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 First Looks at Windows Vista Media Center
Microsoft's Media Center Edition of Windows XP has had a hard time. Though it's hard to call it a poor seller, MCE certainly has a market penetration that represents only a tiny fraction of the many millions of computers running Windows XP. And why should it? Most users don't have nice hi-def TVs hooked up to their PCs, or TV tuners, or really any need to enjoy their music, video, and TV stored on their PC via a 10-foot user interface. It doesn't help that the first edition of Media Center wasn't very good, either. Then again, Microsoft bounced back with its second effort, Media Center Edition 2005, one of the most improved software products ever.
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1.12.2005 Windows Vista Media Player Screenshots
Here is a sneak peek at what the new Media Player with the glass effect is going to look like in Windows Vista.
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Windows Vista Media Center Now with Netflix
The latest step in the evolution of Windows Media Center in Windows Vista is synonymous with the integration of the Netflix service directly into the default component of Windows.
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20.5.2009 Microsoft starts Windows Vista Media Center Beta applications
Microsoft recently began surveying current beta testers of Windows Vista to see which testers qualify for an upcoming Windows Vista Media Center Beta. The survey, which only current Vista testers can take, is located at Microsoft Connect.
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New IE, Media Player Features Expected to Debut in Windows Vista Refresh
Testers will soon have a new Community Technology Preview build, the second one that Microsoft has issued for its next-gen Windows client. Beta 2 is looking like December, sources say. windows -
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Position Changer Add-In updated for Media Center in Windows Vista
Stephen Toub : Back in early 2005, I wrote an article for MSDN on implementing add-ins for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
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5.1.2007 XP and Vista to get new media player
Microsoft plans to jazz up its music player in Windows Vista, the company's next operating system. But at least some of the new features will debut much sooner.
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18.4.2006 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Vista Available
This update addresses issues with Media Center for Microsoft Vista. For complete listing of issues included in this cumulative update, see KB941229. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. Thanks to pacpis for this news.
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2.10.2007 Installing Vista Beta 1 (x86) without DVD media
I know, I know - Everyone should have a DVD burner these days... but I don't. Here's a rough guide on getting Vista Beta 1 (x86) installed without the use of DVD media. I am not responsible for lost partitions, data, etc!
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Vista Media Center update "Fiji" delayed
Fiji, the suspected codename for the next version/upgrade of Media Center might be held up by a lack of frequent flyer miles. The beta program, which many of you may have registered for isn’t exactly moving along.
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19.6.2007 Vista Media Center takes over the living room
In June, I recounted my out-of-the-box experience with a new Dell PC running Windows Vista, starting with a failed BIOS upgrade, undergoing a successful repair, and establishing that the basic hardware and software setup was rock-solid.
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24.8.2007 Windows Vista Build 5231 and Windows Media Player 11 Leaks!
Windows Vista Build 5231 has leaked to the web. The new build is said to include Windows Media Player 11 included. View the screenshots below! This is a Main branch build that was released on September 12th, 2005 at 8:20PM.
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How to Install Windows 7 or Windows Vista on Physical Machine Without DVD Media
A lot of Windows Vista and Windows 7 license has been sold media-less nowadays, where buyers only receive a piece of authenticated certificate with a genuine and legitimate product key printed on it.
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23.12.2008 Vista RTM and SP1 Windows Fiji – Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008
Developed under the codename Windows Fiji, and released to manufacturing under the label Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008, the first major update to the Windows Media Center component included by default in the Home Premium and Ultimate SKUs of Windows Vista RTM and SP1, is right on track to be a disappointment.
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11.8.2008 Windows Vista to Windows XP Downgrades Media
With the advent of Windows Vista, the issue of downgrading to Windows XP came into the limelight and got a consistent amount of play throughout 2007.
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9.1.2008 Adding Blu-ray and HD DVD to Vista Media Center
As part of my ongoing Vista Media Center project, I’m about to add Blu-ray and HD DVD playback capabilities to my living room system. I already know that the system is fully capable of recording and playing back over-the-air high-definition content.
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1.9.2007 Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center has been a part of my life several years. I've watched functionality improve in each new version, and I'm already using beta versions of Windows Media Center in Windows Vista Ultimate as part of my daily routine.
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7.6.2006 Media Streaming with Windows 7
We’ve blogged about a number of features related to home networking and media in Windows 7. A scenario which brings all these together in a pretty cool way is Media Streaming.
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12.5.2009 Still 'no demand' for media-player-free Windows
A major U.K. retail store and three of the largest PC vendors worldwide still have no plans to sell the version of Microsoft Windows that does not contain its media player, five months after the version was released.
Microsoft started offering Windows XP N, a version of Windows without a bundled media player, in June of this year to comply with last year's antitrust ruling by the European Commission.
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19.11.2005 Windows Media Player 11 Interview
I just put online my first interview here at The Insider. I ask a few questions I've seen asked here in the community in regards to Windows Meda Player 11 to Geoff Harris who is the Product Unit Manager for WMP 11.
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6.5.2006Microsoft 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.....
neowin.net -
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.....
neowin.net -
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
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
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
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
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 Extends XP Media Availability to July
Microsoft has now extended the availability of Windows XP on new PCs by six months.
Computer makers that "downgrade" machines from
Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate to Windows XP Professional will be able to obtain media for the latter through the end of July 2009, a
Microsoft spokeswoman said Friday.
The new date is a change in policy. Previously, Microsoft had planned to halt XP Professional media
shipments to major computer makers after Jan. 31, 2009.
jcxp.net - 13.10.2008
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
Microsoft offers free Vista-to-XP downgrade help
Microsoft has said 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. And if those efforts are for naught, Microsoft will help those users downgrade from
Vista to Windows XP, the same maneuver several large computer makers, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard, have used in recent months to continue
offering the older operating system to buyers.
The offer, dubbed Windows Vista Small Business Assurance, is available to businesses with
fewer than 50 employees or 25 PCs, and it provides free telephone support through the end of October to companies that buy new PCs with Vista Business
or Vista Ultimate between now and Sept. 30, according to details posted on the Microsoft Web site. Only businesses buying new hardware can take
advantage of the free support; companies upgrading existing computers from, say, Windows XP, don't qualify.
neowin.net - 10.07.2008
Microsoft Offers Vista-to-XP Downgrade Support
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.
And if those efforts are for naught, Microsoft will help those
users downgrade from Vista
to Windows XP, the same maneuver several large computer makers, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard, have used in recent months to continue offering
the older operating system to buyers.
The offer, dubbed Windows Vista Small Business Assurance, is available to businesses with fewer
than 50 employees or 25 PCs, and it provides free telephone support through the end of October to companies that buy new PCs with Vista Business or
Vista Ultimate between now and Sept. 30, according to details posted on the Microsoft Web site.
jcxp.net - 12.07.2008
Microsoft Details Vista's
Media Features
Microsoft on Monday detailed
innovations coming in Windows
Vista that the company
believes makes the operating
system superior in the
delivery of multimedia. This
would include several
enhancements to Windows Media
itself as well as expanded
functionality within Windows
Media Center, now standard in
Vista...
betanews.com - 24.04.2006
