June 06, 2008

Last call for Windows XP PCs is mid-June

Retailers will stop taking orders for XP-based systems a few weeks before Microsoft's June 30 cutoff

Some PC makers are taking care of that hassle for you. They'll "downgrade" their business PCs to XP Professional, and ship you the discs to install Vista later if you choose. (Microsoft requires that they ship you those discs, as technically you bought a Vista PC, so you can "upgrade" to Vista later under the same license.) Dell, HP, and Lenovo will all offer the "downgrade" option on select business (and in Dell's case, some high-end gaming-oriented systems) at an additional cost. How long they'll make this option available is unclear, though. Dell is committing only until February 2009 to have the "downgrade" option available on its Vostro and select XPS lines of PCs, for example.

The "downgrade" option will not be available from either Best Buy or Circuit City.

Businesses that have a Vista site license can also "downgrade" their systems to XP, such as InfoWorld has previously outlined.

System builders -- those who make custom PCs, such as at local computer repair shops -- can sell XP until February 2009. And XP will be available on ultra-low-cost laptops and desktops until 2010.

Bill Snyder is a contributing editor to InfoWorld. He also writes the Tech's Bottom Line blog.
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