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Not sure you will like Windows 8 ^[2]? Yeah, many people are in the same boat. If you are on the fence about purchasing a Windows 8 PC (after Windows 8 comes out), there is some good news that may sway you over to making the purchase. Anyone that purchases a computer with Windows 8 Pro will have the ability to freely downgrade to Windows 7 Pro or Windows Vista Business. (Who in their right mind would downgrade to Vista?) This means you can grab a new computer after Windows 8 has come out and still be able to use your beloved Windows 7 on it without having to purchase Windows 7 separately — you aren’t forced to stick with Windows 8.

Now it should be noted this so called “downgrade right” appears to only be with OEM version of Windows 8 Pro. In other words, purchasing a retail copy of Windows 8 Pro doesn’t allow you to downgrade; you can only downgrade if you purchase a computer that comes with Windows 8 Pro. A caveat, sure, but I believe Microsoft ^[3] has done this to spur PC sales; people that don’t like Windows 8 may not purchase new computers because of it and Microsoft is telling them “don’t worry — you can downgrade”. Talk about confidence in your operating system. (For what it is worth, Windows 7 Pro had the same downgrade rights.)

[via Engadget ^[4]]