According to published reports, Microsoft now says it will allow OEMs to license Windows XP as a downgrade option for six months following the introduction of Windows 7. The company has not said when it will release Windows 7 to the marketplace, but industry analysts believe Microsoft is readying the Vista replacement for a Fall 2009 release. There’s no word on how Microsoft will address the consumers’ big complaint with Vista: difficulty in finding software drivers.

XP Still Available On A Technicality

As a catch, new computers sold after Windows 7 is released must include the physical media for Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate. Those two implementations of Vista are the only ones that permit a user to downgrade to an earlier version of the operating system. Another catch: OEM advertising must market the computer with the OS that is normally pre-installed on the computer. Computers with Windows XP installed must not display the Vista logo and vice versa.
Currently, OEMs can sell Windows XP on notebooks only. June 2008 marked the last desktop models shipped with XP pre-installed. Like Vista, downgrade rights for Windows 7 won’t be available in every version. Only the Professional and Ultimate versions will include downgrade rights, but users who have those versions can either downgrade to the corresponding Vista Professional or Vista Ultimate versions, or downgrade to Windows XP Professional.

Six months after the release of Windows 7, users will no longer be able to request downgrade to Windows XP. The only downgrade rights available will allow users to step back to Windows Vista. Currently, Microsoft will make Windows XP media available to OEMs only through July 2009. The new plan suggests that this deadline will be extended to accommodate the new Windows 7 release.
If this has you all confused, don’t worry. In simple terms, if you buy a new desktop computer today, it will come loaded with Windows Vista. If you’re buying a new laptop today, you can request that your notebook ship with Windows XP, but you’ll be required to pop for one of the premium versions of Windows Vista in order to get the right to back down to Windows XP.

If you buy a new desktop computer six months from now, there’s a good chance that it will ship with the new Windows 7. If you spring for the premium version of Windows 7, you can request the manufacturer back your system down to Windows Vista or Windows XP, but only for a limited time. In the spring of 2010, you’ll lose the ability to get Windows XP (which isn’t supported by Microsoft, except on a per-incident basis) and your only downgrade rights will be to a premium version of Windows Vista.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Dell