35 per cent Microsoft Vista users downgrade to XP

The fact that Windows Vista is unpopular is widely known, but just how unpopular became clearer yesterday after a metrics researcher revealed that nearly 35 per cent of PCs built to run the Windows operating system have been downgraded to XP.

Of course, considering the fact that a long-time partner like Intel had refused to embrace the OS should have given an indication of things to come. (See: Intel refuses to upgrade to Vista; Microsoft feels cheated)

However, that did not prevent Microsoft, with its oft-repeated bullying attitude, trying to force Vista down consumers' throats by stopping sales of its illustrious predecessor XP. (See: Microsoft tries to force Windows Vista's acceptability, stops selling XP)

With the recent fast tracking of the development of the next Windows, Microsoft itself may have now accepted Vista's relegation to the dustbin of software history. Windows's head, Steven Sinofsky, has started a blog about Windows 7 in an attempt to create a positive image of the new OS. (See: Is Vista out? Successor Windows 7 coming soon)

In a survey of more than 3,000 computers, performance testing software developer Devil Mountain Software estimated that more than one in three new machines had either been downgraded by vendors such as Dell, or by customers once they bought the PC.

Ironically, one of the good things about Windows Vista is that it includes downgrade rights, which implies that if one has a copy of XP, it can be installed on the PC without extra charge.

Microsoft probably wanted to be more flexible with this version of the operating system, but, to its surprise, more than 35 per cent of the enterprise customers actually used the downgrade rights policy, the study shows. Considering the fact that the info comes from a system performance monitoring tool that users can chose whether to install on their PC or not and can't monitor those who changed Vista with Linux, the 35 per cent could be on the low side.

The results were garnered by the research firm's CTO Craig Barth in collaboration with InfoWorld. He based the numbers on Devil Mountain's Exo.performance.network by collating the vendor and system model number with computer vendors' catalogues.

Barth used that data to identify PCs that had probably been shipped within the past six months - a period of time when it was highly likely that most new machines came pre-installed with Vista. Microsoft ended most Windows XP sales on June 30th.

The study did not mention any reasons why customers are using the downgrade option so frequent. However, the news about the survey's findings slows down Microsoft's expectations of stronger Vista sales in the short term. The downgrade option will phase out in a few months and then customers won't have the alternative anymore.