Slow and steady wins the computer upgrade race
December 21, 1999
© 1999, Douglas E. Welch
In my work as a computer consultant and trainer I see many problems
resurface again and again. Today's column will be an effort on my part to save you from
one of the most troublesome issues, upgrading to a new computer.
You might think that moving to a newer, faster computer is just
what the computer doctor ordered, but if you're not careful you
can make life a lot more complicated and frustrating.
Look before you leap
Don't immediately copy everything from your old PC onto your new
one. Moving your existing data is fine since it doesn't directly
effect the operation of the new PC. Moving programs, most especially
Windows system files, to the new machine will almost assuredly
cause problems. New computers are delivered with the best version
of Windows available at the time they were assembled. Moving older
Windows files to the new machines can give them the equivalent
of a nervous breakdown. The computer might try to access a file
only to find that it has been replaced with an older, less functional,
version. When this happens I can guarantee the next thing you
see will be an error message and possibly a frozen machine.
If you want to use your existing software, i.e. Microsoft Office,
on the new machine, you should install it from the original disks.
Don't try to move the program by copying it to your Zip drive.
I can assure you that will fail. The reason for this is that when
any Windows program is installed it places writes special files
in the \Windows subdirectory of your hard disk. Merely copying
the MS Office directory will not move any of these special files.
While the program may work it will be missing important features
such as spell check. It is also nearly impossible to tell which
files from the \Windows directory should be moved to the new machine.
I advise you to avoid this at all costs. You are asking for nothing
but a very large headache.
Of course, if you don't have the original disks for your software,
this is the time to go out and buy the program. Making your software
legal is a very important part of your overall computer health.
Owning and registering the software insures that you are informed
when updates and bug fixes are available. It also means you will
get significant discounts when the next full version of the program
is available. Add in access to tech support and peace of mind
and owning your software becomes even a better deal.
If the new computer comes with a newer version of the software
you use, don't install the older version. In most cases, the newer
version will be able to read all your existing files and contain
significant fixes for known bugs. Installing an older version
of the program can lead to conflicts and a very confusing situation.
Many people forget about the different versions of software they
might be using and attempt to open a file created with the new
version using the older version of the software. They often panic
when, of course, the older program cannot read the files.
Walk softly
Once you start using your new computer add new programs one-by-one.
You want to be able to recognize which particular program is causing
problems should any instability occur. Avoid the latest whiz-bang
gizmos like screen savers, games and utilities until you are sure
the basic system is working well.
Infrequently, a PC can be broken when it is delivered from the
factory. Anything from a botched software installation to a bad
floppy drive can be difficult to spot if you have added a ton
of new and old software to the machine. It will be much easier
to return a machine as defective if you can demonstrate how little
you have changed it since it was purchased. My own general rule
is: if the computer (or any electronic device) is going to fail
it will often happen within the first 30 days. After that, most
computers continue to work until you don't want to use them anymore.
Tread lightly with your new computers this holiday season. Make
sure they are working well when they come out of the box in order
to save you headaches down the road.
Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant
in Van Nuys, California. He also writes Career Opportunities, a weekly column on high-tech careers and A Gardener's Notebook. You can find more of Douglas' writing on his web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/
He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com
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