Windows 10: Are you ready?

Of all the operating system releases in their long and storied history, Microsoft seems at last to be launching an OS that is at once very competent and highly anticipated. In case you didn’t know what today was, Microsoft is launching Windows 10 to the world, and it’s a sure bet that thousands (if not millions) of people are attempting to upgrade right now. As technology evangelist, I applaud their enthusiasm, but as your technology consultant I strongly advise against taking the plunge on opening day.

Here five reasons why:

1. Even though Windows 10 has been large-scale testing and beta for months, there will likely be plenty of as-of-yet undiscovered bugs and problems. This has been the case with every operating system ever released in the history of computing. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say there will be bugs, and it will take time to sort them out. Day one upgrades rarely go well for the average computer user.
2. Though supposedly the upgrade process is the easiest it’s ever been, I’ve already seen problems with user-initiated upgrades. If you are not careful, you could lose access to business-critical apps, or even your data. Make sure you back up before you upgrade!
3. Unless you’ve already tested them, make sure your business critical apps will run on Windows 10 before upgrading your work computers. Even if they do, make sure the software developer has officially given the “thumbs up” – many are not supporting Windows 10 yet, and it may be many months before they are ready to do so.
4. Microsoft’s new terms of use have taken a much more invasive stance with regards to your personal privacy. This article summarizes them neatly, but in a nutshell, Windows 10 will be sharing a lot about you, your data and browsing habits unless you disable these “features”. It’s a safe bet that in the first heady days on our whirlwind romance with the new OS, many of us will ignore or forget about this.
5. As most will get their free copy of Windows 10 as an upgrade to an existing install of Windows 7 or 8, you need to make sure your current OS is in perfect health. Upgrading a damaged or compromised OS will only lead to heartache and headache, so make sure you get a clean bill of health before upgrading to 10.

If you’d like to read more about Windows 10, I recommend Microsoft’s FAQ. At the very minimum, check with your nearest IT professional about upgrading before you take the plunge, and make sure you have a contigency in place, because, despite our industry’s efforts, Murphy’s Law remains incontrovertible.