In November, I posted about Downgrade Rights based on a few questions that were floating around:

• Licensing Basics: What are Downgrade Rights?
• Let's set the record straight on Downgrade rights

In the MSSMALLBIZ User Group yesterday, the questions of, “What media do I use if I want to exercise my downgrade rights?” and “Doesn’t my System Builder supply me with the downgraded media?” came up, so I thought I would share the answer broadly here as well.

Here are a couple of links where you can find this information listed as well:

• On the OEM Downgrade Rights page
• On the Microsoft Download Center in the Downgrade Rights Chart

If your license of Windows has downgrade rights, then you can use: “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).” So any media for the qualifying downgrade version that the customer owns through another license already can be used. For customers with Downgrade Rights through Volume Licensing, they can also contact Microsoft Open License Media Fulfillment Center at: (800) 248-0655 to request prior version media of the Operating System upgrade.

As for the question of whether the System Builder should be supplying the downgrade media, you will see that answered on the OEM Downgrade Rights page listed above, “The downgrade media must be supplied to you from the end user and must come from Microsoft retail, OEM/system builder, or Volume Licensing channels.” So as you can see, the customer must supply the media for the downgrade rights installation.

Hopefully this helps address and answer these two questions for you.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft US Senior Manager
Small Business Community Engagement
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights