Microsoft to Simplify Downgrades From Vista to XP

castrox writes "Microsoft has noted that many corporate users want to run XP instead of Vista. They are now simplifying the downgrade process for top OEMs. Currently, all OEMs must call Microsoft whenever a downgrade is done. After the new procedure is put into place, OEMs may submit batches of keys to Microsoft online. According to the Microsoft blog on ZDNet, the 'downgrade software' will still need to be supplied by the end user. The deal is rather perplexing — it does not seem like you can convert the license since the only eligible versions for downgrading is Ultimate and Business. The company has more details available in a pdf document online."

The downgrade installation manager...

[Skevin]

...will probably be named:

Turbo Debuggerer

Solomon

Environmental reasons

[athloi]

For environmental reasons, Microsoft should continue development and support of Windows 2000 and XP. Older machines will keep running longer and so stay out of landfills, and they could eventually give these operating systems away free to benefit the penniless basement-dwellers of the world who keep typing "F1R5T P05T" at the start of every thread.

Downgrade?

[evil agent]

I'd consider it an upgrade.

Re:The downgrade installation manager...

[jollyreaper]

...will probably be named:

Turbo Debuggerer

You think so? My guess is "Sodomizer 2007: Goatse is only the beginning." Next year you will have to upgrade Sodomizer to 2008, even though it's still degrading Vista to XP.

Re:Downgrade?

[niceone]

I'd consider it an upgrade.

Yeah, they're missing an opportunity here - if they admitted it was an upgrade, they could charge for it.

Re:I'm confused

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe because Vista has 8 versions that do not map cleanly to XP Home or XP Pro?

Maybe they should offer a downgrade to Windows ME for the Vista Basic edition.

Apology

[Citizen of Earth]

When will Microsoft be issuing an apology for Vista? "Yep, Vista is a turd. Our bad."

Re:What price do you pay for XP this way?

[Mateo_LeFou]

"Because I'd bet that you'll still have the great benefit of paying the hugely inflated prices for Windows Vista"

I'll do whatever it takes to make my business people-ready.

Re:Upgrade to Ubuntu

[daybot]

Free Software means never having to tell anyone what you want to run on your computers...

As you have showcased, free software means telling everyone what you run on your computers!

Ultimate Feature

[TomK2434]

Maybe the ability to downgrade to XP is the killer app that will drive people to the top tier Enterprise and Ultimate Versions of Vista?

Re:Not that this matters...

[empaler]

You're probably right. And it'll probably the last nail in the coffin for Vista. Hackers of the world unite! We must mobilize a program to bring DX10 to XP. If this is done, it will be a serious blow to the MS juggernaut!

Fire away, more karma than shiva and all that, but for the record, I'm not trolling, I'm predicting what I happen to think is the most likely course of events.

Yeah! Let's show Microsoft, that because their newest OS sucks, WE'LL JUST USE THEIR OLD ONE!


Erm. That still leaves Windows computers the de facto standard.

Re:Home users get to buy XP again.

[lucas teh geek]

no, if we're going for bad car analogies, this is more like putting a cardboard body kit and neons under your car, realizing you were an idiot for doing so and then not being allowed to take them off again

Re:Upgrade to Ubuntu

[Mr. Vage]

Gah, Windows, Mac, Linux. What happened to the good ol' days where there was none of this GUI crap. It all just gets in the way. I could type all of my commands way faster than anyone with a mouse could do the same thing. Thats another thing that I can't stand, mice. Who wants to hold something that bears the same name as a nasty animal it their hand? Not me, but the thing that I hate the most about all of these newfangled operating systems is those damn bright, blinding colors. Black and white are the only two colors a computer needs, and not in that crappy way that all the new operating systems do it; white is for text, black is for background. Oh, and another thing, what is this internet garbage people keep talking about. Sounds useless to me. Bah, kids these days don't know the meaning of good operating system.

Re:Not that this matters...

[Machtyn]

Rose colored shaders? Not on /.