Re: Microsoft extends XP downgrade rights date by six months
nemo wrote:
> On Oct 8, 11:05 am, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:
>
>>Frank wrote:
>>
>>>Plato wrote:
>>
>>>>the granter of sina wrote:
>>
>>>>>Microsoft is sending some very confusing signals about Windows Vista
>>>>>- the
>>>>>latest of which it issued via a statement on October 3.
>>
>>>>>The Register reported on October 2 that Microsoft was going to extend
>>>>>again
>>>>>the date until which PC makers would be allowed to continue to offer
>>>>>Windows
>>>>>users "downgrade rights," enabling them to switch from Vista to XP on
>>>>>new
>>
>>>>I'm also a bit confused. The other Sunday I was watching NASCAR with a
>>>>neighbor and was considering bringing my laptop over after signing up
>>>>with their special service, which required a high end pc/laptop, so I
>>>>went to Dell and looked for laptops as it was about time for me to get
>>>>in shape, and they all seemed to come with Vista, but for $100 _more_
>>>>you could get a _downgrade_ to XP.
>>
>>>>Too weird for me. I closed the page.
>>
>>>"Downgrade" is the operative word.
>>>But why would anyone pay $100 to "downgrade" anything?
>>>Are there that many stupid people out there?
>>
>>You don't have to pay to downgrade, it's part of the Vista business
>>license as it was part of the XP Professional license as it was part of
>>the Windows 2000 Professional license as it is and was part of different
>>Server versions.
>
>
> So if the laptop I bought came with a Home version, what are my
> options?
Downgrade rights are not extended to the Home versions, you should ask
the laptop vendor if there are XP drivers for the machine, if they
support installing XP on the machine you will then have to find an XP
copy out there somewhere.
> Unfortunately most PCs sold in the US, and certainly nearly
> *ALL* laptops, come with a choice of exactly one version of the OS.
You're assertion that *ALL* laptops come with only a choice of Vista
Home is certainly at odds with my experience. Laptops are more
frequently purchased for business or work purposes and the the frequent
need to join them to domains has always and still makes business
versions of Windows the preferred operating system for these machines.
If you can't find laptops being offered with Vista Business you aren't
looking too hard or you are looking at the wrong places!
John