jowl

I'm needing to downgrade 2 Vista Bus Sony Vaio laptops.

My understanding is that you do not have to purchase an additional XP license to do this and the manufacturers would provide media. Is that correct? The Toshiba laptops we supply come with both Vista and XP Pro restore discs, for example.

Right now, I'm a bit stuck - I need to install XP but don't have any legal way of doing it on the Sony.

stevem2k

Check there are XP drivers before you start... Some newer sony's don't even have an xp driver set.

jowl

I've downloaded the full XP set of drivers/apps from the Sony site.

But they tell me they won't provide an restore discs for XP. So I'm left with 2 choices.

1. 'Piracy' - plenty if illegal ways to get XP on

2. Buy a retail version (or possibly OEM) of Win XP. But then I'm not downgrading under my rights but actually purchasing a full copy of XP.

Grr.

Sonic'

Nope you are on your own in finding the media

Microsoft will gladly let you excercise your right to downgrade but will not provide the media, only the license key, oh and it will be OEM too (the license key that is) so you will have to get an OEM copy of the media

jowl

The cynic in me would say it's to make it as hard as possible for people to escape Vista.

What's the point of a downgrade 'right' if you have to purchase the operating system anyway?

Oh well, I think I have an old OEM XP disc *somewhere*

Sonic'

We have spoke to Microsoft about this, they really do not care at all where you get a disc from, they give you a valid licensed serial number for using XP

jowl

Cheers Sonic.

THe 'research' I've been doing about it also says this.

I was even half way to calling M$ about it.

Sonic'

We had to phone them, as we were getting at least 20-30 calls a day about it