At the end of this month Microsoft will stop offering a free upgrade to Windows 10. Here is a list of pros and cons to help your business make the decision whether or not to take the leap.
PROS
- Long term support – Windows 10 (and future updates) will be supported by Microsoft with updates and security patches being provided until at least 2025. Windows 7 support will end in 2020, in less than 4 years.
- New features – Microsoft will continue to add new features and there are some users that already use features such as tiles and find them useful.
- Better new hardware support – any hardware such as printers that are released now will be supported better in Windows 10. There is a chance that hardware manufacturers will stop supporting Windows 7.
- Better new software support – Software developers may cease to provide support for older Windows operating systems such as Windows 7.
CONS
- Upgrade issues – Most upgrades to Windows 10 go smoothly but we do see many occasions where upgrading to Windows 10 causes problems. In this case Windows 10 can be loaded from scratch but it does mean all software has to be reinstalled and configured for the user.
- Compatibility – Older hardware such as printers and older software packages may not work at all with Windows 10. It is essential to verify that existing hardware and software is compatible before upgrading or you may have hardware or software that you can no longer use.
- Familiarity – Windows 10 has a different interface to previous versions of Windows although most users find it quite easy to use.
- Privacy – There are concerns around the amount of data that Microsoft gather about their users. With Windows 10 the privacy policy allows them to capture much more information than in previous versions.
There is no one size fits all answer. Here at Wilson Computers we are a big fan of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Those who are using Windows 7 on machines that are a few years old are probably best to stick with it as Windows 7 is a solid operating system. If a machine is new or nearly new, then it may be worth upgrading to Windows 10 to be able to use it beyond 2020. For users of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 the upgrade is highly recommended as Windows 10 is significantly better.
For free advice on your specific systems, please get in touch. We can also oversee the upgrade to Windows 10 to make sure everything is compatible and that the process runs smoothly. This is highly recommended as a failed upgrade can leave a computer inoperable. If we can help then you can contact us by replying to this email or phoning 028 9146 9751.
