Microsoft caps Windows 7 to XP downgrade program at April 2011

Microsoft has kept itself quiet on details of the Windows 7 to XP downgrade program until today. Mixed reactions were recieved when they announced that the program would last until April 2011. The Redmond company previously declined reports claiming that the downgrade program would only last six months after the release of Windows 7. A Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet the following:

Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate customers will have the option to downgrade to Windows XP Professional from PCs that ship within 18 months following the general availability of Windows 7 or until the release of a Windows 7 service pack, whichever is sooner, and if a service pack is developed.

Businessess that purchase computers with Windows 7 pre-installed before April 23, 2010 can choose to downgrade to Windows XP. They would also be given the opportunity to upgrade back to Windows 7 at a later date. However, any computer purchased after April 23rd can only be downgraded to Vista. While home users may find little use for the downgrade program, businessess typically do not deploy an operating system until the first service pack has been released.

The new downgrade program details may prove to be troublesome for businessess. Those who don’t want to give Windows Vista a visit would be forced to upgrade and downgrade at an early date. IT research firms including Gartner generally recommend companies to wait a year to a year and a half before upgrading to Windows 7.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft to allow Windows 7 users to downgrade to Vista or XP
2. New Windows 7 Upgrade Program Details
3. Windows 7 Upgrade Program Date shifts again…