Microsoft to Simplify Downgrades From Vista to XP 175
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."
What price do you pay for XP this way? (Score:4, Interesting)
Oh, the joys of working with Microsoft software.
Corporate licensing... (Score:5, Interesting)
However, having to set up an activation server, have users log back in every 180 days... is just idiotic.
If we get audited, we get screwed anyway. So why make it so difficult?
Re:Not that this matters... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Baby steps. (Score:1, Interesting)
Vista is entirely responsive to their customers. Microsoft's customers are Dell, Gateway, HP, and other OEMs. Vista increases the hardware requirement pushing computer prices up and making MS's percentage of the revenue slightly less. This is what MS's customers asked for: more revenue with a cut in MS's take.
Unfortunately, Dell's, Gateway's, HP's customers do not want this at all. They want more powerful systems that leave more power for the applications, not a system that leaves less available because the OS sucks it all up. They want to benefit from the cost of components dropping, not having to pay more to get less usable machines.
Home Premium seems to permit this too (Score:4, Interesting)
I was bored and actually READ the licensing information (well, most of it) when I first booted my new Toshiba laptop that came with Vista Home Premium.
A section in that document specifically stated that THIS license may also be used to run a previous version of Windows, and I think it specifically stated Windows XP and Windows 2000.
I remember thinking "Well, that's nice to know," but so far have not run into any major Vista problems to worry about.
No Choice Purchase. (Score:3, Interesting)
An AC says:
Corperations that have a volume license and buy a dell witha license sticker on it are incredibly stupid. They are intentionally paying Microsoft twice on every laptop and PC they buy. The director of IT should be fired for such wasteful purchasing practices.
It's not stupid if you don't have a choice because the vendor won't sell without the M$ tax. Companies will sell discarded boxes to their employees at "cost" and the price is around $200. It includes no software, but that does not mean that $40 of that $200 cost was not originally M$ tax - a fee paid per each computer sold regardless of OS installed. Nor does it mean the Vendor did anything more than pull the computer out of inventory, complete with home use software and a license sticker on it. Each computer that big dumb companies buy have to be wiped and loaded with the corporate licensed software.
You are right about how wasteful this is, but it's not always the fault of the person making the purchases and it's never the fault of the poor person who gets to do all the actual work.
Re:I still haven't heard a verdict (Score:3, Interesting)
My four-year-old R40 was dying or so I thought, USB ports falling out & so I figured it was finally time to dive headfirst into the brave new world of WGA Activation and DRM. Also wanted to try out some sexy new
I *scored* a new R60 Core 2 Duo T5500 for less than $500, had XP Pro and Office 2003 preinstalled.
Well to make a long story short, XP Pro broke half our legacy apps. More broke after Windows Update. The finale straw was that XP Pro on a core 2 Duo is no faster than 2000 on a Centrino. What's the point of upgrading, except to shovel money at the manufacturers & software upgraders.
In the end I returned the R60, spent $250 to get the USB ports soldered back on & decided I'm getting off this upgrade train at the next stop. If I have to write / buy new apps might as well be for Ubuntu, which we have set up an old laptop and are experimenting on already.
Re:No Choice Purchase. (Score:5, Interesting)
First of all, corporate customers on the volume license agreement pay per full time equivilent employee, not per machine, for their licenses. This license allows them to install any office or windows pro products on all systems the company owns, provided they originally came with any version of windows from the OEM.
The license does NOT cover, however, the installation of windows XP pro, or vista business, on a computer that originally came wihth Linux (Dell's Ubuntu laptops), freeDOS, or MacOS (all apple computers). The corporate license of the OS is for the UPGRADE only to the professional version of the latest or previous release. In this case, XP or Vista.
The problems for businesses are many:
- businesses or government institutions who are on the license and don't re-image all their systems end up licensing XP pro/vista business TWICE for each employee.
- In order to not double pay, you must buy the system with a home version of windows, then image it using the corporate license to XP Pro or Vista Business. In this way, you pay minimally for the home version, then upgrade the system to pro using the corporate license.
- Many places do a hybrid method, and only double pay in some instances: they deploy large quantities of desktops or laptops at a time and order with home edition, then since they are managing them all with altiris they just stick the corporate image on them when they arrive. But they also some employees to choose which system they want to order for example, customize one specifically for them from dell.com. Then, those people always end up ordering xp pro because they don't want to have to re-load the system when they receive it from the factory. Since these people are ordering one at a time, its difficult to manage them with an automated deployment system like altiras because of increased down time and technician time.
So, its not a clear cut argument. It is definately a problem, and this complexity is 100% due to microsoft's stubbornness on the "upgrade" license (fact: you cannot purchase a MS OS volume license that is not upgrade only). MS should be more kind to their large customers and allow them to install on ALL systems, not just all MS systems. But they specifically do it on purpose as the loophole way around the DOJ lawsuit which prohibited microsoft from banning OEM's from selling non-microsoft computers. So this way, they get to have their cake, and still follow the letter of the judgement.
Need to donwgrade for Vista in spanish (Score:1, Interesting)
Easier Plan. (Score:3, Interesting)
How about this? When you buy a PC with either Vista Home version, call the manufacturer and say you cannot accept the terms of the EULA and want to return Vista for a refund. Use the refund to buy XP home.
That would work great, except you will have to spend $100 to get XP, which won't have drivers for your shiny new laptop. With M$, your options are, deal with a buggy Vista install or use preinstalled 7 year old software or don't buy a new computer.
The only way to know for sure if your hardware is going to work though Bill Gates' sabotage, is to find a GNU/Linux vendor or try it out yourself. Bring a live CD to a local computer store and boot it. If it works, buy the laptop. If not, keep looking.
Re:Perplexing? (Score:3, Interesting)
So, it would be cheaper to buy MS Office than to use OpenOffice.org for free, just because of the training issues.
I wonder what those folks are going to do when Office 2007 becomes widely deployed. Something tells me that they are just going to adapt to it, book their time on some random project activities, without ever raising the same issues they did with OpenOffice learning curves.