Blue Scream of Jeff: To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade? There are many questions...

Saturday, October 31, 2015

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade? There are many questions...

Whenever a new piece of tech or software appears on the market, it doesn’t take long before
people start asking me if they should buy it or upgrade to it.

They want a definitive answer – yes or no – and almost every time, I defy those expectations by answering, “It depends.”

As odd as it seems, the decision to adopt the latest tech gadget or upgrade to the newest version of a piece of software isn’t a binary thing. It depends on a lot of factors beyond the specifications of the device or the software’s newest features.

A good portion of the time, this question comes from colleagues, casual acquaintances or other people whose current equipment, budget and technical savvy I’m often unfamiliar with, so I can’t give them the answer they are looking for without gleaning more information first.

Regardless of the hype, no new product is right for everyone, and I’d stay far, far away from anyone willing to give you a blanket yes or no answer without asking you a few questions first. These people have no idea what they are talking about.

Let’s take for example Windows 10.

According to Microsoft, their latest operating system is the greatest thing since sliced bread, so much so, that they’ve been offering it to users of Windows 7 and 8 for free. But does that mean you should jump on the bandwagon and upgrade to it?

That’s the question a lot of people have been asking me recently, and, as I said above, I tell them: “It depends.” I then ask them the following series of questions which can apply to just about any tech upgrade or new purchase:

How old is your current computer?

If your computer is more than five or six years old and/or is still running Windows XP or Vista, forget about it. You device is already boardering on being obsolete. While your computer may indeed be capable of running Windows 10, you probably won’t be happy with its performance. Rather than spending money trying to beef up that old system, save up your cash and get a new computer in a year or two, which will come with Windows 10 pre-installed.

If you computer is newer than four years, then you should consider it, depending, of course, on your answers to the rest of these questions:

How often do you use your computer?

If the answer is not very often or just occasionally, then you may be better off sticking with Windows 7 or 8, because by the time Mircosoft drops support for Windows 7 or 8, you’ll probably be ready for a new computer anyway.

Are you happy with your current version of Windows and does it do everything you need it do?

This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the question above, and applies to most other software upgrades as well. If you are happy or comfortable with your current version of Windows (or other program, app, or even cell phone/tablet) and have a hard time adjusting to the sometimes radical changes software and hardware vendors make to their newest products, then you might be better off staying with what you have. You might also considering sticking with what you have if the particular software package or device does everything you need it do well, in a timely manner, and you can live without whatever new features are in the product you are thinking of getting or upgrading to.

In the case of Windows, if you’re happy with Windows 7 (or 8) and you don’t need any of Windows 10’s new wiz-bang features, or any new program that requires you have Windows 10, then I’d stay put. By the time Microsoft decides to drop support for Windows 7/8, you’ll likely be ready to buy a new computer, which will come with whatever Microsoft’s current version of Windows is then.

What other hardware is attached to your computer?

If you have a really old printer, scanner or some other gadget you’ll need to check with Microsoft to see if there are drivers available for it. If not, you’ll need to factor in the cost of replacing those devices into your decision. This is also something to think about when deciding to ditch your computer for say a tablet or something else. Will that new device work with all your old tech stuff, or will you need to replace it?

What do you want to use your computer for?

This one’s not so much related to a Windows 10 upgrade, but I ask it anyway. If, like most people, you primarily use your computer for e-mail, browsing, a few games and some light office work, ANY current version of Windows will let you do that. But if you are an artist, do video editing, or are a hardcore gamer, then you do probably want to upgrade to take advantage of Windows new coding enhancement and its ability to handle whatever comes down the road.

Can you afford it/What’s it going to cost?

Windows 10 maybe free if you’re using Windows 7 or 8, but there are other costs to consider. Will your machine need extra memory or a bigger hard drive to run it? Will you have to replace any of your old hardware that is no longer supported by the new software? Are you comfortable doing the upgrade yourself, or will you need to hire someone to do it for you. Also do you have the time to do it? I recently did it for one client and it took four hours. You have that kind of time to spare?

And finally:

Do you have a recent backup of all your data and copy of all your programs in case something goes wrong?

This really shouldn’t be an issue, as you should be backing up all your important data already, but I always like to ask. Most of the time, upgrades go off without a hitch. But occasionally they do go wrong, and sometimes disastrously so, so it’s always good to have a backup of all your data and copies of your software handy, just in case you are forced to completely wipe the system, and reinstall everything from scratch.

So the next time you are tempted to ask your favorite tech guru about whether a particular upgrade or gadget is worth getting, ask yourself these seven questions first. You might be surprised to find you really don’t need their help after all.