What? Windows 8 Pro comes with downgrade rights?

Windows 8 Pro comes with downgrade rights, which allow the
owner to legally install older versions of Windows. So for
those of you needing to upgrade from XP but still wanting to
hang back with Windows 7, this is a de-facto $40 Windows 7
Professional upgrade too.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6065/w...cost-just-3999

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 7 SP1

On 12/24/2012 12:09 PM, fritz wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:27:21 -0600, wrote:

Windows 8 Pro comes with downgrade rights, which allow the
owner to legally install older versions of Windows. So for
those of you needing to upgrade from XP but still wanting to
hang back with Windows 7, this is a de-facto $40 Windows 7
Professional upgrade too.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6065/w...cost-just-3999

Last July and _not_ Microsoft... not worth spit.

Actually this is partly true. I just found the scoop from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/lice...id=T2CoEPkCQYx

Only the OEM versions have downgrade rights. No upgrade versions have
downgrade rights. But hey, I did want to try Windows XP Tablet PC
edition on one of these Dell Latitude STs. I thought I had to purchase a
legal copy from somewhere. My two came with Windows 7 Pro installed and
it says I have downgrade rights for the XP Tablet PC edition. Now where
to find a copy?

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 7 SP1

On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:30:50 -0600, "BillW50" wrote
in article ...

On 12/24/2012 12:09 PM, fritz wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:27:21 -0600, wrote:

Windows 8 Pro comes with downgrade rights, which allow the
owner to legally install older versions of Windows. So for
those of you needing to upgrade from XP but still wanting to
hang back with Windows 7, this is a de-facto $40 Windows 7
Professional upgrade too.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6065/w...cost-just-3999

Last July and _not_ Microsoft... not worth spit.

Actually this is partly true. I just found the scoop from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/lice...id=T2CoEPkCQYx

Only the OEM versions have downgrade rights. No upgrade versions have
downgrade rights. But hey, I did want to try Windows XP Tablet PC
edition on one of these Dell Latitude STs. I thought I had to purchase a
legal copy from somewhere. My two came with Windows 7 Pro installed and
it says I have downgrade rights for the XP Tablet PC edition. Now where
to find a copy?

And therein lies the rub - you have the right to downgrade an OEM
version of Windows, but finding the media and a valid key are up to
you. You didn't think MS would help you, did you?

--
Zaphod

Voted "Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Known Universe" for seven
years in a row.

On 12/26/2012 6:56 AM, Zaphod Beeblebrox wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:30:50 -0600, wrote
in ...

On 12/24/2012 12:09 PM, fritz wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:27:21 -0600, wrote:

Windows 8 Pro comes with downgrade rights, which allow the
owner to legally install older versions of Windows. So for
those of you needing to upgrade from XP but still wanting to
hang back with Windows 7, this is a de-facto $40 Windows 7
Professional upgrade too.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6065/w...cost-just-3999

Last July and _not_ Microsoft... not worth spit.

Actually this is partly true. I just found the scoop from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/lice...id=T2CoEPkCQYx

Only the OEM versions have downgrade rights. No upgrade versions have
downgrade rights. But hey, I did want to try Windows XP Tablet PC
edition on one of these Dell Latitude STs. I thought I had to purchase a
legal copy from somewhere. My two came with Windows 7 Pro installed and
it says I have downgrade rights for the XP Tablet PC edition. Now where
to find a copy?

And therein lies the rub - you have the right to downgrade an OEM
version of Windows, but finding the media and a valid key are up to
you. You didn't think MS would help you, did you?

Well in most cases I would suspect those who wants to downgrade already
has a key and a copy. This would normally be true for me as well.
Although these Atom processors running Windows 7 and Windows 8 sort of
overwhelms the poor CPU. And my tablets has them and running Windows 7
and Windows 8. And I would like to give Windows XP Tablet PC a shot on
one to see if it performs far better like a suspect it would.

Although I have neither XP Tablet PC disc or a key. So I purchased a
machine with this installed with disc and key. I want a tablet with XP
on it anyway so now I have one. Although I might have two if the Atom
runs XP better than Windows 7 or 8. ;-)

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo T7400 2.16 GHz - 4GB - Windows 7 SP1

The right to downgrade only means you have a licensing right to do it...nothing more and it is incumbent upon the user to provide
the earlier version o/s software and product key to accomplish that task.

Fyi...this is a contractual agreement between MSFT and the OEM. In the past MSFT required the OEM (by volume licensing) to provide
the downgrade o/s.....this time around, the OEM's chose to avoid that cost penalty and make the customer/purchaser of the OEM pc
the responsible party.

Since OEM's may provide special drivers/inf files on their machines to make o/s function with their installed software or utilities
there is no guarantee that downgrading to a prior o/s will succeed if unique (non-win8) drivers are necessary....again...incumbent
upon the customer/purchaser to provide said files/drivers/etc.


--
....winston
msft mvp


"Zaphod Beeblebrox" wrote in message ...

On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:30:50 -0600, "BillW50" wrote
in article ...

On 12/24/2012 12:09 PM, fritz wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:27:21 -0600, wrote:

Windows 8 Pro comes with downgrade rights, which allow the
owner to legally install older versions of Windows. So for
those of you needing to upgrade from XP but still wanting to
hang back with Windows 7, this is a de-facto $40 Windows 7
Professional upgrade too.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6065/w...cost-just-3999

Last July and _not_ Microsoft... not worth spit.

Actually this is partly true. I just found the scoop from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/lice...id=T2CoEPkCQYx

Only the OEM versions have downgrade rights. No upgrade versions have
downgrade rights. But hey, I did want to try Windows XP Tablet PC
edition on one of these Dell Latitude STs. I thought I had to purchase a
legal copy from somewhere. My two came with Windows 7 Pro installed and
it says I have downgrade rights for the XP Tablet PC edition. Now where
to find a copy?

And therein lies the rub - you have the right to downgrade an OEM
version of Windows, but finding the media and a valid key are up to
you. You didn't think MS would help you, did you?

--
Zaphod

Voted "Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Known Universe" for seven
years in a row.