As eager as we all are to install the final version of Windows 7 onto our PCs, businesses can’t deal with change that quickly, especially not when dealing with hundreds of systems and different compatibility issues.
Things potentially could have been a lot different with Windows 7. While both Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate come with XP downgrade licenses, Microsoft originally intended for the offer to downgrade only be good for six months following the general availability of Windows 7 on October 22, 2009.
This meant that businesses still running XP either had to purchase new Windows 7 licenses before April 22, 2010. Downgrades to Windows Vista, however, would continue to be available after that date. While Microsoft is keen to transition its customers away from an eight-year old OS, many felt that a six-month period is too short.
In response to this, Microsoft has decided to extend its XP downgrade period by another year, now making XP still a valid path for new purchases for 18 months after the release of Windows 7 – or until the first service pack hits (a point at which many business consider it a stable upgrade).
"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," a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail to Computerworld.
And so, Windows XP lives on.
