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."

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Leave it to Microsoft...

[amuro98]

Only Microsoft can make otherwise simple activities into tortorous affairs.

Why do the companies have to tell Microsoft everytime they "downgrade" a PC from Vista to XP? Does the company receive some sort of credit for being forced to buy an OS they don't want/need?

Why can't they just buy the PCs with XP already on them without having to uninstall Vista, then re-install XP, then beg for Microsoft's forgiveness, THEN apply all the hundreds of patches - each of which also requires a reboot, and then...

Nice for businesses

[jshriverWVU]

but what about the average consumer? My uncle bought a laptop with Vista and it is HORRIBLE. I've tried a couple times to get Best Buy and Toshiba to let him downgrade but they wont. Best Buy just says they dont sell XP anymore and scoffed at me, Toshiba refuses to.

So if MS is letting businesses do this, can the average consumer call up and say "hey I'll mail you the original CD + key, send me back an XP disc + key"

Re:The downgrade installation manager...

[neoform]

Why's it called a down-grade anyway?

Seems like an up-grade or at least a non-grade to me.

Not that this matters...

[Chordonblue]

Because as the new hardware arrives, drivers for XP will be scarce. This only matters on older corporate computers, not new ones.

Re:Leave it to Microsoft...

[Archangel Michael]

"Why can't they just buy the PCs with XP already on them without having to uninstall Vista, then re-install XP, then beg for Microsoft's forgiveness, THEN apply all the hundreds of patches - each of which also requires a reboot, and then..."

Companies don't do it this way, they use Windows Deployment Services (formerly RIS), and install fully patched and ready to go OS and Applications using PXE boot off the network. Total Tech time (not process time) for a complete (re)install, about 5 minutes (or less). Anyone with more than a handful of machines would benefit from WDS(RIS) setup.

Right now, when someone complains about "slow computer" or other mysterious problem, I WDS the machine and a few minutes (30-60 mins) later, a fully functioning workstation, with all the standard applications required, and none of the cruftware/crapware.

It is the only way to go, if Windows is involved.

Upgrade to Ubuntu

[mw13068]

Downgrade from Vista to XP? Naw, Upgrade to Ubuntu.

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

Vista and XP

[PhrankW]

I knew Vista might be a bust when Bill Gates told John Stewart on the Daily Show that it would allow parents to more readily monitor their children's onlilne activities. If this was the best sales-point that the marketers at MS could come up with, it wasn't really offering much to the home user. Now it seems it isn't doing much for the pros either. Well, memory of Edsel has been fading, time for something more 21st Century. Phrank

Re:Leave it to Microsoft...

[Anonymous Coward]

And I love how people like you always complain about this procedure. It may take two minutes or 5 days to figure out what is wrong or what caused the problem to occur, or a flat 5 minutes of your time, and 30-60 minutes of a computer putting away to fix almost EVERY issue. Now for me, 5 minutes to start it and 5 minutes later to make sure its working is way better than spending ANY amount of time trying to find whats wrong and even if you spend 5 days working on it and its still not working, then what? It may not be 'elegant' but it sure solves the problems.

Re:Home users get to buy XP again.

[Joe U]

If, if, if... Does Microsoft even transmit the XP key back during Vista upgrades?

You might want to check that out before relying on "Twitter" as your source of all things Microsoft licensing related.

Re:Corporate licensing...

[LWATCDR]

Mono will not run all .NET applications and WINE is hit or miss. For most business computers are NOT their business. They are just a tool. They don't want to try anything. They just want it to work.
You also don't pay hackers to patch your ACCOUNTING SYSTEM!
I work for a software development firm. We build our own servers. We set up our own DNS, Firewalls, Phone System. Mail servers, and database servers all running Linux. We paid a company to set up the accounting system and it runs on a Windows box. Why?
Because we couldn't find a Linux accounting system that our accountant liked and none of us want to get blamed if it fails. Accounting is just too important to risk messing up. There are some new FOSS accounting stuff out that looks good but we have already bought and paid for what we have and frankly moving accounting systems is painful.
As I said IT ISN"T THAT EASY TO JUST MOVE TO LINUX. Even for a software development firm like the one I work for. Even then a good 50% of the people here are none technical and probably 90% have no Linux experience yet.

Re:Yeah, right.

[Joe U]

Which sounds good, but is wrong when the Laptop and all it's non free drivers are Vista only. The point of these abusive practices is to force people to buy Vista.

Great, I'm sure you'll be able to name at least 2 major OEMs who do this today.

New Slashdot Story Category - Downgrade?

[CodeBuster]

I propose that Slashdot add a category for 'downgrade'. They have one for 'upgrade' so why not 'downgrade'?

Re:Home users get to buy XP again.

[moonka]

Wouldn't this be akin to trading in your old car? I don't think you can decide you don't like the new car and you want to trade it for your old one back in most cases.

Re:Corporate licensing...

[LWATCDR]

Unfortunately when most of the lock in happened Linux wasn't an option. Lock in doesn't happen overnight and getting out of it also takes time. It only seems so simple to people who haven't lived through it.
Of course the other problem is frankly and I know people will hate me for saying it... Some of Microsoft's products really are very good solutions. I don't think that Outlook+Exchange+Blackberry has any FOSS equivalent for the enterprise.
OO.org is very new compared to Office.

Re:Apology

[Eaglehawk]

Hey, get in line, they need to apologise for DOS 4.0 first...and then Windows ME...

Re:Perplexing?

[uncoveror]

Vista is bad enough in an office where everyone is used to XP, but the ultimate disaster for productivity is Office 2007. People who are used to previous versions of Office will be hopelessly lost. All the pulldown menus are gone, replaced by those confusing tabs. They really went out of their way to fix something that wasn't broken, creating something that is. The cost of ownership would be higher for Office 2007 than 2003 even if Microsoft was paying you to take it off their hands. The good news is that Open Office has a lot more of the look and feel people are used to, and is free.