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Microsoft Select License, Open License, Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM) License, and Full Packaged Product (FPP) License Downgrade Rights
January 2007
Corporate Government and Academic • Select License and Open
License • Open Business, Open License Value, and Volume Licenses
• Enterprise Agreement • Campus Agreement • All Academic
Programs
Downgrade rights grant the right to use prior versions of Microsoft®
software. Microsoft Volume Licensing programs include specific downgrade
rights. The chart below compares Volume Licensing downgrade rights with
those provided under OEM and FPP licenses.
Downgrade Rights for Software Acquired through Select License, Open License,
OEM, and FPP, by Product Pool
See Chart Here
FAQs
I have Microsoft Office XP, but only Microsoft
Office 2003 Edition licenses are on the price list. My business currently
has machines that have Microsoft Office XP installed. What license do
I need to buy to run Microsoft Office XP on the new machines I will be
purchasing?
If you buy the Microsoft Office 2003 Edition license through a Microsoft
Volume Licensing program, you may use any prior version of the software
in place of the version you order, including Microsoft Office XP.
We are currently using Microsoft SQL Server™
7.0. We need to allow Internet access to our Microsoft SQL Server server
computer, and the Microsoft SQL Server Internet Connector is no longer
available. What do we do?
Acquire SQL Server 2000 per-processor license(s) for the server machine
that will be accessed over the Internet. When you do that, you are governed
by the applicable Product Use Rights (PUR) for that product. These use
rights will continue to be applicable to your use, even if you choose
to downgrade to a previous version of Microsoft SQL Server. What this
means for you is that the rights associated with the Microsoft SQL Server
2000 per-processor license that allow anyone, from anywhere, at any time,
to access your Microsoft SQL Server data on that server would still be
applicable even if you are using downgraded SQL Server 7.0 software bits
on the server machine. Even though this option did not exist with SQL
Server 7.0, by licensing the current product and using the current PUR
and the applicable downgrade rights, you can run SQL Server 7.0 in this
manner. This holds true for any new product acquired under the current
PUR and downgrade rights associated with Microsoft Volume License agreements.
Can I downgrade my OEM version of Windows
Vista Business to Windows XP Professional?
Yes. OEM downgrade rights for desktop PC operating systems apply to Windows
Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate as stated in the License Terms.
Please note, OEM downgrade versions of Windows Vista Business and Windows
Vista Ultimate are limited to Windows XP Professional (including Windows
XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP x64 Edition). End users can use the
following media for their downgrade: Volume Licensing media (provided
the end user has a Volume Licensing agreement), retail (FPP), or system
builder hologram CD (provided the software is acquired in accordance with
the Microsoft OEM System Builder License). Use of the downgraded operating
system is governed by the Windows Vista Business License Terms, and the
end user cannot use both the downgrade operating system and Windows Vista
Business. There are no downgrade rights granted for Windows Vista Home
Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium.
If I have Microsoft Office Professional
Enterprise Edition 2003, what can I downgrade to?
Downgrade rights in the Volume Licensing programs provide customers with
the right to downgrade to any prior version of the same product. Therefore,
Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise 2003 can be downgraded to the
Microsoft Office XP, Office XP 2000, Office XP 97, Office XP 95, or Office
XP 4.3 versions. You would not, however, be able to downgrade to Microsoft
Office Standard Edition 2003 as that is a different product and not considered
a previous version of Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise Edition
2003.
Which 2007 Microsoft Office system suites
are eligible to downgrade to Office 2003 suites?
Customers who have licensed Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 are
eligible to downgrade to Office Professional Enterprise 2003 and all previous
versions as described above. Customers who have licensed Microsoft Office
Standard 2007 are eligible to downgrade to Office Standard Edition 2003
and all previous versions of Office Standard Edition.
Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 contains
several additional components that were not available in any Office 2003
suite. If I have a license for Office Enterprise 2007, then what can I
downgrade to?
Customers who are licensed for Office Enterprise 2007 can downgrade to
Office Professional Plus 2003 plus the Microsoft Office OneNote® 2003
note-taking program. Additionally, Office Enterprise 2007 licensees who
had licensed Microsoft Office Groove® 3.1 and held Office Groove maintenance
that was active on July 1, 2006, may also use Office Groove 3.1 as a downgraded
component. Customers choosing to downgrade and use these components must
use them on the same device in the same manner they would use the components
in the version of the suite for which they acquired a license.
If I have Windows Vista Enterprise, what
can I downgrade to?
Downgrade rights in the Volume Licensing programs provide customers with
the right to downgrade to any prior version of the same product. Windows
Vista Enterprise is a new type of product and does not have a prior version.
However, customers licensed for use of Windows Vista Enterprise are licensed
for Windows Vista Business, and it can be downgraded to the Windows XP
Professional, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT® 4.0, Windows
NT 3.51, Windows 98, or Windows 95 operating system. You would not, however,
be able to downgrade to Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home
Premium, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, or Microsoft Windows Millennium
as those are different products and not considered previous versions of
Windows Vista Business.
Since I can no longer purchase Multilanguage
User Interface (MUI) for Windows outside of Software Assurance, can I
downgrade and use MUI versions of the Windows operating system under my
Windows Vista Business Software Assurance if I downgrade my PC to Windows
XP Professional?
Yes. Customers that acquire rights to MUI on their new Windows
Vista PCs through Windows Vista Enterprise in Software Assurance are permitted
to use prior MUI versions of the Windows operating system.
Note: This Microsoft Volume Licensing Brief is provided for general informational
purposes only. For the terms and conditions governing your use of Microsoft
software, please refer to the applicable license agreement.
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