In order to compensate for that, Microsoft will apparently extend downgrade rights for Windows XP Professional beyond the Windows 7 SP1 milestone to throughout the Windows 7 life cycle. The Windows 7 SP1 beta features only minor fixes, the majority of them already being available through Windows Update.īrandon LeBlanc, a spokesperson for Microsoft, wrote July 12 on The Windows Blog, “Our business customers have told us that 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.”

Originally slated to terminate within 18 months of Windows 7’s general release, or the availability of Windows 7 Service Pack 1-a beta of which appeared July 12-end-user downgrade rights for Windows XP have now been extended. Windows XP has been given a reprieve by Microsoft-at least, when it comes to users’ ability to downgrade to the popular but aging operating system.

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