Volume Discounts for Consumer Windows to End

In an effort to wean businesses and enterprises off Windows 9x, Microsoft is changing its licenses to make it more expensive for businesses to upgrade to a version of Windows other than Windows 2000.

Volume Licensing Changes

Microsoft’s volume licensing agreements offer discounts to companies purchasing several copies of a software product at a time. Its Open License Agreements are designed for businesses with five to 500 desktops, while its Select License Agreements and Enterprise Agreements (EAs) are geared toward businesses with more than 500 desktops (EAs generally offer more flexibility).

Upgrade Advantage is an optional feature of Open and Select Agreements that allows companies buying software in volume to prepurchase the right to upgrade it as updates appear, protecting them from cost spikes with every new release.

Microsoft is eliminating the following offerings from these license agreements:

Upgrade Advantage for Windows Me, 95, and 98 was eliminated as of Dec. 31, 2000. Companies can no longer purchase Upgrade Advantage for these products and then use it to install an updated version of Windows Me, 98, or 95 (Upgrade Advantage for Windows 2000 is still available). Companies that have already purchased Upgrade Advantage may still use it to upgrade to these consumer versions of Windows under the terms of their contracts.