Microsoft will allow downgrades from Windows 8 to Windows 7, Vista

By ThePitt
in Back Page News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

ThePitt

Posted
Posted

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.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9230815/Microsoft_will_allow_downgrades_from_Windows_8_to_Windows_7_Vista

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

Nice, i have a feeling alot of people are going to be taking advantage of this.

I have a feeling a few geeks who can't handle change will take advantage of this while all the regular users will happily surf along with win8

Explorer

Shadier

Posted
Posted

Admitting failure?

Well if that's the case, I guess Microsoft also felt that Windows 7 was a failure too. You gotta give them credit though, they've put some tough standards on themselves if to them Windows 7 was a failure!

Grand Master

McKay

Posted
Posted

I would rather call it Upgrade.

lol, Why downgrade?! Call it Upgrade!!

Call it what you want, the fact is your Kernel version is going down, so its a "down"grade. Whether or not your personnel experience will be better or not is irrelevant.

Community Regular

veternan

Posted
Posted

Call it what you want, the fact is your Kernel version is going down, so its a "down"grade. Whether or not your personnel experience will be better or not is irrelevant.

Blaaah blaaaah...Thank You Mr.Kernel :p Who cares? 6.2 will be 6.1 :woot:

Grand Master

chrisj1968

Posted
Posted

Yes, they never offered this before!!! /s

Glassed Silver:mac

precisely! I wonder who'll be the fallguy at MS? :/

Must mean they're offering IE10 for both 7 and Vista then too.

I hope so. I'm impressed with IE10 at least

Grand Master

Rippleman

Posted
Posted

You mean "choice" like being able to choose if you want to use or not the Start Screen? :rofl:

yes, choice. If you don't want the start screen, you have to choose to stick with Windows 7... :)

  • contextfree
  • Like 1
Grand Master

firey

Posted
Posted

hmm, I wonder how many Windows 7 downgrades were actually used (like going from 7 -> Vista). I doubt very many, definitely be a lot more Windows 8 -> 7/Vista than 7 -> Vista/XP

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Apple reportedly has a second-generation iPhone Fold planned for 2027

      By +Good Bot, Bad Bot · Posted

      Shocker! It would be crazy to be ready to introduce a "fold" phone but have no plans happening for a followup model.
    • Microsoft raises Xbox console prices by up to $150, discontinues 2TB version

      By Abercrombe · Posted

      XBOX is at the end of its generational life cycle and wasn't selling much anyway. They need to figure out the pricing for XBOX Helios. However, I'm not buying the DRAM shortage with AI preferring HBM. I think it's industry gouging.
    • Amazon Prime Day 2026: Best Dolby soundbar deals from Sony, Samsung, JBL, Polk, and more

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      Amazon Prime Day 2026: Best Dolby soundbar deals from Sony, Samsung, JBL, Polk, and more by Sayan Sen Yesterday we covered the JBL BAR 800 which is a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos/Vision soundbar. The unit is on sale for its lowest ever price of just $800 making it a solid offer. However, there are many more options to choose from and in this article, we have made a compilation of the best deals including from Sony, Polk, Yamaha, Denon, Samsung and more. Sony's BAR models are currently at their lowest prices which makes them solid offerings. The company's BRAVIA Theatre Bar lineup is designed to suit different home cinema needs. The Bar 5 is an entry-level 3.1-channel soundbar with a wireless subwoofer, supporting Dolby Atmos®, DTS:X, S-Force PRO Front Surround, and Vertical Surround Engine for immersive audio with clear dialogue. The Bar 6 upgrades to a 3.1.2-channel configuration by adding dedicated up-firing speakers for more convincing overhead Atmos effects while retaining the wireless subwoofer. At the premium end, the Bar 7, Bar 8, and flagship Bar 9 are single-soundbar solutions featuring Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology, which creates phantom speakers for a wider surround field. Bar 7 includes nine speaker units, Bar 8 increases this to eleven, and Bar 9 offers thirteen speaker driver units promising the most expansive soundstage and acoustic performance. All models should integrate seamlessly with compatible BRAVIA TVs and support the BRAVIA Connect app for setup and control. Get them at the links below: Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 Soundbar (HT-A9000): $998.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $1498) Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 Soundbar (HT-A9000): $798.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $998) Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 7 Soundbar (HT-A7100): $618.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $768) Sony BRAVIA Theater System 6: $548.00 | Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6: $448.00 Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 5 (HT-B500): $278.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $348) Sony HT-S400 2.1 soundbar: $198.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $248) Aside from those, we also have more discounts including from Samsung, Polk Audio, and more: Samsung Q-Series Soundbar HW-QS90H 7.1.2: $797.99 (Amazon US) (Was: $998) Polk Audio Signa S4: $336.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $449) Hisense AX3120Q: $229.00 (Amazon US) (Was: $259) Check out more soundbar deals that you may like at this link. Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • NASA: This asteroid may not kill us but it probably won't be far off either

      By QuantumBigfoot · Posted

      Better luck next time.
    • Stellarium 26.2

      By Copernic · Posted

      Stellarium 26.2 by Razvan Serea Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go. Stellarium key features: Realistic simulation of the sky, sunrise and sunset Default catalogue of over 600,000 stars Downloadable additional catalogues for up to 210 million stars Catalog data for all New General Catalogue (NGC) objects Images of almost all Messier objects and the Milky Way Artistic illustrations for all 88 modern constellations More than a dozen different cultures with their constellations Solar and lunar eclipse simulation Photorealistic landscapes (more are available on the website) Scripting support with ECMAScript (a few demo scripts are included) Extendable with plug-ins: 8 plug-ins installed by default, including: artificial satellites plug-in (updated from an on-line TLE database) ocular simulation plug-in (shows how objects look like in a given ocular) Solar System editor plug-in (imports comet and asteroid data from the MPC) telescope control plug-in (Meade LX200 and Celestron NexStar compatible) The major changes of this version: Added new sky culture Added new plugin: Planes Many improvements in plugins Many improvements in Core and GUI Many updates in sky cultures. [full release notes] Download: Stellarium 26.2 (64-bit) | 456.0 MB (Open Source) View: Stellarium Home Page | Other Operating Systems | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
    • Apprentice
      daryld went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Contributor
      Carltonbar went up a rank
      Contributor
    • One Month Later
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      418
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      170
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      130
    4. 4
      Xenon
      69
    5. 5
      neufuse
      69
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!