Downgrade Rights Details and FAQ

A. A system builder (when authorized by the end user) or the end user can install the software.

A Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate media disk is needed to facilitate the downgrade from Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows Vista Business.

A Windows XP Professional media disk is needed to facilitate the downgrade from Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows XP Professional.

A Windows XP Professional media disk is needed to facilitate the downgrade from Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows XP Professional.

Note that Windows 7 end user downgrade rights will be available through the sales lifecycle of Windows 7 which is up to two years after the launch date of a new version.

Get more information about Windows lifecycle and Windows product availability policies.

Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate products will include end user downgrade rights to the corresponding versions of Windows Vista software, Business or Ultimate, or Window XP Professional, or Tablet PC, or Professional x64 Editions.

A. The downgrade media can be media associated with any prior legally licensed version from the OEM system builder or retail channels. Additionally, an end user, who is licensed separately through Microsoft Volume Licensing programs, may provide their Volume Licensing media and key to their system builder to use to facilitate the downgrade on only their systems.

A. Media associated with one prior legally licensed version of Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, or Windows XP Professional can be used for multiple installations. Multiple sets of media are not necessary for each PC being downgraded. Each PC acquired by the end user includes a legitimate full Windows Vista or Windows 7 license, which confers upon the user the right to downgrade.

A. No. While system builders may help end users facilitate their downgrade rights, they may not provide Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, or Windows XP Professional media with the system, because this is not the product licensed with the system. They should, however, ensure that the PC includes the Windows 7 or Windows Vista edge-to-edge recovery media, as appropriate. The end user will need this software to upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows Vista when ready.

A. Once Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, or Windows XP Professional is installed, the PC will prompt for a Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, or Windows XP Professional product key in order to activate the software. The product key associated with the original Windows software should be used for activation. If the Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Ultimate, or Windows XP Professional product key has been previously activated, which is likely if the media came from a prior legally licensed version that has been activated in the past, the software may be unable to activate over the Internet, due to the hardware configuration change when installing this media onto the Windows 7 or Windows Vista system. When this happens, the appropriate local Activation Support phone number will be displayed, and the person performing the downgrade will need to call the Activation Support Line and explain the circumstances to a customer service representative.

Once it is determined that the end user has a valid Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Ultimate license, the customer service representative will provide a single-use activation code that can be used to activate the software.

A. Product activation is an anti-piracy technology that associates the hardware configuration of the PC with the software. If the Windows product key used when downgrading has been activated in the past, it will be associated with a different hardware configuration and may register an activation failure when used on the new PC. When activation fails, call the local Activation Support center for help in activating.

A. With downgrade rights end users are allowed to acquire Windows 7 or Windows Vista, but continue to use Windows Vista or Windows XP Professional respectively until they are ready to upgrade. When they are ready for Windows 7 or Windows Vista, they already have the license.