Re: ID10T
The issue is not that she took a working Vista machine in to be downgraded to XP. It is a new machine which, in most cases, as an existing drive or sysprep image available.
The issue now, and I still think the lawsuit is missing the mark though getting much closer, is that Microsoft enabled and enforced an environment in which a customer would be required to pay for a Windows XP installation on a computer with a Vista license.
Her points are pretty clear here. No Home Edition qualifies for the downgrade. Instead, only the more expensive Business Editions (and Ultimate, IIRC) may be downgraded, and then only to XP Professional.
Now, I am not sure how relevant the bit about only being able to downgrade to XP Professional really is. None the less, Microsoft has constructed an environment in which the average home consumer must shell out more money to get Windows XP.
As for the Windows XP downgrade fees being charged by OEMs? That seems to be pretty much up to the OEM. I have brokered the purchase of numerous Dells for which the customer was not charged for the Windows XP installation. Which in and of itself is mostly irrelevant since the first thing I do when I get a new Dell workstation or server is wipe and reload the operating system and drivers.
But then, we do not know what is going on behind the scenes between OEMs and Microsoft, much as we did not know about the goings on in the past. So, there may be something there fueled by the desire for Microsoft to show that Vista was never a flop, that everybody loves it, and that it is so much better than Windows XP. Inflate the sales figures for Vista by forcing OEMs to only sell Vista licenses, and charge a hidden tax for allowing an XP installation? Why, we would never!
Oh, but get this. How much do they care about the Windows XP and Vista relationship? If a system builder downgrades to XP, he or she can call and activate ANY Windows XP license, even if already activated, just by saying that downgrade rights are being exercised.
Paris, first thing to do with her is wipe and reload.