Tag Archives: upgrades

Preparing for Major Operating System Upgrades

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computer-upgradesOctober looks to be shaping up to be a big month for operating system upgrades. Microsoft has announced it on October 18 Windows 8.1 will be released. While Apple has not yet made an official announcement, there seems to be a lot of conjecture that OSX Mavericks will be made available in October also.  Many people quickly jump in and perform the upgrades without thinking about any preparation. Preparing to make one of these major upgrades is often a good thing to consider.

Regardless of which operating system you use, performing a major upgrade often puts your data at risk. While both Microsoft and Apple do extensive testing on their major operating system upgrades, often times things can go wrong very easily. Apple has the benefit of having a more closed environment so that it can test its operating system among many machines and many platforms to ensure that the upgrade go smoothly. On the other hand, Microsoft, which supports many more machine types and many more upgrade possibilities, has a more difficult time in testing these major upgrades. That’s not to say that either company doesn’t do everything humanly possible to ensure that their upgrade go smooth. It just says there are many possibilities that are hard to account for and doing testing.

So what’s the average user to do to ensure that their upgrade goes well. A little preparation upfront, and ensuring that your backup is up-to-date are the major things that you want to accomplish.

imgresWindows 8.1

More than a year in the making, Microsoft has been preparing for a major upgrade to windows. Since Windows 8 was released, many reports in the press have paned it as a poor operating system for the average user.  In post I made this blog, I’ve explained how Windows 8 is a fine operating system but only if you have a touchscreen machine. Unfortunately that recommendation doesn’t change much with Windows 8.1. Microsoft has spent a lot of opportunity to upgrade this operating system to take care of many things that people of complained about. Unfortunately the ability to use it on a non-touchscreen machine really hasn’t improved that much. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t go ahead and perform the upgrade if I have a Windows 8 machine. Windows 8.1 will add some nice new features and stability to the computer.

Before you begin the backup process you want to make sure that you have a good backup of your data. Unfortunately, in Windows 8, Microsoft backup utility is less than desirable.  This utility is fine for incrementally backing up changes to files made over days but not necessarily the best in the world for complete recovery.  The main thing to be concerned about is your user data. I recommend copying everything in your user folder over to an external hard drive. This ensures that you have it and can recover it if necessary.  Before you do this ensure that you turn on hidden files and folders so the data is stored in the application library can be moved to.

Once you have a good backup, perform the upgrade as you would any other Microsoft upgrade.  Since this is a major upgrade expected to take at least an hour, and ensure that you have your computer plugged into power if it’s a battery power unit.

imgres-1Macintosh OS X Mavericks

Since Mavericks is a major upgrade, the odds that Apple will require a small charge are very good. Like most Apple upgrades these days, they come from the app store. Login to the app store and purchase the upgrade. One important thing to note is that Apple provides license for you to upgrade up to five machines with each iCloud account that you purchase from. But the machine you use must be tied to your iCloud account for this to happen. Before you begin this backup ensure that your Time Machine backup is completely up-to-date.  If you click on the Time Machine icon in your menubar it will tell you the last time your time machine has updated.  I recommend going to the App Store and updating any applications you purchase there before you perform the upgrade to Mavericks.  Once you purchase it from the app store, it will download and begin the upgrade process.  This version is also a major upgrade to the Mac operating system so you should allocate at least an hour for the upgrade process to happen, and more time if you have a slow Internet connection for the download. Also if your machine is a laptop ensure that it’s plugged into power. Recent Apple updates have stopped in the middle of the process if you were not plugged into power and ensure that you plug it in before you start.

Keep in mind, these are pretty major upgrades. In all upgrades I would recommend waiting three days to a week before you apply.  This just ensures that the manufacture doesn’t find something immediately after the upgrade and put out another patch that you would have to later apply.

I want to reiterate the fact that both Microsoft and Apple put a lot of time into these major upgrades.  Having a backup of your data before you risk it to some upgrade only makes sense. The odds are highly in your favor that you will not need to use these backups but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go ahead and have them.

Hopefully everything in your upgrade will go well. I have done some preliminary testing on both of these releases and fielder both a good upgrade for you to perform. Feel free to leave feedback as to how your upgrade goes.

Upgrades: How do I know when it is time? Computer Replacement

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Obsolete Computer RecyclingIn this continuing series of articles on upgrading your computing experience, we will take a look at computer replacement and it’s value to your computing experience.

Part 3: Computer Replacement

The time has come.  Either you are experiencing a hardware failure or you have out lived the computer you now have.  You have decided either because you want something faster, something different, or you computer has a cost prohibitive failure that the time is right to replace your computer.  When you find yourself in this situation, you need to consider a few things as you are selecting the new computer or computing device that you will be using.  It is always better to be making this decision without any duress.  If you are sitting on a failed computer and you need to get work done, the odds of making a less than informed decision grow exponentially.  Lets look at a few of the decisions you need to think through.

Do I need a traditional Computer?

Many people with light computer use needs are opting for a tablet rather than a computer.  iPads have replaced many computers today and Android tablets are finally becoming a factor.  Windows tablets are sort of a hi-bred of tablet and computer but be sure you are looking at a full windows tablet if you select this option.  Windows is available in a RT version that will not run traditional windows applications.  I recommend distancing yourself from this variant regardless of the low price you may see.  Some people have even decided to look at a Chromebook from Google but these devices must remain connected to the internet all the time since applications and data are in the cloud.   Finally, if your needs are small enough, perhaps a smartphone might work for you as your only device.  Just be sure to factor in the media you have and it’s size to your computer decision.

Computer Operating System?

First off, decide if you want to continue to use the same operating system that you use now.  Often times Mac or Windows decisions are like religion.  You come down on one side or the other and don’t want to change.  Increasingly, adults are being encouraged to change by a number of factors.  First off, you may have had a good or bad experience with an iPhone that leads you to look at the Mac differently.  Secondly, you friend, relatives, or children may have made a recommendation about going Mac for any number of reasons.  I tend to lean toward the Mac but only when I fully understand the difference between a Mac and PC and am willing to live with the limitations if there are any such as.  Will there be software that they need to use?  Will the cost of the hardware be acceptable?  Will the need to learn something different be a factor.  After considering these few items, you can make a decision that you will be comfortable with.

If you choose Windows, you need to decide if Windows 8 is the right place to move.  Many people recommend staying with Windows 7 today.  Windows 8 has not seen the adoption that Microsoft would like particularly in business.  Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines are readily available.  My recommendation is that if you chose Windows 8, consider a touch screen display.  Windows 8 makes little sense to me with a mouse but with a touch screen, you finally understand where Microsoft was going.

Which ever way you choose, a computer professional can definitely get you files moved.  Documents, Music, Photos, and Videos are all in universal formats that either machine can read.  Don’t let concern for your files factor into your decision.

2264697Desktop or Laptop?

If you compute in a single place at home or your office, a desktop will be less expensive and faster.  But if you want to be able to move around, a laptop provides that easy mobility.  Some people are moving to laptops because of space concerns too. If you go with a laptop, get a screen size of at least 13″.  While many laptops are available with 17″ screens you need to ask yourself if mobility is an issue, do you want to lug that big screen around all the time.  If you need the screen space, look at a desktop where you can get 20″ to 24″ displays very inexpensively.  Or consider the 13″ laptop and an add on scree to get the screen space you need when you are at home or the office.  For many, this is the best solution to have it all. Ultrabooks are very popular today.  Where once thin notebooks were underpowered, today the performance can be the same as a bigger machine or even a desktop.  These are very nice if you use a machine while traveling but do increase the cost of the machine purchase.  Like they say, you cant be to small or too thin.

Processor, Ram, and Hard disk?

Fortunately, traditional computers all run Intel processors.  In face AMD processors that were available in the past are relegated to only the low end of computing these days.  Even the lowly Intel Atom processor can run a windows ultrabook well for simple computing tasks.  I recommend you stay away for standard Pentium machines.  These are fast becoming to slow for newer software. For most computer users, I would look at the Intel i series processors.  The i3, i5, and i7 are all fine processors and will do all basic computing needs.  There are significant performance gains in the i& that might make you want to go all the way but for most mainstream users, the i5 processor is the sweet spot of the market today.

As I described in part 1 of this series, more ram is usually better.  Look for a machine with 6GB ram minimum amd to future proof yourself, opt for 8GB.  Ram is cheep so don’t scrimp here.

Internal hard disks start at 500GB for spinning drives and can go to 2 to 3TB.  Be sure to give yourself room for expansion and keep in mind that your next phone will likely take larger photos than you can today.  Storage needs tend to increase over time.  If you are looking for maximum performance or a small form factor machine, Solid State Disks can’t be beat.  Remember that SSD’s will typically be smaller but much faster.  Unfortunately, they will also be much more expensive.  I recommend hitting the 1TB hard disk mark for a spinning disk or a 256GB disk if you are going SSD.  But check your existing space requirements before making a decision.

What else to consider?

There are many other things to consider.  What peripherals do you have now that you want to use with the new computer?  Are they compatible?  Do I have a display I could reuse?  These are all good questions to think about as you make your decisions.

As you can see there are lots of questions to answer when you make a purchase of a new computing device.  Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance.  Thinking about these things up front makes your new computing experience as seamless as possible and ensures you get a machine that fits your lifestyle.

 

Upgrades: How do I know when it is time? Hard disks

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HarddiskIn this continuing series of articles on upgrading your computing experience, we will take a look at hard disk upgrades and their value to your computing experience.

Part 2: Hard disk Upgrades

A hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information. Traditional hard disks are made of spinning disks and a read head similar to older type phonographs but that can move the head to any addressable place on the disk very quickly. More modern hard disks are often solid state. Solid State Disks (SSD) are nonvolatile memory that stores your information. Because it does not require a spinning disk, there is no mechanical read head. This technology makes accessing data very fast but often leads to issues when you run short on storage.

The first thing to look at if your machine is running short on storage space is to find out what is taking that space. Ten years ago, documents were the primary space hog. Letters, spreadsheets, presentations and the odd PDF file made up the bulk of our storage needs. Today, the primary causes of running out of space are Music, Photos, and Video. Fortunately, both Windows and MacOS store your personal information is a specific location so checking where you disk is filling is not too difficult. On both operating systems, users have specific named folders. Within these named folders are also folders for these types of information. Look for folders named Music, Documents, My Documents, Videos, and Photos of My Photos. This is likely where you will find all your files. If your hard disk is getting full, deleting, or moving these files to an external drive will free up space of the drive running your machine. I recommend keeping about 20% of your drive empty to give the operating system room to write files without excessive fragmentation.

If moving or deleting is not a possibility, upgrading the hard disk to a larger capacity might be an option. Most computers, but almost no smartphone or tablets, allow you to replace the storage drive with a larger one. Some of today’s ultra light designs may require a very specific upgrade type to make this happen, but many are available on the market if you search. Checking your manufactures website to find out what kind of drive you have and if it can be upgraded is the first place to start.

Hard disk Upgrades

There are two basic types of upgrades for hard disks. Internal drives and external drives. Everyone should already have an external drive for backup but adding an additional one for extra storage might be the ticket if your need are very large. Most external drives today are connected with USB. I would recommend future-proofing yourself by purchasing a USB3 drive even if the machine you have today is only USB2. This way, a future machine with a faster port will make the drive run faster if you replace your computer.

Internal drives are a little different. These replacement require you to install the drive inside the machine, reload the operating system, migrate your files to the new drive and sometime reconfigure options. Regardless of the type of OS you use, replacing an internal drive may be something a computer professional should look at for you to ensure you do not lose any of your data.

If you are replacing your drive inside the machine, there are two things to look for. size and type. Lets address type first. As we discussed above, you can get a traditional spinning drive or a newer solid state drive. Below are some of the pluses and minuses:

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Traditional Spinning Drives

  • Low cost
  • Large capacity
  • modest if any performance increase

Solid State Drives

  • More expensive
  • Limited size availability
  • Blinding fast performance

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Either drive will work in most machines as long as you research the type you need.

Right now, the break point for SSD drives seems to beat about 256GB. If you need more than this amount of space, SSD disks are very expensive. If you need less than this, including some room to grow in the future, SSD prices are worth a look.

There are generally two reasons to replace the drive in your machine: Need for space and hard disk failure. First off, decide if you machine is old enough that a drive replacement does not make sense. If your computer runs Windows XP or Vista, or your Mac runs MacOS 10.5 or older, perhaps waiting till your able to replace the computer is a more cost effective solution. The cost of the drive, and any labor required to reload the operating system, move your files, and reconfigure everything will likely be cost prohibitive when compared with a replacement. After considering replacement, here are my recommendations for both SSD and HDD drives:

  1. If you need more than 256GB buy an HDD.
  2. If you need less than 256GB decide if the performance is worth the cost to you. SSD drives will likely cost at least twice the cost of an HDD
  3. If you need an HDD, always choose one bigger than you think you need. Additional space costs very little. Start looking at 1TB and check prices for larger drives before making a decision.
  4. Regardless of what you purchase, make sure you have external disk space to back it up. A bigger new drive can still fail so if you need a bigger backup drive, purchase it at the same time.

You can get some real gains from replacing you hard disk. As long as you keep the cost vs the value in mind, these upgrades while not as simple as ram upgrades can be very beneficial. Figure on a couple hours minimum bench time if you need to have a consultant perform the work for you and be sure to talk to them prior to purchasing the drive.

In part 3, I will deal with the final replacement decision and how to correctly prepare for your self for new computer.