Jerry said:
Although the op didn't mention Vista at all, your comments about using the
Vista license brought up some questions. Are you saying that if someone
purchases a new computer with Vista OEM installed that they can use that
Vista OEM license to activate an install of XP Home Retail on that same
computer? That would seem contrary to what you could do with XP, an XP OEM
license doesn't work on a Retail copy and visa versa.
Unfortunately for the op, unless he's buying a Dell or maybe a
remanufactured computer, there are no XP computers at the big box stores and
trying to downgrade one can be very difficult because XP drivers just aren't
being written for some of the new motherboards that are in those big box
store computers.
In fact, you can ONLY downgrade from the OEM versions of Windows Vista
Ultimate and Business. If it were a retail version of Vista, well, you
CHOSE to buy that version separate of the software bundle with the
hardware. There's no point in providing downgrade rights from the
retail versions of Vista as the buyer deliberately chose to purchase
that version. The downgrade rights allow users that by pre-built host
that included an OEM version of Vista to downgrade to XP (but only for
the Ultimate and Business versions of Vista).
You get the XP install media (Microsoft doesn't supply it). You do the
install. You activate by phone. You tell the rep what you installed
for XP and give them the Vista license key. They give you back a
product key that works for whatever XP version you installed. I forget
the Microsoft site or Microsoft blog but it even mentioned borrowing the
XP install media from a friend to do the install. You have the 30-day
trial period for that XP install in which to exercise the downgrade
rights to transfer your Vista license to your XP install but, as I
recall, it will require a call for activation since the rep has to get
your Vista license, know what XP version you installed, and then gives
you a new product key for whatever XP you installed.
Of course, none of this has to do with hardware which is the topic of
this newsgroup. If you want details and more opinions, ask in either an
XP or Vista newsgroup, or contact Microsoft. In the meantime, read
their short blurb at:
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...cbd-699b0c164182/royaltyoemreferencesheet.pdf
The driver availability issue is the responsibility of whomever installs
the OS. If the OP wants to install Windows XP on a pre-built host that
was designed for Vista support, the OP needs to check if the pre-built
maker or the component makers supply XP-specific drivers. There are
some hosts that were designed specifically with only Vista in mind and
they do not supply XP drivers, or you have to dig, or you have to
determine what components are in the host and go get the drivers from
them. That's why some sale folks will warn you that your hardware may
not function or there will be reduced functionality if you revert to XP.
If the OP wants a "real live XP CD" as he described, it's likely that he
will have to buy one. Just because Microsoft dropped mainstream support
doesn't mean all those retail packaged boxes on shelves just magically
disappeared; see
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2060350368 1179212716&name=Professional
(all in stock). But then the procedure for exercising your downgrade
rights doesn't require going out to buy a retail package to install XP,
so the OP could just go borrow his friend's CD again when he needs to do
a recovery, or when he does another fresh reinstall (which means he'll
have to call again to give the Vista product key and detail what XP
version he reinstalled).
