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August 24th, 2012

Update: Microsoft Will Allow Downgrades From Windows 8 to Windows 7, Vista

Via: PC World:

Microsoft will allow users of Windows 8 Pro to downgrade their new PCs to Windows 7 or even Vista, according to the operating system’s licensing agreement.

Not surprisingly, users may not downgrade to the still-used-but-slated-for-retirement Windows XP.

Downgrade rights — which let customers replace a newer version of Windows with an older edition without paying for two copies — are available only in Windows 8 Pro. That fits with previous practice: Only Windows 7 Professional, for instance, was allocated downgrade rights.

“Instead of using the Windows 8 Pro software, you may use one of the following earlier versions: Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business,” states the software license agreement for the version of Windows 8 Pro that will be installed by computer makers (OEMs) on new PCs.

Windows XP Professional, which was one of the allowed downgrades for Windows 7 Professional, was not named. Windows XP will fall off Microsoft’s support list in April 2014.

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I’ve been enjoying my new Windows 7 installation, trying to figure out why Microsoft didn’t simply ship Windows 8 with the option to enable a “Windows 7” mode for desktop users? It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Sure, give people the option to use the Metro touch-based interface on tablets, etc., if they want, but let keyboard, mouse and large display users continue using the desktop as they are accustomed to using it.

Why didn’t Microsoft do this?

I wonder…

There are tens of millions of Windows XP users out there. Put yourself in Microsoft’s shoes for a moment and think about this: How do you harvest the maximum amount of money from that insanely large pool of people (and sooner, rather than later)?

Did Microsoft just stupidly try to fix something that wasn’t broken and wind up breaking it really badly in the process?

Is it that simple?

That is roughly how the conventional wisdom goes in trying to understand the Windows 8 debacle.

Or, is Microsoft going to make billions of dollars from masses of XP users who are so afraid of how crappy Windows 8 is that they will pay to get into the Windows 7 lifeboat before the Windows 8 ship sinks? XP users can pay in the form of buying standalone copies of Windows 7 or by buying new computers, with Windows 7 already installed.

I was one of those XP holdouts, and I handed over my money to get into the Windows 7 lifeboat. I’m not the only one. I’ve noticed dealers in New Zealand showing no stock of OEM and full retail copies of Windows 7 recently.

While I’m not sure that Microsoft premeditated this scheme, here’s how we’ll know if they did:

At some point after Windows 8 ships, and fur is flying over how bad it is for keyboard/mouse/large display users, and people have bought Windows 7 in droves to avoid Windows 8, Microsoft pushes out an update that, with a click or two, enables a “Windows 7” mode for anyone who wants it on Windows 8. No convoluted workarounds. No apps to try to restore what people already had with Windows 7. The “Start” button comes back. Just like that, Windows 8 doesn’t suck anymore.

Now, if Microsoft had done that from the beginning with Windows 8, would they have gotten my money? Nope. Not anytime soon, anyway.

Like millions of other contented XP users, I would have continued using XP for a couple of more years, but because Windows 8 represents such a dark spot on the horizon, I jumped into Windows 7 now, while I could, partially out of fear of how bad Windows 8 is.

Just because it looks like this, doesn’t mean it is, but the fact is that they got my money two years earlier than I wanted to give it to them… is very interesting.

My guess is that, after a lot of XP users have been frightened into shelling out for Windows 7 over the next several months, look for Microsoft to send a “Windows 7” mode down the pipe for Windows 8.

Mission accomplished.

I’d like to think that this whole debacle will convince more people to use Linux, and I’m sure it will, but only in trivial numbers. Apple might pick up a few more users. The vast majority of XP users, though, will probably just pay, like I paid, in order to keep using their applications in a manner that’s familiar to them—and sooner rather than later. While the peanut gallery rants and raves and blogs and YouTubes and Facebooks about Microsoft’s apparent stupidity with regard to Windows 8, who’s going to make the most money as a result of this?

Microsoft.