The link that Carey provided is in the secured OEM/systembuilder section of microsoft.com.
The following provides more details on downgrade rights for Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise Editions, and Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition.
Also see the Downgrade Rights FAQ• The right to downgrade is an end-user right and is documented in the OEM System Builder product end-user license agreement or EULA.
• OEM System Builder Downgrade Rights for operating systems apply to Windows Vista Ultimate, Vista Business, Windows XP Professional, and Windows XP Tablet PC editions only. For Server, these rights apply to only Windows 2003 Server Standard and Enterprise Editions and Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition. OEM versions non mentioned do not have downgrade rights.
• If the End User chooses this option, it is noted in the Product EULA that neither Microsoft® nor the Manufacturer will supply such End User with media for such previous versions. The End User must provide the downgrade media and a valid Product Key.
• End Users can use the following media for their downgrade: Volume Licensing media (provided End User has a Volume Licensing agreement), Retail (Full Package Product), or a System Builder edge-to-edge CD (provided software is acquired in accordance with the Microsoft OEM System Builder License). End Users can use one legal version of the downgrade media for multiple installations. The end customer does not need to have one set of media for each PC they are downgrading, because they have acquired legitimate full operating system licenses for the most recent version, which gave them the right to downgrade.
• In the event the End User opts to downgrade, neither Microsoft nor the PC Manufacturer is obligated to provide customer product support for Customer Systems on which such previous versions are installed.
• The software may not be installed on any other computer system than the one which was downgraded under this right.
• If downgrading the End User cannot use the downgrade operating system (for example Windows XP Professional) and the most recent version which they downgraded from (for example Windows Vista Business) at the same time.
• If downgrading Windows Server 2003 or Small Business Server 2003, the End User cannot use the downgrade server software and Windows 2003 software at the same time.
• If an End User chooses to downgrade to an approved, prior version of the Windows desktop operating system, the PC Manufacturer is still required to apply the desktop operating system Certificate of Authenticity (COA) to the PC.
• End Users may reinstall Windows Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet PC edition, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Small Business Server 2003 at any time, provided the downgrade operating system has been removed from the computer, and that software is reinstalled on the PC it was originally installed on with the original OEM System Builder edge-to-edge CD distributed with the original PC. The End User will need to use the Product Key, located in the center of the Certificate of Authenticity (COA), in order to activate the product.
• When an end user is using their downgrade rights offered under the License Terms in Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions and they use both Windows XP media and a product key that was previously activated, they will fail activation due to the hardware configuration change when installing on the Vista system. In these cases the end user will be prompted to call the Activation Support Line and explain their circumstances to the Customer Service Representative. Once it is determined that the end user has a valid Vista Business or Ultimate license, the Customer Service Representative will help them activate their software.
• For Client Access License (CAL) downgrades, end users may use Windows Device CALs and Windows User CALs with an earlier version of the software in accordance with the terms of the of the Windows Server 2003 EULA; however, due to technical incompatibilities, the end user may not use TS Device CALs with TS User CALs.
This summary is intended to be a general informational overview of the downgrade rights outlined in the End User License Agreement for the indicated Microsoft OEM System Builder product. It is not intended to be a legal analysis/interpretation of its contents. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Please refer to the actual EULA for the precise terms and conditions which govern use of the software. In the event of a conflict between this general summary and the EULA, the EULA prevails.
As I posted in another thread that seems to have been deleted (??), the circumstances surrounding downgrade rights seem to be geared to big organizations instead of an individual such as yourself. If would be natural to expect a larger orgainzation to have oodles of copies of XP laying around, but regular folks don't normally have extra copies of XP laying around.
If you can get a CD for XP Pro, you should be able to install it using the media-matching generic Product Key from the chart at the bottom of this article: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/wpadepl.mspx Once installed, you can then run the Activation Wizard, choose activate by phone, and then speak with an activation rep to assert your downgrade rights.
If the generic PK approach does not work for some reason, then your only other option would be to borrow a copy of XP Pro from someone and use their PK to install. However, you will want to be very careful to not accidentally allow that installation of XP to activate, because if it does it will create problems for the person from whom you borrowed XP. The best way to prevent an inadvertent activation would be to disconnect from the internet before the Out Of The Box Experience Wizard runs at the conclusion of Setup.
As I posted in the previously deleted thread, all of my downgrading experience has been in circumstances where the business has had previous licensed copies of the previous OS, so I cannot say that I have made a downgrade work they way we both think it should work for you.
Downgrade to XP
