to antitrust issues.
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13.3.2008 Windows XP SP3 Yields Performance Gains Over Vista SP1
After a disappointing showing by Windows Vista SP1 (see previous post), we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (v.3244) delivers a measurable performance boost to this aging desktop OS.
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24.11.2007 Looking beyond XP SP3 and Vista SP1 - Understanding the MinWin Kernel in Windows 7
In terms of new releases on the Windows client front, Microsoft is cooking the first Service Pack for Windows Vista and the third and final Service Pack for Windows XP.
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18.12.2007 The eXPerience XP SP3... The Wow Vista SP1... and the Seventh Windows 7
Windows XP (Service Pack 3 imminent), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1 just around the corner) and Windows 7, still on the distant horizon, but at the same time becoming increasingly palpable...
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26.1.2008 XP SP3 and Vista SP1 Will Own Linux-Free Desktops until Windows 7
Even though with the advent of Windows Vista the open source community saw the ripe moment for Linux to strengthen its grip over consumer PCs, the fact of the matter is that Windows still holds a firm grip over the vast majority of desktops worldwide.
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20.4.2008 XP SP3 and Windows 7, the Wrong Reasons to Skip Vista SP1
In the evolution of the Windows client, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is a step set firmly between Windows XP SP2 and Windows 7, just as well as the RTM version of the operating system.
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29.4.2008 Windows Search 4.0 Pushed - Automatically to Vista SP1, but Not to XP SP3
Microsoft plans to debut serving Windows Search 4.0 automatically to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 by the end of July.
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18.7.2008Microsoft will allow Windows 7 downgrade to XP
After many requests and company IT departments pushing Microsoft to make Windows 7 available to downgrade not only to Windows Vista, but to Windows
XP, Microsoft has finally officially stated that the downgrade will be available if company's or users require a downgrade. The downgrade will
not only allow consumers to downgrade to Microsoft most recent predecessor, Vista, but will allow users to downgrade to Windows XP, and technically
allow users to go back to Windows 2000 or even Windows 95.
Read full story.....
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07.04.2009Microsoft confirms Windows 7 downgrade rights
TechARP had been constantly giving updates on the Windows 7 Downgrade Rights Program all these days. Now Microsoft has confirmed the same in a blog
post, regarding Windows 7 Downgrade rights program. Users can downgrade to Windows XP and Windows Vista from Windows 7 via OEMs for 6 months after
Windows 7 General Availability. For customers and businesses running Windows XP, Microsoft still recommends an upgrade to Windows Vista before moving
onto upgrading Windows 7.
Read full
story.....
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16.04.2009OEMs to Continue Shipping XP
If you already own an XP license and are still hesitant to switch to Vista, Microsoft's "downgrade rights" policy, which initially began to be
exercised in 2001, may be in your favor if you would still like to purchase a machine running Windows XP after the June 30, 2008 deadline when
Microsoft will stop offering the operating system. OEMs such as Dell have said that they still have no plans to stop offering XP as an option:
"Dell has the ability to exercise 'Windows Vista downgrade rights' on your behalf in the factory if your business is still reliant upon
Windows XP and you'd prefer to have Windows XP Professional preinstalled on your PCs," according to their new downgrade policy section for XP.
"Downgrade Rights means that anyone with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate operating system can downgrade to Windows XP
Professional provided they have the media for Windows XP Professional."
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27.04.2008Microsoft sued for charging consumers to downgrade to XP
When Windows Vista was released to market on January 30th, 2007, Microsoft gave consumers the option to downgrade to Windows XP if they were not
satisfied with the new operating system. However charging consumers $59.25 to downgrade to a different operating system has stirred some trouble
for Microsoft. A Los Angeles resident, Emma Alvarado, has filed a class action lawsuit in the US District Court of the Western District of
Washington in Seattle. The plaintiff is not demanding anything but a refund because the company charged her for downgrading her Lenovo PC from Windows
Vista to Windows XP Professional.
Read full story.....
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16.02.2009Giving up on Vista? Here's how to downgrade to XP
Microsoft's decision last week to delay the end of Windows XP sales five months means users have just that much longer to jilt Vista and return to
the older -- and some say more mature -- operating system. But even with XP's reprieve, few PCs come with anything but Vista. Even if you wanted to
take advantage of the wider window of XP opportunity, you might not know where to start.
For the rest of us, just what does it take to turn back the clock? Read on for more
about the trip to Windows yesteryear.
What is a downgrade? To Microsoft, "downgrade" describes the licensing rights it grants
to older operating systems. Downgrade doesn't mean the process for rolling back Windows from Vista to XP, since there isn't such a procedure, not in
the generally accepted use of "upgrade." In an older-to-newer move, developers usually make it possible to retain all the digital detritus on the
drive, from already-installed applications and Word documents to iTunes tracks and family photos, while updating the system files. Not so in a
downgrade.
winbeta.org - 02.10.2007
Downgrade Plan for Windows 7 PC's
Deja Vu here? Just like they did with Windows Vista, Microsoft will ship Windows 7 in OEM machines with a license that allows customers to easily
downgrade to either Windows Vista or its 8-year-old predecessor, Windows XP. This license applies to businesses who buy VLK licenses and
consumers who buy a desktop or laptop with Windows 7 pre-installed.
While giving downgrade plans has been common in Redmond in the past,
a downgrade from an operating system released in 2009/2010, to one released 8-9 years ago seems a bit crazy. However, given the skepticism that, even
to this day, with nearly 2 Service Packs RTM'ed, still surrounds Windows Vista, Microsoft was essentially forced into providing that downgrade path.
Windows XP will soon be near-obsolete - even according to Microsoft, who will be ending mainstream support tomorrow. The availability of
that downgrade path is unfortunate, due to the number of advancements that have inevitably occurred over the past 8 years. If Windows 7 holds up to
peoples' expectations, maybe they won't have to step into the time machine, and we can finally continue on, full speed ahead, into the future.
jcxp.net - 13.04.2009
XP downgrade program may continue to hurt Windows 7
Most people know that come the release of Vista, most businesses chose to hang onto to Windows XP due to lacking reviews of the new OS, and the fact
that XP did everything they wanted. Of course, many plan to make the move to the upcoming Windows 7, bypassing Vista entirely, but according to
InfoWorld, this could be harder than expected.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 17.06.2009
New Features Discovered in Windows XP SP3: Is It Better Than Vista?
The principal reason given for the tremendous under-the-hood changes to Windows unveiled early this year in Vista was the need to overhaul the
security model. Now it seems many of those changes are also coming to XP in SP3...
betanews.com - 10.10.2007
Despite rumors, Windows XP SP3 still not quite ready
With Windows Vista Service Pack 1 out the door, Microsoft was largely expected to release Windows XP SP3 last week or this week. It didn't, instead
making public a refresh build of SP3 Release Candidate 2...
betanews.com - 26.03.2008
As WinXP Deadline Looms, OEMs Turn To Vista Downgrade Rights
Microsoft may be preparing to discontinue sales of Windows XP, but some OEMs have found a way to circumvent the software giant's June 30
deadline.
In yet another sign of the market's resistance to Windows Vista, Dell Computer, Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ), and Sony on
Wednesday all confirmed plans to exercise the downgrade rights Microsoft offers with OEM versions of Windows Vista Business and Vista Ultimate in
order to continue offering XP-equipped PCs to their customers.
Downgrade rights, which Microsoft also offers to volume licensing customers,
give users the ability to roll back to the previous version of the product they're using. Downgrade rights have existed since 2001 for Windows,
but many Microsoft partners say they've been seeing a recent uptick in the number of customers exercising downgrade rights to roll Vista back to
XP Professional.
neowin.net - 25.04.2008
Microsoft to simplify downgrades from Vista to XP
Microsoft is simplifying the
processes via which its
PC-maker partners will be able
to provide "downgrade"
rights from Windows Vista to
Windows XP for their
customers.
Microsoft
will implement the first of
the policy changes for its
Gold Certified (top-tier) OEM
partners within the next
couple of weeks. The company
will streamline
downgrade-rights policies and
procedures for the broader
channel somewhat later, said
John Ball, general manager of
Microsofts U.S. Systems Group.
Under current
licensing terms, Microsoft
allows customers buying PCs
preloaded with Windows Vista
Ultimate and Vista Business to
roll back to Windows XP until
they are ready to make the
move to Vista. For OEMs, the
process via which these rights
can be activated has been
quite cumbersome, Ball
acknowledged...
winbeta.org - 28.06.2007
Source: Vista downgrade rights extended to July 2009
Never mind that Microsoft has kicked off a hyped ad campaign to convince the public to buy Windows Vista PCs, - it's also given users more time to
switch back to Windows XP.
OEMs have been given an additional six months to sell PCs running Windows Vista with the ability to
downgrade to Windows XP using an accompanying recovery disc...
winbeta.org - 03.10.2008
Microsoft extends XP downgrade option for OEMs to 2011
Microsoft will be extending the Windows XP downgrade option until 2011. While Microsoft has threatened to halt the option on numerous occasions, it
has yet to set a date, write it in stone and actually make good on the promise. Windows XP has been the corner stone for Microsoft as Windows Vista
was largely rejected by businesses and consumers due to its initial rocky start. With Windows 7 right around the corner Microsoft will be looking to
phase out XP but still must do so in a cautious manor.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 20.06.2009
Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3: Official Release Dates
A French website, PC Inpact, has posted
the official Microsoft product change request forms for Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3. So just when do our friends from France say Microsoft is
planning on releasing our little Service Pack friends? Well, according to them, we will be seeing Vista SP1 a little earlier than previously
anticipated:
Windows Vista SP1: February 18th or 19th
Windows XP SP3: March 23rd or 24th
winbeta.org - 06.02.2008
Rumor: Vista SP1 coming February 18, XP SP3 on March 23
French tech website PC INpact is reporting that
it got its grubby little hands on the exact release dates of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as well as Windows XP Service Pack 3. According to a source,
Vista SP1 is to be released on the night of February 18 while XP SP3 will be released on the night of March 23.
Although Microsoft has not
given a tight timeframe for when to expect XP SP3, it did state earlier that Vista SP1 will be available in mid-March. The screenshots should be
therefore taken with a grain of salt. It is possible that these memos were sent out before Microsoft delayed Vista to mid-March. Could it be that the
Vista date is wrong but the XP one is correct?
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 07.02.2008
As Windows XP Deadline Looms, OEMs Turn To Vista Downgrade Rights
Microsoft may be preparing to discontinue sales of Windows XP, but some OEMs have found a way to circumvent the software giant's June 30 deadline.
In yet another sign of the market's resistance to Windows Vista, Dell Computer, Hewlett Packard, and Sony on Wednesday all
confirmed plans to exercise the downgrade rights Microsoft offers with OEM versions of Windows Vista Business and Vista Ultimate in order to continue
offering XP-equipped PCs to their customers.
winbeta.org - 24.04.2008
Microsoft will allow Windows 7 users to downgrade to XP
Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft and its PC partners are going to allow Windows 7 users to downgrade not just to Windows Vista, but also to Windows XP,
Microsoft officials are confirming.
Some company watchers have been wondering about the downgrade rights
that Microsoft will offer when Windows 7 ships. When AppleInsider reported this weekend that HP was going to offer Windows 7
users the ability to downgrade to XP, I asked Microsoft about the story.
Here’s what a spokesperson representing the
company’s Windows client division told me via e-mail on April 5...
winbeta.org - 07.04.2009
Expiration dates for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 blocks announced
If you're an IT professional and currently using Microsoft's Service Pack Blocker, the software giant recently announced that the current
blocks for Vista SP1 and XP SP3 are going to expire in a few months. The Service Pack Blocker Tool only temporarily prevents Windows from the
installation of a Service Pack via Windows Update, and the block is only effective for one year after the Service pack is released to the market via
Windows Update. Effective April 28th, 2009, Windows Vista SP1 will no longer be blocked by the tool and will be delivered via Windows Update. The
same goes for Windows XP SP3, but the block will be lifted on May 19th, 2009.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 30.01.2009
Dell charging to downgrade to XP
Dell has announced that it will stop selling new computers with Windows XP from today, unless buyers spend an extra $50 to downgrade their
operating system.
Customers looking to buy models from the company’s Vostro line will be offered Vista Business as the operating
system but Dell will downgrade the system for an extra $50. Some of the company’s XPS gaming systems will also be charging for the
downgrade.
The move will raise eyebrows, since the company may be seen as trying to cash in on the unpopularity of Microsoft’s latest
operating system.
neowin.net - 19.06.2008
Don't slipstream XP SP3 on Windows Vista!
This just in from Bink, seems he had a pretty interesting weekend attempting to Slipstream XP SP3.
"So I build a new Windows XP ISO with
SP3 integrated, this is a Volume License editions (VOL) which only accepts Volume License Keys (VLK). When I want to install it on a clean machine, I
noticed that setup prompts for a product key and it does not allow me to continue, which should be a new feature in XP sp3. OK so I fill in the VLK
but it does not accept it, I try another one from a customer of mine, does not work either. Angry
I found out that the problem is when you
do the XP Sp3 slipstream process on a WIndows Vista machine, the API gives a different response and screws up the PID process. This is a bug and
Microsoft knew about this in December, still the bug remained and made it all the way to RTM, nice work Microsoft.
So XP SP slipstream only
on XP or 2003 machines!!!"
neowin.net - 05.05.2008
