Wow, there are some great deals on new computers out there. It’s amazing what you can get for a few hundred dollars. Just mind boggling.
And if you don’t have a computer, that’s fantastic! You have options and choices. I mean, that takes some thought and decision making, but that’s part of the excitement of getting something new.
HOWEVER…
…if you are not buying a new computer (or adding a mobile device to your arsenal) and you are thinking about replacing your old one, or thinking about upgrading to Windows 7, or thinking about upgrading any major piece of software…
DON’T. Just don’t. Not yet. Not until you have considered the total potential cost of upgrading.
In past articles I’ve talked about ways to avoid technology stress. Backups, power protection, virus protection, firewalls, and succession planning – the Five Fundamentals. Taking care of each one is its own reward. Taken together, they lengthen the life of your technology investments. You can get more life out of your technology than you think.
Now, it may be necessary to add RAM to a PC. That’s quite inexpensive, and will make your PC feel like new. Seriously, the performance boost will surprise you. And I believe strongly in keeping existing software up to date.
But beyond the fundamentals and these two free or very cheap things, you should not spend major money on upgrades unless it is absolutely necessary and justified. Is there some feature that your existing software simply won’t do? What’s the benefit of upgrading? What’s the real cost?
If you are staying on Windows for the long term, you should start planning your migration to Windows 7. If you are getting new systems, you should be getting Windows 7 out of the gate. But avoid, if you can, retrofitting existing systems with Windows 7 for at least six months from now – say May, 2010. Give the software a chance to mature, and let someone else debug it. You can also think about other alternatives to Windows – but that’s not for this post. Just know that if your hardware is more than a couple years old, Windows 7 will require upgrades to that too. Total cost has to be considered.
Don’t yield to temptation. You need to make thoughtful decisions and weigh the costs versus the benefits before conducting major upgrades. Remember that it’s not about the tools, but what you do with them – and how you take care of them.
