As TechFlash;s Todd Bishop reminded us, as of currently, October 22, Computer makers are no longer permitted by Microsoft to preload Windows XP on new PCs.Netbooks were the last class of PCs on which Microsoft was nonetheless allowing XP preloads at this time. Back again in April 2008, Microsoft informed OEMs that October 22,
Office 2007 Professional, 2010, would be the day that no much more XP Residence would be permitted to become preinstalled on new netbooks.Update: XP preloads are done, but XP downgrades aren't,
Windows 7 Activation Key, through the way. Very best any of us Microsoft watchers can inform, it looks like XP downgrades will likely be allowed up until 2015. (Microsoft won;t verify or deny that date.)Not so coincidentally,
Office 2007 Activation Key, right now also is the one-year anniversary of the start of Windows 7, the primary version of Windows which Microsoft is encouraging Computer makers to preload on not only PCs,
Office 2007 Pro, but also the new crop of slates which are coming out. (Hewlett Packard launched its long-awaited Windows seven slate on October 21 — the one that looked at the start of the year that it could be a real iPad competitor, but ended up as a business tablet.)Microsoft officials said yesterday that in its first yr of availability, the company has sold 240 million licenses of Windows seven. Company execs are playing up the new versions of Microsoft;s Windows Live family of add-on services, a new promotional site for Windows seven applications and hardware (known as Product Scout) and a new Games for Windows Marketplace portal as their Windows 7 updates for this holiday season.Speaking of Windows Live, I;ve gotten notes from a few readers who are not happy that Microsoft has decided to make the new Windows Live Essentials 2011 bundle something that it is delivering via its Windows Update service. Readers said they consider things like Windows Live Movie Maker, Windows Live Mesh, Windows Live Mail,
Genuine Office 2007, Windows Live Photo ############## and the other elements with the suite as nice-to-have add-ons — not something that should be pushed to them via Microsoft;s service which is used primarily to deliver security-focused updates.But Microsoft is doing just that. Starting October 19, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users who use Windows Update are being offered the Windows Live Essentials 2011 as a “Recommended Update” if they already have any of the included Windows Live software programs installed. Windows Update users who don;t have any of the Windows Live Essentials programs installed on their computers, will also see the update, but it is going to be marked as “Optional.”