Updated: July 10, 2020 (November 24, 2003)
SidebarWhat Software Assurance Replaced
Microsoft previously offered five major types of software upgrade.
A Version Upgrade is the right to upgrade from one version of a product to another, such as from Windows 2000 Professional to Windows XP Professional. Version Upgrades are still available for some retail customers, but they are not available through volume licensing, with one exception: because Microsoft requires volume licensing customers to purchase full versions of client OSs through OEMs, client OS upgrades (called Windows Product Upgrades) are still available to volume licensing customers.
A Product Upgrade is similar to a Version Upgrade, but it upgrades one product to a related but different product. For example, a Product Upgrade can be used to upgrade from Windows 98, a consumer OS, to Windows XP Professional, a business OS; or from Office Standard 2003 to Office Professional 2003. Product Upgrades are no longer available through volume licensing.
A Competitive Upgrade is the right to upgrade from a competing product to a Microsoft product. Microsoft has eliminated most Competitive Upgrades in both retail channels and volume programs.
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