Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Downgrading to XP

Apr 23, 2007 3:18AM PDT

I am the network admin for a small medical office. We are purchasing a new computer and it comes with Vista already installed. The software we run does not run under Vista yet, so we will need to downgrade to XP. My question is this... We don't have any XP cd's around so we will be purchasing a copy. Can we buy the upgrade cd or do we need the full version? I am thinking that we should be ok with the upgrade, but I just need to bounce this off a fresh brain. And, no, we can't just order a machine with XP on it. The office manager insists we buy a Dell, and the budget for the new machine is somewhat tight.

Thanks in advance.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
No Downgrade Rights for 'Basic' and 'Premium'..
Apr 23, 2007 3:39AM PDT

...It depends on which version of Vista you have installed.. You may or may not have downgrade rights. "Business" and "Ultimate", then yes you have downgrade rights. "Basic" & "Premium" OEM installations generally don't include such. As a result, The downgrade media must be supplied to you from the end user and must come from a legally licensed version of Microsoft retail, OEM/System Builder, or Volume License channels.(Usually it's a "full" version of XP SP2 PRO.)
________________

Q. Can I downgrade my OEM version of Microsoft Windows Vista Business to Windows XP Professional?

A. Yes. OEM Downgrade Rights for desktop operating systems apply to Windows Vista Business & Vista Ultimate as stated in the License Terms. Please note, OEM downgrade versions of Windows Vista Business and Vista Ultimate are limited to Microsoft Windows XP Professional (including Tablet PC Edition & x64 Edition). End users can use the following media for their downgrade: Volume Licensing media (provided the end user has a Volume Licensing agreement), Retail (FPP), or System Builder hologram CD (provided the software is acquired in accordance with the Microsoft OEM System Builder License). Use of the downgraded operating system is governed by the Windows Vista Business License Terms, and the end user cannot use both the downgrade operating system and Windows Vista Business. There are no downgrade rights granted for Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium.

________________


See the link below:
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:9T-J3mq3I5QJ:download.microsoft.com/download/f/5/5/f5573dbc-e4d9-464f-953c-4eacea2a38c1/VL_downgrade_rights.doc+XP+downgrade+license&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

Hope this helps.

Grif

- Collapse -
Hi
Jun 19, 2007 7:51AM PDT

I have windows vista ultimate, but i want to downgrade to xp. can you help me please.

- Collapse -
Any issue in particular?
Jun 19, 2007 9:50AM PDT

In general, you can refer to this guide to performing a clean installation of Windows XP. Note that it doesn't come with Vista, so if you don't have a retail copy to transfer from another computer you'll need to purchase a copy. I also recommend reviewing this post which highlights a few tips and possible problems you may encounter. That should cover the process, but if you have any other questions just let us know.

Hope this helps,
John

- Collapse -
In Addition To John's Good Suggestions..
Jun 19, 2007 12:37PM PDT

...here's a link from this forum which includes an entire discussion about how other's have already downgraded from Vista to XP.

downgrading from vista to xp

Hope this helps.

Grif

- Collapse -
And If There Are No Downgrade Rights On The New...
Apr 23, 2007 3:45AM PDT

....computer, then legally, you need to purchase the "Full" XP SP2 version.. Besides, the upgrade version of XP requires a CD of the previous Windows operating system to be placed in the CD-ROM during the installation. Since you have none, the upgrade won't install.

Another note...Be careful before installing XP on the new computer. Be sure to find all the various drivers for your computer FIRST.. (motherboard/chipset, audio, video, ethernet, modem, etc.) Dell may not have them yet..

See the link below for the downgrade/reinstall method I used on an HP computer recently:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12546_102-0.html?forumID=133&threadID=243153&messageID=2461470#2461470

Hope this helps.

Grif