What to Know about Downgrade Rights

Editors Note: Microsoft has backed down another step in the Windows XP saga. The following is reprinted from Microsoft's website. I've edited it to show only the pertinent information as it relates to end users of Windows XP.

• The right to downgrade is an end-user right and is documented in the OEM System Builder product end-user license agreement or EULA.

• OEM System Builder Downgrade Rights for operating systems apply to Windows Vista Ultimate, Vista Business, Windows XP Professional, and Windows XP Tablet PC editions only. OEM versions non mentioned do not have downgrade rights.

• If the End User chooses this option, it is noted in the Product EULA that neither Microsoft® nor the Manufacturer will supply such End User with media for such previous versions. The End User must provide the downgrade media and a valid Product Key.

• End Users can use the following media for their downgrade: Volume Licensing media (provided End User has a Volume Licensing agreement), Retail (Full Package Product), or a System Builder edge-to-edge CD (provided software is acquired in accordance with the Microsoft OEM System Builder License). End Users can use one legal version of the downgrade media for multiple installations. The end customer does not need to have one set of media for each PC they are downgrading, because they have acquired legitimate full operating system licenses for the most recent version, which gave them the right to downgrade.

• In the event the End User opts to downgrade, neither Microsoft nor the PC Manufacturer is obligated to provide customer product support for Customer Systems on which such previous versions are installed.

• The software may not be installed on any other computer system than the one which was downgraded under this right.

• If downgrading the End User cannot use the downgrade operating system (for example Windows XP Professional) and the most recent version which they downgraded from (for example Windows Vista Business) at the same time.

• If an End User chooses to downgrade to an approved, prior version of the Windows desktop operating system, the PC Manufacturer is still required to apply the desktop operating system Certificate of Authenticity (COA) to the PC.

• End Users may reinstall Windows Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet PC edition at any time, provided the downgrade operating system has been removed from the computer, and that software is reinstalled on the PC it was originally installed on with the original OEM System Builder edge-to-edge CD distributed with the original PC. The End User will need to use the Product Key, located in the center of the Certificate of Authenticity (COA), in order to activate the product.

• When an end user is using their downgrade rights offered under the License Terms in Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions and they use both Windows XP media and a product key that was previously activated, they will fail activation due to the hardware configuration change when installing on the Vista system. In these cases the end user will be prompted to call the Activation Support Line and explain their circumstances to the Customer Service Representative. Once it is determined that the end user has a valid Vista Business or Ultimate license, the Customer Service Representative will help them activate their software.

Q. Who can install the Downgrade Software or reinstall the original software?

A. A System Builder (when authorized by end user), or the end user. Because downgrade rights are an end user right granted in the end user license agreement (EULA), the end-user must first be able to accept the (EULA) associated with the software, so this software must be installed first before the Downgrade Software is installed. 

Q. Does the manufacturer need to ship media for the Downgrade Software system as well as most recent version they are using to downgrade from?

A. The System Builder may not provide the end user with the Downgrade Software media. This media must come from the end user and must be legally licensed from the Microsoft retail, OEM/System Builder, or volume license channels.

System Builders must provide the Windows Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Professional, media that is located in the Microsoft System Builder Pack to the end-user. 

Q. Can end users use Windows Vista Business or Ultimate, Windows XP Professional, and the Downgrade Software at the same time?

A. No. End users may only install and use one Microsoft operating system at any given time. 

Q. Can end users return to Windows Vista Business or Ultimate, or Windows XP Professional software after they downgrade?

A. Yes. End users who downgrade may reinstall the original software when they are ready to migrate. For example, an end user who downgrades to Windows XP Professional may later return to the Windows Vista Business Edition software provided that the end user deletes Windows XP Pro software from the server. 

 Q. How do end users reinstall the original software after downgrading to a previous allowed downgrade version?

A. End users must use the original System Builder media that was included with the PC or server for reinstallation. The Downgrade Software must be deleted from the hard drive before the original software is reinstalled. 

Q. Where do customers get the CD to install the Downgrade Software?

A. End users must use a legally licensed version of the specified previous version of the Windows desktop or server operating system to install the Downgrade Software. The Downgrade Software may be from the retail, OEM/System Builder, or volume licensing channels. 

Marlene Payne

Marlene Payne joined our staff in May of 2007 as our Bookkeeper and Office Manager.  Previously she worked at Russo’s Bar and Grill on East Oak Street in Zionsville.

She is a graduate of MIT with a doctorate in Economics.  She recently received a second doctorate in Mind Manipulation at the University of Taiwan.

She is the mother of twelve children age 3 to 15 and her hobbies include alligator wrestling and home dentistry.

Marlene is active in community service including Orange Jumpsuit Roadside Cleaning and the Geek Orthodox Church.

Please stop in and say Hi to Marlene, or drop her an email!

The first person to mention this 'Bio' to Marlene gets a free Village Geek Jump Drive.

ADVICE:
Investment View: Microsoft -Brad Ferguson 11-07
Identiy Theft, Somebody’s Watching YOU- Spring 2007
The RIAA (Recording Industry Assn of America) May 2007
File Sharing:Who can you Trust? June 2007
File Sharing List 6-2007
Vista Security and Your Role January-February 2007
Are You Buying a New Computer? and More About New Computers
November 2006
Tracking New Hardware August 2006
Before and After the Repair Sept-Oct 2006
Is Your Data Safe? July 2006
Are You Spending Wisely? June 2006
Safe Computing May 2006

REMARKS:
Sarcasm Report 5-2008
Steve's Rant on Vista 12-2007
Zombies Attack 10-2007
Iconitis are you at Risk? 10-2007
Combination Attacks 9-2007
Which Geek is which? 4-2007
Still Standing 3-2007
Steve's Rant 3-2007
Are you ready? February 2007
Vista Is Coming 10-2006
10 Commandments for Sanity 9-2006
Steve's Rant 9-2006
Steve's Rant 7-2006
Why buy from the Village Geek, Part 1 June 2006
Why buy from the Village Geek, Part 2 July 2006
Steve's Rant 6-2006

NEWS:
Downgrade Rights May 2008
XP to Survive? April 2008
MS to Buy Yahoo? Jan 2008
CompUSA folds 12-2007
Free Stuff on the internet, No... Really! 10-28-2007
Phishing and Spyware news 10-2007
January Heard it on the web 1-26-2007
Microsoft Word Zero-Day Attack Discovered 1-26-2007
Google Has Security Issues Too 1-15-2007
Dell accused of selling defective notebooks - again 1-12-2007
Net neutrality' would be Democrats' pet 10-25-2006
Spam Numbers Rise, Although Porn Is Down 9-1-2006
Technology for rescuing stolen laptops... - August 11, 2006
Microsoft Says Recovery from Malware... -May 30, 2006
Microsoft's new Windows could drive users nuts 5-2006
Notebook explodes at Japanese conference -July 1st, 2006
33% of Web Users are Victims of Malware - August 9th, 2006

GEEK'S CORNER-tech how to:
Building Your Own PVR? Nov 2007
Slipstreaming Windows Nov-2007
Building a Do-It-Yourself NAS Server Revisited Sept 2007
RF Interference on CAT5 cabling June 2007
Distributed Computing February 2007
GPU, PPU, GRAM and your system part 1 January 2007
GPU, PPU, GRAM and your system part 2 January 2007
Building Redundancy With a SATA RAID Array Sept. 2006
Protecting Your Audio Investment - August 2006
Do it yourself DVR - July 2006
Build a NAS server at home - June 2006

WHAT'S NEW:
Solid State Drives Jan 2008
PCI3 2.0 Ratified - Jan 2007
MultiCore CPUs - Sept-Oct 2006
AMD buys ATI - August 2006
McAfee SiteAdvisor - July 2006
SATA II hard drives - June 2006

In an article at The Register on May 1st 2008 John Leyden reports:

Spam celebrates its 30th birthday on Saturday (3 May).

On that day in 1978, 393 Arpanet subscribers were sent what's reckoned to be the first ever spam email in history (the message itself was written on 1 May 1978).

DEC marketing rep Gary Thuerk came up with the wheeze which produced a fierce backlash from Arpanet (military) administrators, as well as a small number of sales.

Thanks Gary, we will all remember you for that one!

In January 2004, Bill Gates predicted that spam email would be eradicated as a problem within 24 months.

Do you think that was the same speech where he said Vista was going to a great new OS?

Meanwhile, spam has begun appearing on other platforms, such as mobile phones. According to research from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), more than 80 per cent of phone users worldwide have received spam on their mobile (devices).

Don’t you just love it?  Now you can find a solution to your mortgage and sexual issues on your cell phone!

An estimated 95 per cent of all email is spam. If nobody responded to spam the tactic would not be commercially viable, but a recent survey conducted by Sophos revealed that 11 per cent of people admit to having bought goods in response to spam messages.

If they send out 60 billion spam emails, one in 10 will result in a sale.  You know with those kinds of results they will keep it up.  If you know any one that buys stuff from spam messages, cut off their computer privledges!