Downgrading to XP - From Vista

[Guest]

In reference to a post by "Technically Challenged";

I've had numerous issues with Vista; most recently I've been through 2 full
system restores. It seems to be an ongoing issue with no support or help of
getting the original issue solved. I have an OEM (assumably) version of Vista
that came with my Gateway system. I have two questions:

1. Can I downgrade to XP Home or Pro without buying a retail copy?
2. If so, where do I go to get a version of XP?

I've been told by Gateway that, by choosing to downgrade, it will void my
warranty. Additionally, I was told to do a Google search on my downgrade
options. At this point, I'm beyond frustration and have had no luck with
Gateways' Customer Service line. Any help would be further than where I am
now.....

 

[Shane Nokes]

Your warranty would be void as you're modifying the system is a way that is
not supported by warranty.

However if you reinstalled Vista later on then your warranty would once
again be in effect.

What issues are you having that are not resolved?

I'd like to help you get it fixed before you try to go buy XP and install
it.

 

[Simon Berube]

If you have information on how to downgrade to XP, please pass it over. If
I didn't have software compatibility issues and less available resources,
then I'd be happier about running Vista. However, I need to run my programs
without issues. I ran some searches, but I couldn't find any information
regarding Vista to XP Pro downgrade possibilities for retail users. Plenty
of info about OEM and enterprise editions, but nothing that seems to say
that I'd qualify for a downgrade.

I love the Vista visual aspect, but even with the quality system I have, I'm
not really satisfied with my Vista experience. At present time, XP would
offer much more to me.

 

[recurr]

I've been wanting to downgrade Vista on this Gateway, too. I've
thought about asking Gateway, but nice to know you did already. It
seems like we have to find our own media and our own product key to
downgrade. Do you know if Gateway would provide us with an XP product
key?

The downgrade is available for Vista Ultimate and Vista Business
according to:

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...9d-4996-b198-7b9d3fe15611/downgrade_chart.doc

"Rights to OEM versions of systems software are granted in the OEM
License Terms. The OEM License Terms for most OEM versions of systems
software do not grant downgrade rights. The exception is the OEM
License Terms for the Windows® XP Professional operating system and
the Windows Vistaâ„¢ Business and Windows Vista Ultimate operating
systems, which grant downgrade rights. See the full text of the OEM
License Terms for the specific downgrade rights."

"Can I downgrade my OEM version of Windows Vista Business to Windows
XP Professional?
Yes. OEM downgrade rights for desktop PC operating systems apply to
Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate as stated in the
License Terms. Please note, OEM downgrade versions of Windows Vista
Business and Windows Vista Ultimate are limited to Windows XP
Professional (including Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP
x64 Edition). End users can use the following media for their
downgrade: Volume Licensing media (provided the end user has a Volume
Licensing agreement), retail (FPP), or system builder hologram CD
(provided the software is acquired in accordance with the Microsoft
OEM System Builder License). Use of the downgraded operating system is
governed by the Windows Vista Business License Terms, and the end user
cannot use both the downgrade operating system and Windows Vista
Business. There are no downgrade rights granted for Windows Vista Home
Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium."

 

[recurr]

According to "Vista Validation Support - MS" from
http://forums.microsoft.com/genuine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1259956&SiteID=25
"You'll need to contact your OEM to figure out how to do this since
they're managing your licensing rights at this point."

 

[recurr]

I just emailed Gateway and asked how to downgrade since Gateway is
managing my licensing rights.

 

[Kerry Brown]

In reference to a post by "Technically Challenged";

I've had numerous issues with Vista; most recently I've been through 2
full
system restores. It seems to be an ongoing issue with no support or help
of
getting the original issue solved. I have an OEM (assumably) version of
Vista
that came with my Gateway system. I have two questions:

1. Can I downgrade to XP Home or Pro without buying a retail copy?
2. If so, where do I go to get a version of XP?

I've been told by Gateway that, by choosing to downgrade, it will void my
warranty. Additionally, I was told to do a Google search on my downgrade
options. At this point, I'm beyond frustration and have had no luck with
Gateways' Customer Service line. Any help would be further than where I am
now.....

My understanding of downgrade rights is that OEM versions of Vista include
downgrade rights to the appropriate version of XP (i.e. Home to Home) The
OEM supplier is not bound to supply you with media or a key for this. You
will somehow have to get your own media and key to install it. Once
installed if the key has been used before on another computer you will have
to use the phone activation method, explain what you have done, and the
installation will be activated. This is how it is supposed to work. If it
does is anybody's guess at this point. If you try it please let us know your
results.

 

[David R. Norton, MVP Shell/User]

I just emailed Gateway and asked how to downgrade since Gateway is
managing my licensing rights.

Would you please report Gateway's reply here? It seems others have the
same question and the information would be most welcome.

 

[Shane Nokes]

The only way to "downgrade" is either by buying an XP license and clean
installing, or begging your OEM to give you an XP license at which point you
completely forfeit your Vista license (if they are even willing to do so at
all).

There's no special tricks or anything involved and as stated it does void
the warranty.

What issues are you having, and what hardware is in that "quality" system?

 

[recurr]

This is the response I received from Gateway.

Thank you for your e-mail. If you wish to downgrade the Operating
System of your Gateway GM5424 computer to Windows XP Professional, you
will need to purchase and install a retail version for this Operating
System.

Once Windows XP is installed, drivers must be loaded that will work
with
this Operating System. You may try installing the drivers available
from this link:

http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/docexpress.asp?pn=1014151

Note: In some cases, drivers for Windows Vista work with Windows XP
Operating System. However, we cannot guarantee all divers will work
since you are going to use retail copy of Windows XP operating system.

Please note that Gateway does not support changing of Operating
System.
Any support for third party software should come directly from the
manufacturer.

For your reference, I have also provided here the link for the
specifications of the motherboard of your computer that you may use
when
searching for the drivers in case drivers from the link above will not
work:

http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/INTEL/4006159R/4006159Rsp2.shtml

Before you proceed with the downgrade process, it is advisable that
you
create first a copy Drivers and Application CD so that in case you
decide to restore the Windows Vista, you can have the chance restore
the
factory settings of your computer using this CD including the
Operating
System using the Restore DVD shipped with your computer. You can
refer
to this link for instructions:

http://support.gateway.com/s/software/MICROSOF/vista/7515506/7515506su7.shtml

This option is used to create a backup copy of the drivers and
applications that are included with the computer. This backup copy
does
not include the operating system. The backup created during this
process
is burned within the eMachines Recovery Center and should be labeled
and
stored in a safe place.

I hope you find this information useful in addressing your concern.

I have documented this correspondence in Case Number (removed) in our
contact tracking database. Please use this number in the future if
you
need to contact us again regarding this issue.

Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with
this
issue. If your reply is received while I am out of the office, to
ensure a speedy resolution, your issue will be handled by one of my
colleagues.

Sincerely,

(removed)
(removed)

 

[David R. Norton, MVP Shell/User]

This is the response I received from Gateway.

Thank you for your e-mail. If you wish to downgrade the Operating
System of your Gateway GM5424 computer to Windows XP Professional,
you will need to purchase and install a retail version for this
Operating System.

Any support for third party software should come directly from the
manufacturer.

<snip>

Thanks for the response, it's nice to know that you can change to XP at
your expense and it will not affect your warranty with Gateway since
you'd expect MSFT to support a retail version of XP and the hardware
warranty remains intact.

 

[recurr]

Here's another reply from Gateway:


Thank you for your e-mail. I apologize that we cannot provide the
product key for Windows XP Professional, because the preinstalled
software is Windows Vista and please be advised that the Restore CD is
different from the Windows XP Home Edition installation CD. In
accordance with our license agreement with Microsoft, the version of
Windows that came pre-installed is bundled with other software in a
Ghost Image format. Because of this, individual files or programs
cannot be extracted from the CD, except for the device drivers, which
can be loaded individually from the Restore CD.


As for changing Operating System, I apologize to say that changing the
operating system is not supported, and is not covered under the
warranty.

Gateway does not warrant or support any third party products, so any
support that you may need shall come from the manufacturer of the
third
party manufacturer.

If you wish, you may search online for drivers for the devices
preinstalled in your computer. Please note that we have not tested
drivers other than the ones provided and we cannot guarantee its
compatibility with the preinstalled components in your system. Please
be advised that all information obtained from the Internet is to be
***
used at your own risk ***. This will include all information
obtained
from the Internet, such as, files you may download, information about
how to resolve an issue or just visiting a link that you were referred
to. This will include any links or downloads that Gateway may refer
you
to as a possible resolution to an issue or just as a source of
information. This also includes any references to searching the
Internet for any type of information.

Consulting the manufacturer of the software is also a good idea. They
could provide additional information regarding your issue and
assistance
in installing or configuring it to operate properly. Gateway
technical
support is here to help troubleshoot hardware technical issues and to
determine if the original software is faulty or corrupted. We can
also
arrange for warranty repair service if required. However, we do not
have the information available to answer software usage questions or
work with third party software compatibility issues. We can only
support the original software that were preloaded on the system.

 

[recurr]

They posted information from"What to Know about Downgrade Rights" and
"Downgrade Rights FAQ" at http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1411945&SiteID=25&mode=1


What to Know about Downgrade Rights
The following provides more details on downgrade rights for Windows
Vista, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 Standard and
Enterprise Editions, and Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium
Edition.

Also see the Downgrade Rights FAQ

· The right to downgrade is an end-user right and is documented in the
OEM System Builder product end-user license agreement or EULA.

· OEM System Builder Downgrade Rights for operating systems apply to
Windows Vista Ultimate, Vista Business, Windows XP Professional, and
Windows XP Tablet PC editions only. For Server, these rights apply to
only Windows 2003 Server Standard and Enterprise Editions and Windows
Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition. OEM versions non mentioned
do not have downgrade rights.

· If the End User chooses this option, it is noted in the Product EULA
that neither Microsoft® nor the Manufacturer will supply such End User
with media for such previous versions. The End User must provide the
downgrade media and a valid Product Key.

· End Users can use the following media for their downgrade: Volume
Licensing media (provided End User has a Volume Licensing agreement),
Retail (Full Package Product), or a System Builder edge-to-edge CD
(provided software is acquired in accordance with the Microsoft OEM
System Builder License). End Users can use one legal version of the
downgrade media for multiple installations. The end customer does not
need to have one set of media for each PC they are downgrading,
because they have acquired legitimate full operating system licenses
for the most recent version, which gave them the right to downgrade.

· In the event the End User opts to downgrade, neither Microsoft nor
the PC Manufacturer is obligated to provide customer product support
for Customer Systems on which such previous versions are installed.

· The software may not be installed on any other computer system than
the one which was downgraded under this right.

· If downgrading the End User cannot use the downgrade operating
system (for example Windows XP Professional) and the most recent
version which they downgraded from (for example Windows Vista
Business) at the same time.

· If downgrading Windows Server 2003 or Small Business Server 2003,
the End User cannot use the downgrade server software and Windows 2003
software at the same time.

· If an End User chooses to downgrade to an approved, prior version of
the Windows desktop operating system, the PC Manufacturer is still
required to apply the desktop operating system Certificate of
Authenticity (COA) to the PC.

· End Users may reinstall Windows Vista Business, Vista Ultimate,
Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet PC edition, Windows Server
2003, or Windows Small Business Server 2003 at any time, provided the
downgrade operating system has been removed from the computer, and
that software is reinstalled on the PC it was originally installed on
with the original OEM System Builder edge-to-edge CD distributed with
the original PC. The End User will need to use the Product Key,
located in the center of the Certificate of Authenticity (COA), in
order to activate the product.

· When an end user is using their downgrade rights offered under the
License Terms in Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions and they
use both Windows XP media and a product key that was previously
activated, they will fail activation due to the hardware configuration
change when installing on the Vista system. In these cases the end
user will be prompted to call the Activation Support Line and explain
their circumstances to the Customer Service Representative. Once it is
determined that the end user has a valid Vista Business or Ultimate
license, the Customer Service Representative will help them activate
their software.

· For Client Access License (CAL) downgrades, end users may use
Windows Device CALs and Windows User CALs with an earlier version of
the software in accordance with the terms of the of the Windows Server
2003 EULA; however, due to technical incompatibilities, the end user
may not use TS Device CALs with TS User CALs.

This summary is intended to be a general informational overview of the
downgrade rights outlined in the End User License Agreement for the
indicated Microsoft OEM System Builder product. It is not intended to
be a legal analysis/interpretation of its contents. Information in
this document is subject to change without notice. Please refer to the
actual EULA for the precise terms and conditions which govern use of
the software. In the event of a conflict between this general summary
and the EULA, the EULA prevails.

Downgrade Rights FAQ
Q. Who can install the Downgrade Software or reinstall the original
software?
A. A System Builder (when authorized by end user), or the end user.
Because downgrade rights are an end user right granted in the end user
license agreement (EULA), the end-user must first be able to accept
the (EULA) associated with the software, so this software must be
installed first before the Downgrade Software is installed.
Q. Do I need to ship media for the Downgrade Software system as well
as most recent version they are using to downgrade from?
A. The System Builder may not provide the end user with the Downgrade
Software media. This media must come from the end user and must be
legally licensed from the Microsoft retail, OEM/System Builder, or
volume license channels.

System Builders must provide the Windows Vista Business, Vista
Ultimate, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 Standard
Edition or Enterprise Edition, or Windows Small Business Server 2003
media that is located in the Microsoft System Builder Pack to the end-
user.
Q. Can end users use Windows Vista Business or Ultimate, Windows XP
Professional, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Small Business Server
2003 software and the Downgrade Software at the same time?
A. No. End users may only install and use one Microsoft operating
system (either the Downgrade Software or the applicable Windows Server
2003 software) at any given time.
Q. Can end users return to Windows Vista Business or Ultimate,
Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Small
Business Server 2003 software after they downgrade?
A. Yes. End users who downgrade may reinstall the original software
when they are ready to migrate. For example, an end user who
downgrades to Windows NT Server 4.0 may later return to the Windows
Server 2003 Standard Edition software provided that the end user
deletes Windows NT Server 4.0 software from the server.
Q. How do end users reinstall the original software after downgrading
to a previous allowed downgrade version?
A. End users must use the original System Builder media that was
included with the PC or server for reinstallation. The Downgrade
Software must be deleted from the hard drive before the original
software is reinstalled.
Q. Where do customers get the CD to install the Downgrade Software?
A. End users must use a legally licensed version of the specified
previous version of the Windows desktop or server operating system to
install the Downgrade Software. The Downgrade Software may be from the
retail, OEM/System Builder, or volume licensing channels.

 

[Guest]

I am in the same situation. I recently purchased a new "cheapo" laptop for
my son which came pre-installed with Vista. My home computer is over 4 years
old (Pentium 4 2GHZ with 1GB RAM). The new laptop is Pentium M Celeron
1.6GHZ with 1GB RAM. Initially after windows login I compare the memory of
each system, the old desktop with Win XP Home is at 219MB, while the new
laptop with Vista Home Basic is over 400MB. When my son tries to play the
game Sims 2, the old desktop is running with the game at 50% CPU and memory
for the game is around 200MB, on the new laptop the game is at 100% CPU and
memory for the game is around 400MB. The game manufacturer says it does not
officially support Vista yet, but running the game in Win XP compatibility
mode doesn't work either. I feel that this laptop will be of marginal
performance under Windows Vista, but might actually be a good performer under
Win XP. I came to this forum to investigate downgrading to XP. I was
surprised at how many posts there are with the same question. It sounds like
Microsoft really has us over a barrel with all the licencing bull****. It
also does not surprise me that they expect me to go out and buy another
Windows license to downgrade and essentially leave my new Windows Vista
license unused! These cheap PC manufactures should have never started using
an OS before the PC hardware was capable of running it. Microsoft should
have never created such a bloated OS that uses up most of todays PC
resources, but that is typical MS. They have done the same thing with every
new OS that they created, always staying one step ahead of the hardware MFGs.
It does end up pushing the hardware MFGs to make higher performance PC's,
but on the other hand it keeps the price of new PC's high as well. I have
often wonderered how my new PC running XP would have operated under Win 2000,
but Microsoft closes that option as well by not providing support for older
OS's. Oh well, I guess that is life (at least Microsoft's version of it) I
might as well get used to it. Maybe I will try Virtual PC, but I don't have
much hope for that either since the laptop does not have much resource left
over after Vista boots up.

Frustrated Hillbilly.

 

[Jerry]

Try reformatting your hard drive and installing WinXP from scratch. Works
fine. Go up to the manufacturers website, and download all the system
drivers for XP for your computer first, and save them along with any other
data on an external hard drive, so you can install/reinstall the stuff after
you bring up XP. I have done this a lot for customers, and it works fine.

K

 

[Guest]

But what about the Licensing issues I see in all the other posts. I have
Windows XP Pro install disks, but when I use these in Virtual PC, they only
work for 4 days because they are not licensed properly. I am still using the
Win XP in my other computer.

Thanks for the optimitic reply tho...

 

[Rock]

But what about the Licensing issues I see in all the other posts. I have
Windows XP Pro install disks, but when I use these in Virtual PC, they
only
work for 4 days because they are not licensed properly. I am still using
the
Win XP in my other computer.

Thanks for the optimitic reply tho...

You need a separate license to run XP in a virtual machine. It can't be run
that way and installed elsewhere at the same time.

I'm not trying to get into an argument here, but you bought an OEM computer
that you, yourself, describe as a cheapo, and it came with an OEM license
for Vista. I don't see how you can say MS has you over a barrel on
licensing. An OEM license is good for use on the first system it's
installed on. Of course you got a good price, right? That's why you bought
what you did, but then it has it's limitations.

If you want XP on it, then buy another copy for it.

 

[Guest]

Hi Jerry I am new at this stuff first to let you know that I did a back up,
bought a cd from ms xp sp2 cd will not let me install over vista. tells me
that this version is older than what is on my comp yes it is vista do not
know how to reformat. I have been on the internet all day looking for ways to
fix this problem. I know I just paid 3.55 for the cd but I thought it would
do it for me and oh well.
maybe you can help.
thanks

 

[Dave]

Boot from the XP disk.

You can't be running Vista and format the disk it's sitting on.