Microsoft Confirms Upgrade Feature Planned For Windows Vista

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday confirmed that a feature called Windows Anytime Upgrade was in Vista, the next major update of the operating system, but declined to discuss details.

Tech journalist Ed Bott reported on his blog this week that the feature would enable users of Windows Vista Home Basic to upgrade to either the Home Premium or Ultimate versions of the OS from their computer.

Bott showed screenshots of the feature and said it could be accessed through the control panel. After choosing an upgrade, the user would be sent to a Microsoft partner's site to buy and download a license. Once that's done, the user could insert the original CD or DVD to upgrade the OS, Bott said.

In sending the user to a partner site, Microsoft is apparently avoiding competition with computer manufacturers by not selling licenses directly to computer users, Bott said.

A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed the Vista feature, but declined to provide further details.