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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.
windows - comments - 6.4.2009

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.
windows - comments - 6.6.2008

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.
windows - comments - 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.
windows - comments - 20.6.2009

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.
windows - comments - 25.4.2008

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.
windows - comments - 12.3.2007

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.
windows - comments - 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.
windows - comments - 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.
windows - comments - 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.
windows - comments - 22.8.2008

New motherboard, new Microsoft Windows license?

Microsoft recently made a change to the licence agreement saying that a new motherboard is equal to a new computer, hence you need to purchase a new Windows licence.
windows - comments - 19.2.2006

Microsoft Is Touching Up Windows Vista's License

Microsoft announced that the Windows Vista end-user license agreement will be modified in order to include terms covering Windows Anytime Upgrade. The new Windows Vista EULA will be made available tomorrow, and I will provide you with an update on the matter.
windows - comments - 18.3.2007

Windows 7 Volume License and Trial Availability

Last month we made Windows 7 available to customers with Software Assurance and to MSDN and TechNet Subscribers. Today I am happy to announce two more ways for businesses to get Windows 7 for their deployment and evaluation.
windows - comments - 3.9.2009

Microsoft: The Windows OEM License Dies with Its Computer

Licenses for Windows come in various flavors from Retail to Volume, but perhaps the most common of all is provided by original equipment manufacturers together with operating systems preloaded on new computers.
windows - comments - 17.6.2008

Microsoft Didn't License GNU

Microsoft has revealed that its patent deal with Linspire doesn't cover the new version of the GNU General Public License (GPL), the company's latest effort to distance itself from the GPLv3.
microsoft - comments - 22.7.2007

Microsoft says: We're a hardware company, license us

NOT MANY people know this, but Microsoft is a hardware company, the firm said today, as it introduced a hardware licensing scheme. Robbie Bach, head of the devices division at Microsoft said: "We've been a leading hardware innovator and supplier to the desktop peripherals industry for over 20 years."
microsoft - comments - 29.3.2006

The Vista license "loophole" that isn’t

Software licensing is often hard to understand. But that’s no excuse for so-called Windows experts to deliberately publish sensational stories that turn the facts upside-down.
windows - comments - 5.4.2008

Microsoft issues warning to Volume License customers over Windows Genuine Advantage fail

Phil Liu of Microsoft has reported problems with the Windows Genuine Advantage authentication method for Volume License Key (VLK) customers and a temporary work-around.
windows - comments - 5.10.2006

Microsoft Responds To Vista License Concerns

Amid a rising tide of questions surrounding its end-user license for Windows Vista, Microsoft is attempting to quell concerns that a one-time-only transfer provision could put roadblocks in the way of enthusiasts who repeatedly upgrade their PCs.
windows - comments - 30.10.2006

Microsoft to License Office 'Look and Feel' for Free

With Office 2007 radically reorganizing the way users think and work with applications -- hopefully more for the better than for the worse.
microsoft - comments - 25.11.2006

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 1

First part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog.
windows - comments - 4.6.2007

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 2

Second part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog.
windows - comments - 7.6.2007

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 3

Next part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog - Vista Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
common - comments -

Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 4

Next article about Vista Licensing from Steve Jobs blog - this is about Microsoft Product Activation (MPA).
windows - comments - 16.6.2007

Microsoft Releases FastCGI for IIS Under Go Live License

FastCGI will ship in the upcoming Windows Server 2008 as a built-in IIS component for the first time.
microsoft - comments - 10.10.2007

Turn a counterfeit copy of WindowsXP into a free Vista license!

Perhaps you have bought a license of WindowsXP Home, Pro or Media Centerd Edition 2005 from your local dealer and afterwards it turned into a counterfeit while trying to validate it through WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) program.
windows - comments - 29.4.2006

Microsoft Would Lose Patent Rights Under New Linux License Terms

The final draft of GPLv3 states that companies that distribute open-source software cannot at the same time pursue patent claims against users of that software.
microsoft - comments - 3.6.2007

Cost of Vista Business License Offset by Savings, Says Microsoft

For a great many large businesses, "the move to the next Windows" has been an ongoing, daily affair for at least well over a decade. And up until recently, the reasons why this migration tends to proceed so slowly have been, to Microsoft, a complete mystery.
windows - comments - 15.6.2007

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 5 Free Download With License Serial Key

Ashampoo WinOptimizer 5 is a well-known tweaking and optimizing software for Windows operating system that provides clean, optimize and tune functions to ensure maximum PC performance.
download - comments - 4.8.2009

Get Free NOD32 License with Valid Username and Password for 90-Days

NOD32 is a popular antivirus software that ranks one of the best and most accurate detection and lowest failure rate.
common - comments - 19.12.2006

Microsoft 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.....
neowin.net - 07.04.2009

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

Giving 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

Microsoft 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.....
neowin.net - 16.04.2009

OEMs 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."


jcxp.net - 27.04.2008

Microsoft 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.....
neowin.net - 16.02.2009

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

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

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

New data: 1 in 3 business PCs drop Vista for Windows XP

When Microsoft stopped selling new licenses to Windows XP on June 30, it gave users and PC makers a "downgrade" loophole so that those who wanted XP could still get it, even though they still had to buy a Vista license.



According to data from the exo.performance.network, 35 percent of Vista-equipped PCs have been downgraded to Windows XP. "That's way out of proportion for even the dramatically unpopular Windows Vista," says
Randall C. Kennedy, an InfoWorld contributing editor, whose company Devil Mountain Software developed the Windows Sentinel
tool and analyzes the exo.performance.network data. (More than 3,000 PCs are monitored worldwide using the tool, in both the
free InfoWorld Windows Sentinel version and in the more extensive version provided to Devil Mountain clients.)




winbeta.org - 18.08.2008

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

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

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

Vista-downgrade lawsuit revised; Microsoft now accused of price-gouging

The California woman suing Microsoft Corp. over Windows Vista's downgrade rights revised her lawsuit yesterday to focus her charges on the requirement that users buy the most expensive versions of Vista if they want to replace that operating system with Windows XP.




winbeta.org - 08.03.2009

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

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

Dell triples charge to downgrade PCs to XP for $150

More than five months after Dell stopped selling its popular Inspiron line of consumer desktop and laptop PCs with Windows XP, Dell is offering the systems with the aging operating system for a surcharge of $150 over the newer Windows Vista. It's now selling Inspiron consumer PCs with XP for three times June's surcharge! Dell's Inspiron 1525 notebooks and 530 desktops can be ordered with Windows XP Professional pre-installed for an extra $150, according to the company's Web site.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 08.12.2008

Surprises in the Windows 7 license agreement

Over the weekend, many Windows 7 lovers have been busy looking into the wild and Ed Bott, ZDNet blogger, was not an exception. Bott has found some interesting information in the Windows 7 license agreement(EULA). Bott reports that the EULA ends with an revision ID - EULAID:Win7_B.1_PRO_NRL_en-US which confirms that this leaked build is indeed beta 1. But no one from Microsoft is ready to confirm whether this build is indeed the beta 1 which is going to be released at CES.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 30.12.2008

Public Debate Begins on GPLv3

Public debate on the third revision of the General Public License began on Monday as the Free Software Foundation released the first draft of the popular open source license. The new version of the license focuses on patents and digital rights management issues...
betanews.com - 17.01.2006

Dell to offer Windows XP beyond June 30 cutoff

InfoWorld has confirmed that Dell will sell and support Windows XP to consumers beyond the June 30 Microsoft sales cutoff date that Microsoft reaffirmed today, after earlier comments from CEO Steve Ballmer seemingly indicated it might reconsider that decision.



Dell will take advantage of a licensing option in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate that lets PC makers provide XP under the Vista license, which Microsoft calls a "downgrade" license. (Enterprises with site licenses have these same rights with any version of Vista.) In essence, the user is buying a Vista license that it can apply to XP, and Microsoft can still claim a Vista sale.




winbeta.org - 25.04.2008