Upgrade to XP Pro under a Volume License

[Daniel]

In the past we were purchasing PCs with Win XP Home (OEM) and upgraded our
systems to Win XP Pro under a Volume License Agreement. Now, it seems that
we will have to purchase XP Pro AND "upgrade" to Vista Business then
"downgrade" to XP Pro. In either case we would have to spend roughly $100
per system (just for the OS) in order to stay legal. Is this true? Or, can
we still buy systems with XP Home and upgrade them to XP Professional?

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[DL]

Dell still supplies WinXp sys, not sure whether Pro only though

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

In the past we were purchasing PCs with Win XP Home (OEM) and
upgraded our
systems to Win XP Pro under a Volume License Agreement. Now, it
seems that
we will have to purchase XP Pro AND "upgrade" to Vista Business then
"downgrade" to XP Pro. In either case we would have to spend
roughly $100
per system (just for the OS) in order to stay legal. Is this true?
Or, can
we still buy systems with XP Home and upgrade them to XP
Professional?

"purchase XP Pro and upgrade to Vista Business then downgrade to XP
Pro"

Want to explain your circular logic? If you purchase Windows XP Pro
and that is what you want for the OS, why would you waste time to go
to Vista and then come back to XP Pro? Seems that you would just
purchase (and install) Windows XP Pro ... and then STOP.

Or do you mean but did not say correctly that you will be buying PCs
with Vista pre-installed and want to switch to Windows XP Pro?

Vista downgrade rights

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...cbd-699b0c164182/royaltyoemreferencesheet.pdf

https://partner.microsoft.com/Malaysia/40042969

http://www.google.com/search?q=+vista++downgrade++rights

 

[Daniel]

This "Circular logic" is used use a single OS installation for PCs in the
company. This saves time when you get multiple PCs and you want them all to
be exactly the same. You get a Volume Licenses of the OS, Apps, and what
not, and install it on a PC. Then you take an image of the PC's hard drive
and deploy it to the rest of the machines. You can have all computers
configured, and deployed in a day. The logic is to purchase Windows XP Home,
but Microsoft messed things up and wants me to BUY machines with Windows XP
Pro or Vista Business on them and force me to use that nonsense "circular
Logic" to streamline my deployment. Unless I am mistaken. This is why I
want to find out here what I have to do in order to stay legal, and
efficient. I know that this is more a question towards a Licensing
specialist in Microsoft, but in order to get that answered I will have to pay
my beloved Microsoft before I can post my question with them. So, in order
to spend money I will have to spend more money. Nice going.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

This "Circular logic" is used use a single OS installation for PCs
in the
company. This saves time when you get multiple PCs and you want
them all to
be exactly the same. You get a Volume Licenses of the OS, Apps, and
what
not, and install it on a PC. Then you take an image of the PC's
hard drive
and deploy it to the rest of the machines. You can have all
computers
configured, and deployed in a day.

So either you are using SysPrep or some imaging software to transfer
one host's configuration to other hosts so you can distribute your
volume license.

The logic is to purchase Windows XP Home,

No company would be using Windows XP Home for their employee's
workstations.

but Microsoft messed things up and wants me to BUY machines with
Windows XP
Pro or Vista Business on them and force me to use that nonsense
"circular
Logic" to streamline my deployment.

So why can't you migrate your licenses from the old hosts to your new
hosts? You setup the baseline host with Windows XP Pro, apps, and
tweaking using one of your volume licenses and then ghost it to your
other hosts (atop of whatever OS they came with) to distribute your
other volume licenses.

Since you are buying new hardware, why not just specify what OS comes
on it? If you're stuck with buying Vista on those new hosts, would
the cost be any different than if you got those hosts with some other
version of Windows installed on them? If those are pre-built hosts
supplied with pre-installed Windows Vista then wouldn't you also be
getting an OEM license with each host? That means you have the
downgrade rights from Vista to Windows XP Pro - but then if you didn't
surrender your volume license with the old hosts then you already have
those volume licenses for Windows XP Pro to slam atop whatever OS came
on the new hosts.

- You have volume licenses of Windows XP Pro on your current hosts.
- You scrap the old hosts but retain your volume license (which was
purchased separately).
- You received the new hosts (doesn't matter what Windows version is
one them).
- You prep the baseline host with one of the volume licenses that you
still have for Windows XP Pro.
- You destribute an image of that baseline host to your other new
hosts.

So how has it changed regarding your distribution of the volume
license? You moved the licenses from old hardware to new hardware.
They weren't OEM licenses.

Unless I am mistaken. This is why I
want to find out here what I have to do in order to stay legal, and
efficient.

I wasn't aware that Microsoft charged for *sales* calls. Besides, if
you really did purchase a volume license, there is no included support
with that license?

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/contact/default.mspx

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

No company would be using Windows XP Home for their employee's
workstations.

I'm sure that's far from literally true. XP Home is probably *very*
rare in large companies, but I'm also sure that there are many small
companies (half a dozen employees or so) that use XP Home, and it
works very well for them.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I'm sure that's far from literally true. XP Home is probably *very*
rare in large companies, but I'm also sure that there are many small
companies (half a dozen employees or so) that use XP Home, and it
works very well for them.

Hmm, even in a "small" company of a dozen employees, well, for the
ones that I've seen, they still want to use domains, policies, etc.
which Home won't support. Home, as supplied by Microsoft, will only
do peer-to-peer (workgroup) networking. There is a way to make Home
work in a domain (e.g., http://vowe.net/archives/001639.html) but that
is something that I've read but not yet seen implemented at a small or
any-sized company. Without Remote Desktop, the sysadmins would have
to buy some other remote access solution to fix their employees hosts,
which would obviate the savings to get Home. Forget about group
policy with Home. With Home, every employee gets to be an admin so
forget about centralized control to someone that supposedly has more
expertise than just any boob the small company happens to give a
desktop or laptop. Forget about any employee, providing they needed
the power, to use a multiprocessor host. Home only supports 1
processor (which is NOT the same as the core count).

But then watching the Red Green Show illustrates that lots of stuff
can be used for something other than its intended purpose.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

in message



Hmm, even in a "small" company of a dozen employees, well, for the
ones that I've seen, they still want to use domains, policies, etc.
which Home won't support.

I will certainly grant that Professional is considerably more common,
especially with companies with a dozen or more employees. Note that I
cited "half a dozen employees or so."

Home, as supplied by Microsoft, will only
do peer-to-peer (workgroup) networking.

Yep, and that's one of the main reasons that large companies use
Professional.

My only point here is that the statement "*No* [emphasis added]
company would be using Windows XP Home" is an exaggeration. There are
clearly many exceptions with smaller companies.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I will certainly grant that Professional is considerably more
common,
especially with companies with a dozen or more employees. Note that
I
cited "half a dozen employees or so."

My only point here is that the statement "*No* [emphasis added]
company would be using Windows XP Home" is an exaggeration. There
are
clearly many exceptions with smaller companies.

I suspect that any "company" of half a dozen "employees", or less, is
probably a co-op or partnership. They each own whatever computer they
use so they do whatever they want with it. Obviously if they are
going to use the Home version then there is already a level of anarchy
in that partnership. While "company" can be applied to single-owner
or partnership businesses, that is not the typical connotation of a
"company". I will grant that I forgot to add "intelligent" right
before "company".