Along with Office 2010, which is scheduled for release during the first half of next year, Microsoft will offer a lightweight version of the ubiquitous productivity software.

Replacing Microsoft Works, Office Starter 2010 will come pre-loaded on some PCs and will give users the basic functionality of creating, viewing and editing documents. The versions, Word Starter 2010 and Excel Starter 2010, will be supported by advertising.

Office Starter 2010 will only be available on new PCs, Microsoft said in an announcement . And it will allow users to upgrade to the full version of Office 2010.

Microsoft Works had a good run. It was introduced in the 1980s for DOS and has been used as an ironic criticism – “Microsoft works” – of the software company’s products ever since.

Courtesy of Microsoft

Microsoft also is working with computer manufacturers to have Office 2010 pre-installed on some new PCs, and will offer a new Product Key Card that people can purchase to unlock the software. There will be three license levels to correspond with the three versions of Office 2010: Home & Student, Home & Business and Professional.

Finally, for those who already have a PC, Microsoft announced on Thursday a new Click-to-Run downloading service that makes it easier to download Office 2010.

“Click-to-Run automatically downloads and installs any software patches when connected to the Internet, helping people maintain and keep their Office software up-to-date,” Microsoft’s announcement states. “Click-to-Run uses virtualization technology so it allows customers to maintain multiple versions of Office. This enables them to try Office 2010 side-by-side with the existing version of Office.”

Microsoft said it will release a beta of Office 2010 later this year. The upcoming software has been in the technical preview phase since July .