A senior Microsoft official said Wednesday that the software maker and its PC manufacturing partners would soon launch a program under which customers who purchase a computer running the Windows Vista operating system will be eligible to upgrade their systems to Windows 7 "as part of the deal" when the latter becomes available on Oct. 22.

Windows 7 screen shot
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Speaking at the Computex computing expo in Taipei, Steve Guggenheimer, corporate VP for Microsoft's OEM computing unit, confirmed Windows 7's Oct. 22 release date and said more details of the upgrade program would be released soon.

"Microsoft has been working closely with our partners to help our mutual customers be able to enjoy the many benefits of Windows 7," said Guggenheimer. "With that in mind, we're excited to say that there will be a Windows 7 upgrade program available. Consumers can buy that new PC, whether for a student heading off to college or just because they need a new one, and know they'll get Windows 7 as part of the deal."

Such upgrade programs are generally meant to convince consumers not to hold off purchasing PCs during the time period between when a new product is announced and when it's actually available.

Guggenheimer did not explicitly say the upgrades would be free, but it's expected that any program fees would be, at the most, nominal. Microsoft said the program's start date "will be announced when it's ready for consumers, and partners are ready to provide details to customers."

Microsoft needs to tread carefully when it comes to upgrade programs. The company was sued last year by consumers who complained that some Windows XP PCs sold as "Vista Capable" before Vista's launch in January 2007 were anything but.

Also Wednesday, Guggenheimer said Microsoft will release Windows Server 2008 R2 about the same time it launches Windows 7.