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Microsoft to Allow PC Makers to Downgrade to XP

Posted by Zonk on from the going-back-in-time dept.

mytrip pointed out a News.com story about a new Microsoft program to allow PC makers to downgrade from Vista to XP if they so choose. They're still pushing the new version of Windows very hard, but the option now exists for PC resellers to offer the now venerable OS. This is especially interesting as the article points out that OEM licenses for XP officially run out at the end of January. "Hewlett-Packard also started a program in August for many of its business models. 'For business desktops, workstations and select business notebooks and tablet PCs, customers can configure their systems to include the XP Pro restore disc for little or no charge,' HP spokeswoman Tiffany Smith said in an e-mail. She said it was too soon to gauge how high customer interest has been. 'Since we've only been offering (it) for about a month, we don't really have anything to share on demand.' A Microsoft representative confirmed there were some changes made over the summer to the options computer makers have with respect to XP, but the representative was not immediately able to elaborate on those changes."

4 of 311 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Article has that backwards. by heathaze · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Users are advised to upgrade from Vista to XP. I think I caught that one on time :)

  2. So... by ackthpt · · Score: 0, Redundant

    All my base will not belong to you, Mr. Gates. That's good news.

    I'm still not going to buy a Vista machine.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. Re:Not the whole time by Ferzerp · · Score: 0, Redundant

    And yes, I mean through Dell.

  4. Re:The Appropriate Successor to Windows 98 SE? by White+Flame · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Why not just change the UI back to what made Windows "Windows", make some resource requirement adjustments, work with major companies on driver support for a a year, and release it like an entirely new OS.

    You're missing the most critical part: Get rid of the broken security, DRM, and Trusted Computing misfeatures.