Windows 7 downgrade deadline dropped

Microsoft has decided to drop the cut-off deadline for businesses wishing to downgrade to earlier version of Windows.

Prior to the release of Windows 7, Microsoft had stated that end-user downgrade rights, which are popular with businesses who prefer to use older versions of Windows such as XP, would be available until either 18 months after the launch, or until the first Service Pack came out, whichever came first.

The abandonment of this cut-off effectively leaves businesses an open time frame to migrate to newer versions of Windows.

“Our business customers have told us that the removing end-user downgrade rights to Windows XP Professional could be confusing, given the rights change would be made for new PCs preinstalled with Windows 7 and managing a hybrid environment with PCs that have different end-user rights based on date of purchase would be challenging to track,” wrote Microsoft’s Windows communications manager Brandon LeBlanc in his blog.

“Therefore, maintaining a more straightforward policy would help those customer segments that rely on downgrade rights as part of their migration planning – particularly in emerging markets and customers who may not take advantage of our volume license programs.”