About Licensing

Windows® 7 Professional Upgrade

• Operating System (OS) Upgrade License
  The desktop operating system licenses granted under these programs are upgrade licenses only. Full desktop operating system licenses are not available under these programs. Therefore, each desktop for which you acquire and on which you will run the Windows 7 Professional Upgrade must be licensed to run one of the qualifying operating systems identified below.
• Windows 7 Professional Upgrade
  Customers who wish to acquire the Windows 7 Professional Upgrade license through the Select License or Open License programs must first have licensed and installed on their desktop a qualifying operating system.
  
  Qualifying OS Rules (Each of these conditions must be met in order for the base OS to qualify you for the VL Upgrade.):
  • The qualifying OS must be installed on the device to which the VL Upgrade license is to be assigned.
  • Except as provided below, you must remove the qualifying Operating System from the device in order to deploy the VL Upgrade license.
  • Customers who wish to install or run more than one licensed OS at one time (including the qualifying OS), may either:
    • acquire Software Assurance for their VL Upgrade license, or
    • purchase full Windows 7 licenses separately. We do not offer full OS licenses in Volume Licensing.
  • Customers that have active Software Assurance coverage do not need to uninstall the qualifying OS and may install and run the qualifying OS and Windows 7 at the same time.
  The qualifying operating systems by Program type are:
  
  

  Qualifying Operating Systems	New EA/OV-CW	Existing EA/OV-CW	Select (All except academic)	Open (All except academic & OV-CW)	Academic
  Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
  Enterprise (N, K, KN)	X	X	X	X	X
  Professional (N, K, KN, diskless)	X	X	X	X	X
  Ultimate	X	X	X	X	X
  Home Premium					X
  Home Basic					X
  Starter Edition					X
  Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
  Enterprise (N, K, KN)	X	X	X	X	X
  Business (N, K, KN, Blade)	X	X	X	X	X
  Ultimate	X	X	X	X	X
  Home Premium					X
  Home Basic					X
  Starter Edition
  Windows XP (32-bit or 64-bit)
  Professional (N, K, KN, Blade)	X	X	X	X	X
  Tablet Edition ((N, K, KN, Blade))	X	X	X	X	X
  XP Pro N	X	X	X	X	X
  XP Pro Blade PC	X	X	X	X	X
  Home & Starter Edition					X
  Windows 2000 Professional	X		X	X	X
  Windows NT Workstation 4.0	X		X	X	X
  Windows 98 (including 2nd Edition)	X		X	X	X
  Apple Macintosh	X		X	X	X

  
  
  Notes:
  Academic includes Campus & School, Select - Academic, and Open - Academic Programs
  EA = Enterprise Agreement
  OV-CW = Open Value - Company-wide option
  ‘N,’ ‘K,’ and ‘KN’ are specialized editions available for certain markets.
  
  
  • Customers acquiring the VL Upgrade license under Student Select agreement may install and run the qualifying OS and Windows 7 at the same time on the licensed device.
  The following conditions apply for Windows XP Starter Edition (SE) and Windows Vista Starter Edition (SE) and Windows 7 Starter Edition:
  • Academic customers (Academic Select, Academic Open, and CASA) in the following emerging markets are permitted to acquire a Windows Upgrade license using Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Vista Starter Edition or Windows 7 Starter Edition as a qualifying OS. This list is subject to change without notice.
  Customers acquiring the upgrade on this basis waive any right to transfer that license outside of the country of purchase.
• Any operating system not listed above is not a qualifying OS, for example:
  • Embedded Systems (e.g. Windows 9.x for embedded, Windows XP embedded) do not qualify for the Windows 7 Professional Upgrades.
  • Linux or OS/2 do not qualify for the Windows 7 Professional Upgrades.
  • Windows Terminal Services Client Access License does not qualify for the Windows 7 Professional Upgrades
• Rental Rights for Windows
  Rental Rights Licenses
  The rental rights licenses granted under these programs are add-on licenses only. These licenses are neither a full operating system nor a replacement for the volume licensing upgrade. Therefore, each desktop to which you assign a rental rights license must be licensed to run one of the qualifying operating systems identified below.
  
  Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista and Windows 7 Professional
  Customers who seek to acquire rental rights licenses through the Select License or Open License programs must first license and install a qualifying operating system on their desktop.
  
  Qualifying OS Rules (Each of these conditions must be met in order for the base OS to qualify you for the Rental Rights license):
  • The license for the qualifying OS must be assigned to the same device to which the VL Rental Rights license is to be assigned.
  • The qualifying OS must be installed on that device.
  The qualifying operating systems by Program type are:
  
  

  Qualifying Operating Systems for purchase of Windows Upgrade license	OEM	FPP	Select/Select Plus	Open Classic
  Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)	_	_	_	_
  Professional ( K, KN)	X	X	X	X
  Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)	_	_	_	_
  Business (N, K, KN)	X	X	X	X
  Windows XP (32-bit or 64-bit)	_	_	_	_
  XP Professional	X	X	X	X
  XP Tablet PC Edition	X	X	X	X
  XP Pro N	X	X	X	X

  Customers acquiring the rental rights license on top of a license for qualifying operating system will have their rights under that qualifying operating system license extended to permit third party use the same software. The rental license is not a grant for a version upgrade.
  
  Software Assurance Exception
  
  Customers acquiring rental rights licenses are not eligible to obtain Software Assurance for the same underlying software licenses. However, users who rent/lease and use devices to which rental rights licenses are assigned may acquire Upgrades or Upgrades & Software Assurance for the underlying software licenses under their own volume licensing agreements, subject to the terms and conditions of that agreement governing acquisition of Upgrades and Software Assurance. Despite anything to the contrary in that customer’s agreement regarding the accrual of perpetual rights, the right to use software under that coverage expires when corresponding rental rights licenses expires.
  
  Use in Japan
  Following term will apply to use of the software in Japan. Despite to the contrary in Product Use Rights, only the prohibition against renting the qualifying software is waived.
  
  
• Windows 7 Professional Software Assurance
  Customers who wish to enroll in Windows 7 Professional Software Assurance have the following options:
• Select License, Open Value (Non company-wide), and Open License programs:
  
  • Acquire Software Assurance coverage for Windows 7 Professional, Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Professional (32 bit or 64 bit or N, K, or KN editions) licensed through OEM, Retail, or the Get Genuine Windows Agreement (GGWA) (also known in certain countries as “Get Genuine Solution”) within 90 days from the OEM, Retail, or GGWA license purchase date. (Effective September 1, 2009)
  • Renew Software Assurance for the desktop operating system upon expiration of Windows 7 Professional Software Assurance coverage or Windows Vista Business Software Assurance coverage.
  The period of time established above might be expanded for promotional purposes for a limited time. Please consult Section 3 for details.
  
  Enterprise Enrollments: Upon expiration of an existing Enterprise Enrollment covering the Windows Desktop Operating System, renew that coverage under a new Enterprise Enrollment for the Windows Desktop Operating System.
  
  
• Windows 7 Professional Upgrade & Software Assurance
  Customers who wish to acquire Windows 7 Professional Upgrades & Software Assurance together have the following options:
  • Select License, Open Value (Non company-wide), and Open License programs:
    
    • Acquire Windows 7 Professional Upgrades & Software Assurance for desktops licensed for one of the qualifying operating systems listed in the Windows Upgrade table above.
  • Enterprise Enrollments and Company-wide Open Value Agreements (perpetual and subscription):
    Existing Enterprise Enrollments or Open Value Agreements (installed base):
    Acquire Windows 7 Professional Upgrade and Software Assurance for all qualified desktops in the installed base. The “installed base” is all of the customer’s and the customer’s covered affiliates’ qualified desktops as of the effective date of the enrollment or agreement. The customer must have licensed and installed one of the qualifying operating systems listed in the Windows Upgrade table above under the “New EA/OV-CW” column on all installed base qualified desktops on which the Windows operating system will be run.
    
    Initial Enterprise Enrollments or Open Value Agreements (true-up and replacements):
    Acquire Windows 7 Professional Upgrade and Software Assurance for all new qualified desktops. All new and replacement qualified desktops acquired from an Original Equipment Manufacturer during the term (or any renewal or subsequent term) of the Enterprise Enrollment on which the Windows operating system will be run must be licensed to run one of the qualifying operating systems listed in the Windows Upgrade table above under the “Existing EA/OV-CW” column. All other new and replacement qualified desktops acquired from other sources (e.g. merger, acquisition) during the term of the Enterprise Enrollment on which the Windows operating system will be run must be licensed to run one of the qualifying operating systems listed in the Windows Upgrade table above under the “New EA/OV-CW” column.
    
    
  • Campus and School customers:
    The Windows operating system is licensed only as an upgrade. Accordingly, customers who wish to run the Windows operating system must first license a qualifying operating system for their desktop. A qualifying operating system is one of the qualifying operating systems listed the Windows Upgrade table above under the “academic” column.
  • “Downgrade” right for Windows 7 Professional licenses
    
    Volume licensing customers with a license for Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business are eligible to use a prior version in place of the version they have licensed. Eligible Prior versions of Vista Business include Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or 3.51.
    
    Customers who are licensed to use Windows 7 Enterprise may use Windows Vista Enterprise in place of the version they have licensed.
    
    Microsoft has extended the above downgrade rights under Windows 7 Professional Upgrade to allow you to downgrade to Windows 98 or Windows 95. If the customer exercises this right to use a prior qualifying Windows operating system for which there is Microsoft Plus! Software available, the customer may also use the appropriate Microsoft Plus! Software. For example, a customer who enrolls Windows 7 Professional under Software Assurance may choose to use Windows 98 and Microsoft Plus! For Windows 98 instead of Windows 7 Professional. Windows Millennium and Windows XP Home Edition are not prior versions of Windows 7 Professional.
    
    
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional N (Not with Windows Media Player)
    
    • Eligibility
      Volume license customers who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to acquire the media for Microsoft Windows XP Professional N.
      
      They must have at least one of the following active agreements or enrollments with Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd:
      1. Select License, Enterprise or Enterprise Subscription enrollment
      2. Open License*, Open License Value, Open Subscription License, Multi-Year Open, Campus, or School Agreement
      
      
      (*For purposes of Open License, an “active agreement” is one associated with an active Open License Authorization Number.)
      
      They must have active Software Assurance for Windows XP Professional or upgrade licenses for that product acquired on or after February 2, 2005
      
      They must be located in a) one of the countries established in the European Union (EU)b) European Free Trade Association (EFTA),c) Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, or Switzerland.
      
      
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    
    • Usage restrictions for Microsoft Windows XP Professional in the Korea
      These also apply to any use of Windows XP Professional pursuant to downgrade rights.
      1. The Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) requires certain restrictions on when volume license customers and their affiliates may deploy the Korean language version of Windows XP Professional for use in the Korea.
      2. These restrictions do not apply to licenses customers have acquired for the Korean language version of Windows XP Professional prior to August 24, 2006.
      3. These restrictions also do not apply to multinational customers headquartered outside of the Korea who use a single image of the software.
      4. These restrictions do not apply to customers under agreements effective on or before August 23, 2006 who, under exceptional circumstances, use a single image of the software continuously.
      5. The KFTC has imposed no restrictions on use of non-Korean language versions.
      6. The KFTC has imposed no restrictions on Tablet PC or 64-bit editions in any language version.
    Restrictions:
    As of August 24, 2006, volume license customers in Korea who do not meet the exception criteria and wish to use Korean language versions must deploy either Windows XP Professional K or Windows XP Professional KN.
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional K and KN.
    Volume license customers and their affiliates may deploy Windows XP Professional K or KN for use only in Korea.
  • Windows Vista Business KN
    
    • Eligibility
      Volume license customers located in Korea who have an active Volume Licensing agreement or enrollment with Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd are eligible to acquire the media for Windows Vista Business KN for deployment and use in Korea. No other use is permitted.
  • Windows 7 Professional KN
    
    • Eligibility
      Volume license customers located in Korea who have an active Volume Licensing agreement or enrollment with Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd are eligible to acquire the media for Windows 7 Professional KN for deployment and use in Korea. No other use is permitted.
  • Microsoft Windows Vista Business N (Not with Windows Media Player)
    
    • Eligibility
      Volume license customers who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to acquire the media for Microsoft Windows Vista Business N only for deployment and use in the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Bulgaria, or Romania.
      
      They must have at least one of the following active agreements or enrollments with Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd:
      1. Select License, Enterprise or Enterprise Subscription enrollment
      2. Open License*, Open License Value, Open Subscription License, Multi-Year Open, Campus, or School Agreement
      (*For purposes of Open License, an “active agreement” is one associated with an active Open License Authorization Number.)
      
      They must have active Software Assurance for Windows Vista Business or upgrade licenses for that product
      
      They must be located in one of the countries established in the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania or Switzerland.
      
      
  • Windows 7 Professional N (Not with Windows Media Player)
    
    • Eligibility
      Volume license customers who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to acquire the media for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional N only for deployment and use in the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, or Switzerland.
      
      They must have at least one of the following active agreements or enrollments with Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd:
      1. Select License, Enterprise or Enterprise Subscription enrollment
      2. Open License*, Open License Value, Open Subscription License, Multi-Year Open, Campus, or School Agreement
         (*For purposes of Open License, an “active agreement” is one associated with an active Open License Authorization Number.)
      They must have active Software Assurance for Windows 7 Professional or upgrade licenses for that product
      
      They must be located in one of the countries established in the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, or Switzerland.
      
      Customers may disregard the notice in the July 2009 Product Use Rights regarding the absence of Internet Explorer 8 and the corresponding disclaimer of warranty.
      
      

Windows® 7 Partners in Learning