Customers buying a computer with an operating system preinstalled will usually have the option to downgrade or upgrade that operating system. In a somewhat move Microsoft confirmed yesterday that customers buying computer systems with Windows 7 would be allowed to downgrade the operating system not only to Windows Vista but also to Windows XP.
Mary Jo Foley contacted Microsoft on this behalf and confirmed the downgrade possibilities. It is however very likely that not all versions of Windows 7 can be downgraded to either Windows Vista or Windows XP. A look at how Microsoft handles Windows Vista downgrades suggests that only selected versions can be downgraded. Vista users can only downgrade Vista Ultimate or Vista Business to Windows XP Professional.
The rumored starting and end dates of the downgrade rights are October 2009 to April 30, 2010 although neither date has been confirmed by Microsoft yet.
The real question in this matter is however why someone would want to downgrade from Windows 7 to Windows XP in first place as this operating system’s support is ending in April 2009 with security patches being supplied until 2014. It is unlikely that many users will opt for the downgrade especially if Microsoft manages to deliver what the beta builds of Windows 7 are promising.
