Windows 7 Pro installed through downgrade rights

If a pre-configured machine comes with Win 7 Pro "through downgrade rights," does that mean the key would also work with Win 8 Pro?

Hi John_B,
please take a look at this thread in the W seies board, hopefully it will help answer your question.
The W7 key is embedded in the Lenovo factory image so you will need to create recovery discs.
Andy ______________________________________
Please remember to come back and mark the post that you feel solved your question as the solution, it earns the member + points
Did you find a post helpfull? You can thank the member by clicking on the star to the left awarding them Kudos Please add your type, model number and OS to your signature, it helps to help you. Forum Search Option T430 2347-G7U W8 x64, Yoga 10 HD+, Tablet 1838-2BG, T61p 6460-67G W7 x64, T43p 2668-G2G XP, T23 2647-9LG XP, plus a few more. FYI Unsolicited Personal Messages will be ignored.
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Windows 7 preinstalled through downgrade rights

When I ordered my T440s in March of this year I had the option of ordering it with either Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8 Prof or Windows 8.1 Professional in addition to the regular version of Win8. Each of the Prof. versions cost $50 more.
I had read somewhere that if I ordered it with Win7 Prof. that I could at some time later install Windows 8 Prof. since I was getting Win7 through downgrade rights. I paid $50 extra to get Win7 Professional rather than the standard version of Win8.
I just ran a configuration for a T440s today and noticed that the choices of operating system shows two Windows 7 options. Both cost $50. One is listed as Win7 while the other is listed as Win7 through downgrade rights. There was no two choices in March and even back then I had read that ordering Win7 was through downgrade.
So my questions are:
1) can I switch to Win8 Professional without any additional cost as I had understood?
2) if so how do I change over to Win8 Professional? I created a set of recovery disc for win7 but I don't know if it contains Win8 Prof.
part of the reason I'm asking now (more immediately) is that I had ordered the 500GB HDD with OPAL capability on it with the intention of implementing hardware encryption. I'm having problems finding any documentation or instructions on how to implement the hardware encryption (thanks a lot Lenovo) AND in searching the Internet it "appears" that I would need a version of Windows 8 to accomplish this as there is feature called edrive that is in Windows 8 (but not in Win7) that is required. (the only option for win7 laptops would be to utilize some third party software like WinMagic... which means it will cost me more money).
If it is true (that I need Win8) then I need to migrate to Win8 now, even before I really use this laptop. Which is why I'm asking about my "right" to migrate to Win8 Prof and how I would go about doing so.
thanks.

Hi John_B,
please take a look at this thread in the W seies board, hopefully it will help answer your question.
The W7 key is embedded in the Lenovo factory image so you will need to create recovery discs.
Andy ______________________________________
Please remember to come back and mark the post that you feel solved your question as the solution, it earns the member + points
Did you find a post helpfull? You can thank the member by clicking on the star to the left awarding them Kudos Please add your type, model number and OS to your signature, it helps to help you. Forum Search Option T430 2347-G7U W8 x64, Yoga 10 HD+, Tablet 1838-2BG, T61p 6460-67G W7 x64, T43p 2668-G2G XP, T23 2647-9LG XP, plus a few more. FYI Unsolicited Personal Messages will be ignored.
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T540p - Purchase Choice - Win 7 vs Win 7 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Win 8.1 Pro 64

Can someone explain what are the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of choosing between the following 2 Win 7 Pro - Options when choosing the custom configuration on the Leneov website for pourchasing the T540p ?
Windows 7 Professional 64
Windows 7 Professional 64 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Windows 8.1 Pro 64
JosephB
T61 6459-CTO - 15.4 WXGA - XP SP3
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi,
Here's my understanding:
Windows 7 Professional 64: old school - Win 7 installed and CoA sticker with key in the battery compartment..
Windows 7 Professional 64 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Windows 8.1 Pro 64: No Win7 CoA sticker. Win 8.1 key in BIOS. Win 7 installed. Usually Win 8 media included in the box. (I've seen reports that it sometimes wasn't included - verify that before purchasing).
The advantage of Win 7 old-school is that the CoA key can be used when doing a clean Win 7 install from Microsoft media. Advantage of the downgrade setup is that you also have Win 8.1 if you later decide to change OS. Disadvantage is that doing a clean Win 7 install requires some strange gyrations: Understanding downgrade rights
If you do go with the downgrade option, please make Win 7 recovery media when you receive your laptop. Otherwise if you switch to 8.1 at some point you won't have a way to go back to 7 easily.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
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How to upgrade to Win 8 from "Win 7 Pro 64 preload through downgrade rights in Win 8 Pro 64"?

If I buy a new W530 that according to the tabook has "Windows® 7 Professional 64 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Windows 8 Pro 64-bit" how could I in the future upgrade to Windows 8 with minimum hassle?
Am not really interested in spending the time on clean installs so am wondering if there is a hidden Windows 8 preload behind the visible Windows 7 preload, for instance available through Lenovo support sending me Windows 8 recovery disks for the W530.
T500: Vista 32, 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 15.4" 1680x1050, 500GB 7200rpm, ATI Radeon HD3650 + Intel 4500MHD. T42: XP, 1.7GHz, 2GB RAM, 14.1" 1024x768, 250GB PATA, ATI Radeon 7500.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi zilla,
hopefully my post here contains the information you are looking for.
Andy ______________________________________
Please remember to come back and mark the post that you feel solved your question as the solution, it earns the member + points
Did you find a post helpfull? You can thank the member by clicking on the star to the left awarding them Kudos Please add your type, model number and OS to your signature, it helps to help you. Forum Search Option T430 2347-G7U W8 x64, Yoga 10 HD+, Tablet 1838-2BG, T61p 6460-67G W7 x64, T43p 2668-G2G XP, T23 2647-9LG XP, plus a few more. FYI Unsolicited Personal Messages will be ignored.
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Win 7 preinstalled through downgrade rights in Win 8 Pro 64

My new T430s has Win 7 Pro preinstalled via downgrade rights in Windows 8 Pro. I assume this means the recovery media on the machine is for Win 7(?). Since the machine apparently has a Win 8 Pro license that has been downgraded, what is the procedure to follow to upgrade the existing license to Win 8?
I tried searching Support (which hasn't worked much of the PM) to locate instruction for upgrading a machine that already has a Win 8 license, yet whose preinstall was downgraded to Win 7 Pro. I'm not sure whether the COA is in BIOS - and if it isn't, will these machines be unable to access the Lenovo tools from the Windows Store?
I would sure appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

I solved the issue so I'm updating my post for continuity. I managed to fetch the original box from the dumpster (!!) where I discovered a Windows 8 Pro Operating System Recovery Disc. I also noticed a small sticker on the outside of the box indicating that both OS were included.
If anyone else receives one of these pre-downgraded Win 8 Pro machines, you'll find the Safe Computing envelope actually contains something worth keeping.

Downgrade Rights Of Windows Server

Can I downgrade from Windows server 2012 to Windows 2008 , I got an update from the customer representative that I can do it, but they told me to check for the downgrade rights. I just want to know that how can I check that whether I have downgrade rights
or not and I also want to know how can I downgrade .

Hi,
Customers who have licensed software through a Microsoft Volume Licensing program are eligible to use prior versions of the software edition that they have licensed. This is known as a downgrade right.
If you have legally obtained physical media (CD/DVD) of older licensed Microsoft products that your organization is currently licensed to use through downgrade rights, you can use these prior software versions at your discretion.
With the release of new product versions, previously available products are removed from the VLSC as they become N-2 versions. Support for physical media purchases of these N-2 products through Microsoft also ends at that time.
If your organization continues to require access to specific prior version products, we recommend that you first contact your Microsoft reseller to determine whether they still have media inventory. If you received past shipments of physical Volume Licensing
media (comprehensive or subscription kits) or purchased physical CD/DVD media, you can continue to use these discs to install prior versions of products that are no longer available from the VLSC.
for oem licenses, Downgrade rights are documented in the Microsoft Software License Terms that
customers accept upon first running Windows and Windows Server software. Thanks
to downgrade rights, end users who have acquired a later version of the software (such as Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard) can use an earlier version of the software (such as Windows Server 2008
R2 Standard) until they are ready to migrate to a later version Technology.
To downgrade Windows Server software customers must:
Purchase a Server system licensed with Windows Server software.
Accept the Microsoft Software License Terms.
Perform the downgrade or down-edition process to the eligible
downgrade/down-edition product using the media/key from a genuine, previously
licensed OEM, retail or Volume Licensing Server product.
thanks
diramoh

Installing Windows Pro upgrade

I read that to install windows in boot camp you need a FULL version. My Home addition doe not have SP2 so I can't install that and then upgrade. When I put the upgrade disk in it asked for the Home addition disk. Once it recognized it, it continued with the Windows Pro install. However, things did not work right. Should I try it again or just bite the bullet and purchase an full version of Windows Pro?
Thanks
Phil

Twin Daddy:
I am assuming that you have the full version of the Home Edition without SP2. If that is the case then you may be in luck. There is a way to "Slipstream" your home edition and the service pack 2 on a single bootable CD. Once this is done then you can install windows XP home edition and then use your upgrade CD to upgrade it to PRO.
Read the forums on "Slipstreaming" and the procedure is listed [HERE|http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html].
Let me know how it goes.
Axel F.

Windows xp professional pre installed through down grade rights in windows 7

wondering if anyone else is in my shoes and what to do about it.
I recently bought a T500 that had XP installed on it as part of the downgrade rights of Win7 pro.
The problem is I dont know exactly how i am supposed to install windows 7 when I am ready. No media came with the laptop. I know that if XP is installed I have to do a clean install and need the actual Windows 7 program.
Multiple calls to tech support, sales and custormer service have yielded basically "i dont know" or "you have to buy it". This is ridiculous because the whole point of me getting this was to be able to install windows 7 at a later time (and thats how they sold it too).
Can anyone shed light on this? Thanks

fury212 wrote:
wondering if anyone else is in my shoes and what to do about it.
I recently bought a T500 that had XP installed on it as part of the downgrade rights of Win7 pro.
The problem is I dont know exactly how i am supposed to install windows 7 when I am ready. No media came with the laptop. I know that if XP is installed I have to do a clean install and need the actual Windows 7 program.
Multiple calls to tech support, sales and custormer service have yielded basically "i dont know" or "you have to buy it". This is ridiculous because the whole point of me getting this was to be able to install windows 7 at a later time (and thats how they sold it too).
Can anyone shed light on this? Thanks
I don't have a similarly configurated machine, so the below is just my two cents.
You can use ThinkAdvantage tools to create XP recovery DVDs. This makes sure you can reload XP if you want. The Lenovo Windows 7 image is probably in the recovery partition. Which means that if you boot into the recovery partition and restore my laptop to original factory image, it will be Windows 7 and ready to use.

What is the Windows 8 Pro/Windows 8.1 Pro OEM Downgrade Rights expiration date to Windows 7 Pro?

As per the title, what is the last date we can downgrade Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8.1 Pro OEM to Windows 7 Pro?
Thanks

Hi,
As far as I know,we haven't gotten any notifications about this issue.
Regarding downgrade rights,you can refer to the following article:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/Downgrade_Rights.pdf
Meanwhile,if you would like further assistance about downgrade rights,please contact Customer Service Center:
http://support.microsoft.com/
Regards,
Kelvin hsu
TechNet Community Support

Re-Imaging + Downgrade rights Win 8 Vol license to Win 7 Pro Refurbished?

HI, is the following possible according to Microsoft licensing terms in Europe?
- I buy 100 x refurbished PCs with Windows 7 Professional Refurbished licenses (from an official Microsoft refurbisher)
- Then, I buy 1 x Windows 8 Professional Upgrade license.
Does this allow me to Downgrade my Windows 8 Professional license to Windows 7 Professional and do Re-Imaging with this 1 license and install it on my 100 PCs?
As far as I understand Microsoft-Licensing, it should be ok, but I want to make sure it is ok.
I read here (http://blogs.technet.com/b/volume-licensing/archive/2014/02/13/licensing-how-to-reimaging-rights-top-5-questions.aspx ):
2 - May I use reimaging and downgrade rights together to deploy a
prior version of the edition licensed?
Yes. If the underlying OEM or Retail license you are reimaging offers downgrade or prior version rights, you are a Volume License (VL) customer, and have the appropriate VL media and keys available that match the edition and language for the underlying
license, you are permitted to reimage a prior version. For more information on your downgrade rights, see the license terms applicable to your product, or see the
Downgrade Rights Licensing Brief. For more information about access to prior product versions, please see the
fulfillment website.
Many thanks!
Stefan Tauchhammer
Stefan Tauchhammer

The short answer is, yes, that is what the paragraph you quoted says. If you haven’t read through the
Reimaging Rights Volume Licensing brief, I would recommend it.
Brandon
Windows Outreach Team- IT Pro
The Springboard Series on TechNet

Windows 7 Pro install: Expanding files step stuck at 0%

Problem:
Anyways I'm currently trying to install Windows 7 professional 64-bit on my late 2011 Macbook Pro 13" through Boot Camp. Now everything goes fine up until the actual installation process (after partitioning and reformatting the hard drive) where the step called "Expanding windows files" sits at 0% and simply refuses to budge.
What I have done up until this point:
Downloaded Windows 7 pro and burned the ISO file onto a DVD-R using Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. After this, I just ran through the usual steps of opening Boot Camp Assistant, clicking install Windows, and partitioning.
Why I'm about to strangle someone:
I called Apple Care and they told me that since this is a problem that deals with the actual installation of Windows, it is no longer their problem to solve due to it being past the point of being a Mac problem and told me to call Microsoft. So I dutifully called Microsoft in search of a solution. After spending a good part of a day putting up with incompetent support lines, they basically told me "we can't help you because you're using a Mac platform so screw you, call Apple." When I said that Apple could not deal with this problem because it is not a mac problem, they treated me as though I was some kind of idiotic moron and insisted that I either call Apple or go to a local Apple technician (with poorly disguised attitude no less! oh, the frustrationnnn).
Seeing no end to this vicious cycle, I decided take one last leap of faith in the long-standing reputatation of Apple's customer service and made an appointment to go consult the Genius Bar. Surely these extensively trained experts of all people would be able to help me! Two hours worth of standing on a subway train later, I arrived at the towering Apple store on 5th Avenue and walked in with high hopes. When finally called up to an Apple "genius," I informed them of my problem and they told me right off the bat "sorry, we're not certified to help you with Windows problems, call Microsoft." I went to take a walk around Central Park shortly afterwards and threw a random unsuspecting kid into the lake, felt a little better after that (kidding of course... -cough-)
Can someone for the love of all that is pancakes please help me? T_T

burn it again, at very slowest speed possible and have it verified. And that your internal DVD drive is fine and the media you used to burn with.
Actually, I think support ends AFTER install as you still are using BCA to begin the install, and Apple has to supply hardware support drivers and such.
After all, just look at what their FAQ for Boot Camp 4 has to say:
2. What is new in Boot Camp 4.0 for OS X Lion?
Electronic Software Distribution
    Use the Boot Camp Assistant to create a CD or USB media to install the latest Boot Camp drivers for your computer. You should get the newest drivers available any time you install Boot Camp.
Support for the Windows 7 ISO installer
    Install Windows with an installation disc you provide or, on Mac computers that do not have an optical drive, with a USB flash drive that contains a Windows 7 ISO image downloaded from Microsoft. The Boot Camp Assistant will offer to create this image on supported computers.
Upgrade or "clean" install Windows without using the Boot Camp Assistant
    If you want only to upgrade the version of Boot Camp or Windows on your Windows partition, you don’t need to use Boot Camp Assistant. Instead, choose Help > Help Center in Finder and search for “upgrade Boot Camp” or “upgrade Windows.”
With this at the bottom:
Important: Apple does not provide technical phone support for installing, using, or recovering Microsoft Windows. Support is available for using Boot Camp Setup Assistant, as well as installing or restoring Boot Camp software while started up into Windows.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4818
"Windows on Mac" aka "Boot Camp" is.... not fully supported anyway it seems to be (drivers, install, ease of use etc) based on the questions and problems and how well it works (including thermal fan control and cooling, wireless, BT, battery life etc) so I give it "90-95%" at best. Less than perfect for sure.
A lot of problems with ISO step are just that most burn using Disk Utility which never worked - even if it installed or seemed to it would fail UNLESS the burn speed was slowed down. Boot Camp Asst 4.01 and later may handle ISO better.
VMs are a breeze but obviously you are not running natively or a full Windows OS, just guest.

Downgrade Rights 8.1 Pro to 7

Hello All,
I have been searching for a bit but haven't found exactly what I am after, so I thought I'd ask around and see if anybody can help me out.
We recently brought 10 machines (E550) into our environment (20 more on the way) with 8.1 Pro installed. We have a custom image of Windows 7 Pro we would like to use. The image is generated from a retail copy of Win 7 Pro that has been fully patched and customized with some common line-of-business applications we regularly use. This allows us to generate new machines very quickly without having to deal with heavy amounts of patching and customization and is a real time saver for us.
We are a relatively small organization and don't have a VL account with Microsoft and as such, we've been relying on the OEM keys provided with the machine to activate our copies of Win 7.
Now, with the new machines, we are able to view the embedded SLP key for 8.1 Pro but we cannot activate it against our retail copy of Win 7 Pro like we could with previous OEM keys ('Invalid key' or 'key entered incorrectly' messages). We meet all the requirements set out by MS for downgrade rights but I cannot find any way to make it work, outside of purchasing VL upgrade keys and using those- a huge additional expense for software we already purchased when we bought the equipment.
Has anybody found a workaround to using the embedded key? Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll respond back right away.

Have you looked at this, http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/downgrade_rights.aspx
I have not actually tried a downgrade but the only thing I can think of is there is a difference between reimage and install. Not sure if that is your problem.
Hoov
Microsoft MVP - Consumer Security
SpywareHammer.com

Windows 7 install and/or environment freezing on new 13" MacBook Pro

Hello! Long post, trying to give as much detail as I can... thank you in advance for your help on this!!
I think I posted in the incorrect forum earlier -- reposting here where it's more relevant.
I have a frustrating issue I've been battling all weekend. I can't seem to figure it out.
I'm trying to set up dual boot (Boot Camp) on my new 13" MacBook Pro, installing Windows 7. I've tried x64 (preferable) and x86. This is the mid-April 2010 13" MacBook Pro. C2D 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD, nVidia 320M.
The problem I'm having is the machine is hard-locking. Sometimes it locks up during install (the 2nd phase, after it restarts and is "Completing Installation" (this step: http://spsexton.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/install-13.jpg). This makes me have to restart the installation completely, which is frustrating. Sometimes it locks up at the login screen. Sometimes it locks up once I'm logged in to Windows.
I have noticed that if the installation completes and I can get to the desktop, I can generally use it OK until I install the Boot Camp Drivers (3.1, from the 10.6.3 install DVD). I had a hunch and had also read that it may have to do with the nVidia drivers it installs, so I have tried uninstalling those prior to restart. It locks up anyway at restart (during login). Note that this generally is the case -- sometimes it locks up before I even get to the Boot Camp Drivers step. I sometimes can then get in to Safe Mode without it locking (sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't), and I think I had some repeated errors in the Event Viewer that appeared erroneous (certainly not errors that should cause a hard lock) -- I can post these if needed when I get home from work this evening.
I was having consistent lockups during installation (at the "Completing Installation" step I mentioned above) when I'd let the Boot Camp Assistant set up the partition for me. I thought BCA might be doing something funny, so I set up the partition myself using Disk Utility then installed, and the install went in OK, however I still had it lock up after installing the Boot Camp Drivers.
Here's the steps I've been following:
1. Partition drive, either using Boot Camp Assistant or Disk Utility. Format to FAT if using Disk Utility.
2. Boot into Windows installer
3. Format drive to NTFS in installer
4. Install
5. Reboot
6. Complete install (often locks here as mentioned above)
7. If install completes, boot in to Windows
8. Change some system settings -- temp folders, workgroup name, pagefile size, turn off UAC
9. Reboot
10. Install Boot Camp Drivers from DVD (sometimes locks before I get here)
11. (have tried sometimes) Uninstall nVidia drivers installed by Boot Camp
12. Reboot
13. Consistent locks
14. Start over, both trying a new Partition creation (delete old, expand Mac partition, recreate new partition via BCA or DU), or using existing partition
Some other details:
1. This environment seems to work fine via Parallels. I only appear to have locking issues if I try to boot natively.
2. The Boot Camp Drivers installs a bunch of driver crud for devices the machine does not have. Could this be causing an issue? Drivers that Windows is attempting to load and failing, thus causing issues?
3. I'm mainly trying to install x64 due to the 4GB of RAM -- could this be an issue with the Boot Camp Drivers and Windows x64?
4. I don't think this is a motherboard issue as the machine is completely stable otherwise -- I'd think that if it was a hardware failure, especially with the motherboard, I'd see other issues elsewhere..
Any ideas??? I'm pulling my hair out on this one. The machine is brand new (just got it Tuesday last week, just started using it this last weekend). My last MacBook Pro (previous model 13" MBP) took Windows 7 without a single hitch and ran smooth as butter.
Help?

i just got some solution for this... dunno whether it will work for u all... anyone who got the same problem... try to press power button right on welcome screen after u type ur username and password.... or if u didnt put a password, u can press the power button right on the welcome screen... and then it will automatically to the lock state... and then u login again... the windows will appear... i work it on windows 7 64 bit... if u can login for that 1st time, for next time, u dont need to press the power button anymore... for me it works... XD
cheers...
gud luck for u all... =)
Message was edited by: conggg

Windows 8-1 Pro retail OEM downgrade to Windows 7 Pro

I have just purchased 6 licenses of Windows 8.1 Pro OEM along with ACER desktops. On installation, I realised that one of my applications is not supported under Windows 8.1 Pro.
Please let me know my downgrade rights from Windows 8.1 Pro retail license to Windows 7 Pro license and also how to go about downgrading the systems.
skumar

Hello,
retail(FPP) licenses of Windows 8.1 pro are not qualified to downgrade it to Windows 7 pro. however, OEM prienstalled licenses allowed downgrade rights to Windows 7 pro.
more details about how to downgrade OEM licenses of Windows 87.1 pro on this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/downgrade_rights.aspx#fbid=5TYicMOm8K9
thanks
diramoh

How do I take ownership of a hard drive build in windows but installed as an additional disk in my new Mac Pro?

How do I take ownership of a hard drive build in windows but installed as an additional disk in my new Mac Pro?
I bought a Mac and have various HDDs, some Portable some SATA, I can right to them and dont seem to be able to take ownership of them, is this to do with the format or Security seting I can't find?
Any help would be great; thanks.
Stephen

Thanks Kaz-K, this was what I assumed it to be. I have started to move the stuf over to a 4GB internal drive, once done and verified, I will reformat the drive and move it back, blooming nusience.
Cheers.
Stephen

Windows 7 Pro installed through downgrade rights

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