What Does It Take to Get a PC With XP?
- From: Ablang <ron916@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:42:14 -0800 (PST)
What Does It Take to Get a PC With XP?
Our reporter tried to buy a computer with Windows XP preinstalled on
it from the United States' nine biggest PC makers. His findings: You
can get one, but be prepared to fib.
Christopher Null, PC World
Jul 15, 2008 10:00 pm
http://www.pcworld.com/article/148450/what_does_it_take_to_get_a_pc_with_xp.html
I won't waste time rehashing the argument over whether Windows Vista
is any good. The fact remains that lots of people prefer Windows XP,
and they'll go to great lengths to get it.
The problem: Windows XP "officially" went off the market on June 30,
2008, and computer vendors aren't supposed to sell new machines
configured with any version of Windows except Vista.
Fortunately for XP enthusiasts and Vista vetoers, the PC marketplace
still has a loophole or two in it. In response to pressure from
customers, Microsoft has made some concessions for people who really
want XP, offering a lifeline for users willing and able to wade
through the company's convoluted downgrading program. The upshot is
that virtually every copy of Vista Business or Vista Ultimate Edition
is sold with a license for XP, which a computer manufacturer can
exercise to install XP Professional on any Vista Business or Vista
Ultimate PC.
But just because a manufacturer can install XP doesn't mean that it
will. And just because its official policy permits it to sell XP
machines doesn't mean that its employees understand that policy.
To find out how difficult it is to get a new XP machine these days, I
asked the nine largest PC vendors in the United States--Dell, HP,
Gateway, Toshiba, Acer, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Sony, and Asus--about the
specifics of their downgrade policies. Then, to see how closely the
official story synced up with the reality in the marketplace, I called
sales representatives for each company and asked them whether I could
purchase a new laptop equipped with XP from them.
The verdict? Downgrade policies are all over the map, and more than a
few rank-and-file sales reps have a sketchy understanding of those
policies. Some notebook PC sellers make getting XP preinstalled on a
new laptop a snap; others don't offer it under any circumstance. As a
rule of thumb, your odds of finding a machine with XP and a sales rep
who knows how to configure a machine with that OS are far greater if
you call the business sales line instead of the consumer sales line.
(Be prepared to fib and say you're planning to buy 25 computers during
the next 12 months.) Getting XP via online purchase can be tricky,
too.
Here's how each manufacturer's formal policy--and informal reality--
shakes out.
Dell
The Official Word: Dell has one of the most extensive and detailed
policies on Windows XP of the nine vendors I investigated, but getting
XP preinstalled on a machine may cost you extra. The company outlines
the situation in this blog posting, where the company explains that
though the XP downgrade program targets corporate customers, it's an
option for general consumers, too. Though the rules are complicated,
they are in line with those of most other sellers. To be eligible for
an XP downgrade, you must be purchasing a Latitude laptop, an OptiPlex
desktop, a Precision workstation, a Vostro laptop or desktop, an XPS
630 desktop, or an M1730 laptop. The machine must be specced to come
with Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, and you can downgrade only to
XP Professional. You must pay a $20 to $50 fee for the downgrade if
you're buying a Vostro or XPS; corporate clients receive the downgrade
at no charge. The program is slated to run until January 31, 2009, but
Dell says that even after that it will continue to make some
enterprise-level exceptions.
The Real Deal: Alas, not all Dell reps seemed to be up to speed on the
company's XP strategy. First I tried to purchase an Inspiron running
XP for "home use" (that's not covered in Dell's policy, but I decided
to try my luck anyway). The harried sales rep I spoke to told me, "We
don't have any computers running XP any more." After some pushing, he
acknowledged that "I think business has them" but insisted that I'd
have to check with another department to pursue such a purchase. He
also repeatedly asserted that I could not obtain any machine in the
XPS line configured with XP, contrary to Dell's posting. I called
Dell's business sales line next and asked which computers I could get
with XP. The rep casually (and correctly) answered "all of them,"
provided that I affirmed my intention to use the computer for business
purposes. Of course, since Dell doesn't include models from the
Inspiron line in its business sales category, the rep directed me to
the Latitude series instead.
HP
The Official Word: HP offers dozens of computer models, but its policy
regarding Windows XP breaks down fairly simply: None of its consumer
products are eligible for downgrading, but all of its business
products are. The machines covered include some(but not all) desktop
PCs, notebook PCs, and workstations in the Compaq line, as well as
some systems that bear the HP brand. On qualifying systems, HP will
preinstall XP and you'll receive a disc for both XP and Vista. This
arrangement will continue to be available until at least July 30,
2009, according to HP. Thereafter, HP will preinstall a customer's
custom XP image on request.
The Real Deal: Visit HP.com and click through to one of the business
sections (not to the Home & Home Office section), and you'll find that
virtually every computer model listed has a clearly labeled XP option.
When I called HP's sales operations, the reps largely repeated the
official policy. When I asked a consumer sales specialist whether I
could buy a new Pavilion laptop (a consumer model) with XP, she said
no, but she referred me to some Compaq business models instead.
A degree of confusion erupted over the question of whether I would
have to install XP myself: The first rep I spoke to told me that HP
sold all of its machines with Vista preinstalled and that I wouldn't
be able to get an XP disc until after I'd received the computer,
placed a call to technical support, and asked for a disc to be mailed
to me. Then I'd have to install it myself. ("Legally we can't do it,"
she said.) After nearly 20 minutes of talking and waiting on hold, I
got transferred to a business sales rep who reversed the consumer rep,
assuring me that XP came preinstalled on any machine labeled "Windows
XP Professional custom installed" on HP's site and confirming that HP
included a Vista install disc in the box as well.
Gateway
The Official Word: Short and sweet. Gateway says that it officially no
longer offers XP on any of its machines, since it "sells only to
consumers now." Even Gateway's systems to be sold in retail channels
(such as Wal-Mart) are now Vista-only.
The Real Deal: I was stonewalled when I called. A flabbergasted rep
told me that Gateway didn't sell XP ("that was done on June 30"), and
he couldn't understand why I'd want it, either. "You have to upgrade
to Vista Ultimate and then you can do the downgrade," he said--but I'd
have to perform the installation myself, and I'd have to buy the
software from another source. "It ends up costing you more to
downgrade," he summarized. Retail stores don't offer new Gateway
machines with XP, either. If you want a new Gateway laptop that runs
XP, you'll have to bring the components together yourself or you'll
have to purchase an older model that's still lingering in the retail
channel.
Toshiba
The Official Word: The official policy on XP downgrades at Toshiba is
shrouded in legalese. A spokesperson told me: "Toshiba continues to
see demand for Windows XP from our business partners. Toshiba will
follow Microsoft's Windows XP Product End of Life Policy while fully
supporting customers who continue to require Windows XP through End
User Downgrade Rights and Provisions. For more details about
Microsoft's programs, please contact Microsoft." Huh?
The Real Deal: Visit Toshiba's Web site and you'll understand
Toshiba's reluctance to provide a clear explanation of its XP
strategy: It's selling loads of models with an XP CD included in the
box, as well as a number of systems with XP as the only operating
system option. But if you want an XP machine from Toshiba, don't rely
on the main Toshiba.com Web site; instead, visit the company's
toshibadirect.com site, which has a greater number of product choices
and more-timely information. I called a sales rep who referred me to
numerous XP-capable systems (most of these come with Vista
preinstalled but carry an XP restore disc in the box), including the
bulk of the Tecra and Portege lines. Toshiba even offers a few
consumer notebooks--among them, Satellite M300 and Satellite Pro L-
series laptops--with XP preinstalled. Collectively that covers quite a
bit of Toshiba's laptop lineup. All you have to do is call and ask.
Acer
The Official Word: Acer doesn't sell machines directly to consumers,
only to resellers. According to Acer, the company no longer sells
machines with XP installed, nor does it offer a standard XP downgrade
program. Nevertheless, Acer says, resellers can request a downgrade on
any machine, and Acer will continue to offer such services through
January 31, 2009.
The Real Deal: Visit Acer's Web site and you'll find at least one
system, the Ferrari 5000, listed as being available with Windows XP
(though that configuration option may be an oversight). Visit a few
resellers, and you'll find some Acer machines loaded with XP and some
loaded with Vista, though systems of the latter type are more
commonplace. Various Aspire laptops continue to be offered for sale
with XP preinstalled, but many of these are older models. In my hunt
for new gear, I checked with a major Acer reseller, Tiger Direct,
which verified that all of its Acers were now configured with Vista. A
sales rep told me that the only way I could downgrade to XP was by
doing it myself (he quoted me a price of $129 for a CD copy of Windows
XP), adding that if I were to "change the software configuration of
the laptop," it would void the warranty on the laptop. The rep didn't
even hint at Acer's downgrade program, though he did offer a copious
array of alternative PCs running XP, including a multitude of
refurbished and off-lease machines, a Lenovo, and a large selection of
Systemax machines that he said were still shipping with XP standard
(and with a Vista upgrade as an option).
Fujitsu
The Official Word: Fujitsu offers a wide selection of machines for
which XP downgrades are available. The company will preinstall XP, if
you wish, on any Fujitsu model that has either Vista Business or Vista
Ultimate listed as an OS option. (Machines with Vista Home are not
eligible for downgrade.) If you prefer, you can buy an XP CD instead,
along with all of the required drivers, and perform the installation
yourself. There is no charge for either option. Fujitsu has a special
paged dedicated to buyers who may be "not ready to transition to
Windows Vista"; the vendor takes care to point out that, officially,
if you wish to downgrade from Vista to XP, you must meet Microsoft's
definition of a business customer--that is, you must "agree to the
intent to purchase 25 units [computers] or more over the next year."
Fujitsu notes that this is not a binding agreement; you simply have to
say (or pretend) that you need a whole bunch of PCs.
The Real Deal: I called Fujitsu's consumer sales line to inquire about
one of the few models that Fujitsu sells only with Vista Home Premium
preinstalled, and was told that it was not available with XP. My rep
enthusiastically pointed to a number of alternative models that the
company would ship with XP for no extra charge, accurately noting that
only Vista Business and Ultimate machines were eligible for the
program. At no time did the rep ask me whether I was a business
customer, offer to transfer me to a business sales rep, or seek
confirmation that I intended to buy 24 more computers within the next
12 months.
Lenovo
The Official Word: Lenovo offers a helpful Web page that outlines its
downgrade policies in detail. Specifically, it notes that anyone who
purchases a machine that has Vista Business or Vista Ultimate
installed on it may also purchase a bootable Windows XP recovery CD
until January 31, 2009. "Fees may vary."
The Real Deal: In reality there is no fee. When configuring the laptop
you plan to buy online (the entire ThinkPad line is covered, but not
IdeaPad or Lenovo 3000 models), you may select an option under
'Operating System' for "Genuine Windows Vista Business downgrade to
Windows XP Professional." Lenovo will then ship you the PC with XP
preinstalled for the same price it charges for the Vista Business
option. Strangely, there is no similar option for Vista Ultimate; and
when I called a rep to ask about this inconsistency, he didn't know
much about the plan other than what was stated on the configuration
page. If you select the XP option online, you'll receive an ominous
red pop-up message worded similarly to Fujitsu's warning: "Note: The
downgrade from Genuine Windows Vista Business is intended for
business, educational and public sector customers requiring Windows XP
Professional that expect to order at least 25 PCs annually." But the
warning is toothless: In completing your purchase, you never have to
agree to order more PCs or even indicate a willingness to do so.
Sony
The Official Word: Initially, Sony told me that it offered no XP
downgrade options on its current crop of computer models. Just as we
were going to press, however, the company confirmed that two new
laptop series--the VAIO BZ and VAIO SR--will come with an XP downgrade
option, with XP preinstalled by Sony at the customer's request.
The Real Deal: I called Sony before the company had announced the
loopholes in its "No XP" policy, so I didn't expect much. Surprise: A
rep told me that if I ordered either the VAIO TZ or the VAIO SZ laptop
configured with Vista Business, Sony would ship it with a driver CD in
the box that included everything needed to make the laptop work with
XP. The rep said that Sony wouldn't provide or sell the XP disc
itself, so I would be responsible for supplying the OS myself.
Asus
The Official Word: Officially, Asus says that it offers only "select
Eee PC models" with XP preinstalled--specifically, the Eee PC 900, the
Eee PC 901, and the Eee PC 1000, each of which enjoys special status
under Microsoft's "ultra low-cost personal computer" exemption (for
PCs in this category, Microsoft has promised to extend the
availability of XP Home Edition all the way through June 30, 2010).
The upcoming Eee Box "net top" box will run XP as well, according to
Asus.
The Real Deal: When I asked an Asus sales rep whether I could purchase
the company's high-end Lamborghini machine loaded with Windows XP, he
replied that Asus sold all of its machines as ensembles," meaning that
they were configured at the factory and couldn't be changed once they
were shipped to Asus. The rep told me that no XP drivers were
available for the Lamborghini--but when pushed, he added that a
reseller might be able to make something "custom" for me. Resellers
writing drivers? No thanks. But the sales rep also said that, beyond
the Eee series, he could offer two other models running XP: the W7S
and R1F Tablet laptops. Though both are primarily available in Vista
configurations, you can indeed find both configured with XP at
numerous resellers.
.
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