Have a Microsoft Windows Vista Business or Microsoft Windows Ultimate system, but need to continue using Microsoft Windows XP for a while? For a limited time Lenovo is providing Windows XP Recovery CD media as a way to downgrade from Windows Vista. Lenovo customers that have Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate "qualified systems" may purchase a Windows XP Recovery CD until January 31, 2009. Fees may vary. Please contact your local Support Center for additional details.
Notes:
- "Qualified systems" are Lenovo notebook and desktop systems purchased with a Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate preloaded operating system.
- There will be a limit of one Windows XP Recovery CD set per customer, per serial number for each system series with preloaded software, including Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate.
The Windows XP Recovery CD set provided by Lenovo does not require any online activation from Microsoft. It is as if it came on the system's preload and contains all required drivers, language support, and applications in addition to the Windows XP operating system software. See Downgrading to Windows XP for more information about downgrading your system to Windows XP.
Note: As with any downgrade or change from one operating system to another, creating a set of Windows Vista preload image Recovery DVDs or CDs for a system before beginning the downgrade procedure is recommended. The backup Windows Vista preload image should be stored in a safe place for use when reinstallation of the Windows Vista operating system software is required. Find more detailed instructions on creating recovery media using ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery.
The Windows XP Recovery CD set is bootable and will install the complete preload image of the operating system, drivers, and applications on the system.
IMPORTANT: Please be aware this boot process will reformat the hard drive, remove existing disk partitions, and erase any user data, settings and applications. Again, when changing operating systems, save data on separate media and reinstall any software and data once the system has been downgraded to Windows XP.
When you are ready to reinstall Windows Vista on your system, you will need to prepare applications, data, and settings for migration and store on separate media. It is recommended that the ThinkVantage Systems Migration Assistant utility be used to do this. Find more detailed information on using ThinkVantage System Migration Assistant to transfer system data.
Use the Windows Vista Recovery media that was created prior to downgrading to Windows XP to reinstall the system's preload environment, including Windows Vista. ThinkVantage System Update can be used to update to latest level of system firmware, drivers, software and ThinkVantage utilities. Once that has been completed, reinstall any other applications not provided by Lenovo. Use ThinkVantage System Migration Assistant to migrate data and application settings from the former Windows XP system environment. Find more detailed information on using ThinkVantage System Migration Assistant to migrate system data.
Note: As part of the Windows Vista reinstall procedure, the Windows XP operating system must be removed from the system hard drive.
For more information on Microsoft downgrade rights, please visit the following URL:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/2/3/d23b9533-169d-4996-b198-7b9d3fe15611/downgrade_chart.doc
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