Windows 10 appears to be “a keeper”. We believe it will be a long term benefit for most of our clients. For Windows 8 and 8.1 machines, it is a clear improvement. The case for Windows 7 machines is not quite so clear, but Windows 10 has some nice improvements.
That being said, there are issues you need to be aware of:
The most significant issue is that some business software will NOT currently run on Windows 10. If you are using specialized software, check with your software vendor BEFORE you upgrade the computers on your network. This includes cloud based software that you access via Internet Explorer. If you are using nothing more sophisticated than Quickbooks 2013 or newer, you should be fine with the upgrade.
Some older hardware isn’t quite up to the task. If your computers are less than a couple of years old, you “should” be fine. You may need to update some drivers. The two desktops we have tested internally both needed updated video drivers after the upgrade.
If you have several similar machines and are looking at upgrading to Windows 10, we recommend you upgrade one and thoroughly test everything before upgrading the rest. There is a way to revert an upgraded machine for the first 30 days, so the upgrade is relatively safe. Needless to say, always back up your data before doing any upgrade.
There is hope for some problematic hardware and software. We are seeing new video drivers being published and software vendors are working hard to make their programs work with Windows 10. There is absolutely nothing wrong with waiting until May or June to make the upgrade.
There is a great article on ZDNET regarding the Windows 10 upgrade program and how to disable the upgrade notices. You can find it here.
As always, we are available to answer any questions you might have.
Rob Marlowe, Senior Geek