June 16, 2009

Windows XP to Windows 7 upgrade has hidden dangers

Organisations hoping to upgrade to Windows 7 XP, rather than going via Vista, could find Microsoft has it harder and costlier for them to upgrade to the new OS. Gartner analyst Michael Silver says, "It's a disaster waiting to happen".

By Galen Gruman, Infoworld

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Under Microsoft's planned enterprise licensing rules, businesses that buy PCs before 23 April, 2010, with Windows 7 preinstalled can downgrade them to Windows XP, then later upgrade them to Windows 7 when they're ready to migrate their users.

But PCs bought on or after 23 April can only be downgraded to Vista -- which is of no help for XP-based organisations, Silver notes -- and could cause major headaches and add more costs to the Windows 7 migration effort.

Microsoft's PR firm told ComputerworldUK.com’s sister title InfoWorld, "It looks like Microsoft hasn’t made any announcements around timing for downgrade rights from Windows 7 to Windows XP yet." But Microsoft has several times discussed the six-month limit with and characterised it to him as a "public" policy. The policy is also clearly visible in a Microsoft PowerPoint slide.

Both Forrester Research and Gartner advise clients to wait 12 to 18 months after Windows 7 ships before adopting the new OS, so they can test compatibility of their hardware and software, as well as ensure their vendors' Windows 7 support meets their needs.

But Microsoft's six-month downgrade restriction for XP means that the businesses that chose not to install Vista may have to rush the migration process. Alternatively, they can spend extra money and enrol in Microsoft's Software Assurance program, which then lets them install any OS version at the price of the extra yearly fee per PC. "Microsoft will probably get more money out of [this policy]," Silver says.

For businesses not willing to pay extra for the Software Assurance program, Silver sees real headaches coming, which ironically could slow the adoption of Windows 7 by XP-based businesses.

Organisations could buy more PCs than needed by 22 April to essentially stock up on XP-downgradable Windows licenses, but that distorts their purchasing costs. Or they could buy PCs as needed after April 23 and either live with Vista or Windows 7 on them -- perhaps allocating those systems as test units instead of regular production systems -- or buy XP licenses from retailers that still have them in stock.

Tracking which PCs have which downgrade rights in IT asset management systems, though, "will be difficult," Silver notes. "Microsoft has made a real mess."

"Users need to say this policy doesn't make sense," Silver advises, and try to convince Microsoft to change it. Consumer pressure has worked to sway Microsoft licensing policies before; notably, businesses' strong resistance to Vista caused Microsoft to extend the availability of Windows XP several times in various forms.

Next: The perils of using XP mode

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