Memo to Microsoft: Make up your friggin’ mind already, will you?

Two weeks ago, I mentioned in this space how the software giant had started spreading FUD about their own product (specifically, Windows XP) by massaging data until it “proved” that Vista was considerably less expensive, from a TCO perspective, than XP. Point of said tactic being to drive slower-than-anticipated sales of Vista, at a time when consumers finally seem to be waking up to the notion that MS’s latest “upgrade” is just an excuse to soak them for even more of their money than they’re already sending to Redmond.

Now word is coming out that MS is allowing several major computer manufacturers — including Dell, HP, and Lenovo — to offer downgrades (to XP Pro) to customers that request it, for a nominal fee.

Even so, don’t get too excited. This being Microsoft, there are… a few strings attached. First, only the Business and Ultimate versions of Vista qualify for this downgrade; if you’re running Home or Home Premium, you’re stuck (as per the EULAs for those products, which can only be downgraded to XP Home). Also, depending on the manufacturer, you may or may not receive an actual XP Pro license with your software, making reactivation difficult at best. (The ones that aren’t offering full licenses claim they aren’t necessary in this case, as the one for Vista can be carried over to the new/old version in this one instance.) Not to mention, MS is allowing this program for a limited time only, and only because so many customers have complained about Vista’s many problems versus the tried-and-proven XP, including hardware and software that ran perfectly well in XP but barfs when Vista tries to use them. Finally, as you might expect from the version restrictions, this is being done primarily for corporate users only, though I don’t suspect a home user running one of the two “high end” Vistas would be denied if they contacted the manufacturer asking for a downgrade.

Still and all, even with all these terms and conditions, it’s somewhat nice to see Microsoft doing something like this. In the decade-plus since the release of Windows 95, I think this is the closest they’ve ever come to admitting one of their OS products isn’t up to snuff; even Windows ME’s many and sundry problems were officially ignored by the company right up until the XP line shoved it off store shelves. Now if they could just release a Vista that wasn’t tainted with so many compatibility and DRM-related problems (to say nothing of assuming that a legally-purchased Vista OS magically becomes pirated the moment the seal on that funky plastic box is broken), we’d actually be getting somewhere…

(On a semi-related note, the release version of Ubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon,” heralded as the best out-of-the-box Ubuntu experience yet for new users, will be out shortly. Just thought I’d mention it…)

If you liked that, try...

1. Microsoft: Vista will be deployed quickly!
2. Microsoft Vista Launches Today, Just Don’t Try to Upgrade
3. Install Vista Upgrade as Full Version?
4. Is Vista A No-Go For IT?
5. Mac OS X Leopard Debuts Tomorrow

1 Comment »

1. 
   joey
   October 18, 2007 at 9:03 pm

   lets talk about down gradings..

   when will microsoft and the computer manifactures and the hardware makers make a vista** down grade advisor **.

   i have a hp 6345 pavillion note pad .. i have been told that this unit was made special for vista and xp drivers wont work ..

   this is a problem that hp and microsoft must address !!.

   vista is a fiasco it is a new millium edition all over again ..

   vista is being foisted upon the public ..

   the public is speaking ! remedey the problem.

   fix my computer or i never buy a h p porduct again!!!.

   [Reply]

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