The Redmond, Wash. software maker will unveil three new programs on Jan. 18 designed to give users additional flexibility in the ways they can go online to get Vista, which will be widely available on Jan. 30.

The first program, Windows Anytime Upgrade, lets customers in North America, Japan and Europe who already have a version of Vista installed on their PC upgrade to a premium version of the product at a significant discount, Bill Manion, the director of marketing for consumer and small business on the Windows client team, told eWEEK.

The Windows Anytime Upgrade option is included in the Vista Start menu, which customers can use to buy and download a digital key for the premium edition of Vista that they want to use.

They then insert the Vista DVD that came with their PC or retail purchase to complete the upgrade process.

So, say a customer with a low-price PC that has Vista Home Basic installed wants the additional features and functionality available in Vista Home Premium. Under the Windows Anytime Upgrade program, they could buy this upgrade for $79?about half of the $159 retail cost for the same boxed upgrade software.