CIT 1100

Upgrading Software

In this chapter you will learn how to: Describe the risks involved with upgrading

and not upgrading Discuss the process of upgrading software Explain steps to take once you've upgraded

Upgrading Software

Software comes out of the box ready to install and use The operating system (OS) provides both the interface

for you to work with the hardware and a structure to install applications and store files

Applications enable you to accomplish specific tasks When OS or Application is released, the software

developers essentially pro claim that the software is complete and ready for use

When its put through its paces by users flaws can occur◦ Software may conflict with other software or hardware◦ Users may want additional features◦ New technology may impact existing features

Upgrading Sofware

Depending on the number and scope of changes made developers will release new software as a patch, a service pack, or an upgrade A patch fixes a problem and usually happens

right after the initial release ◦ Smaller programs might get one or two big patches

over the course of the program's life ◦ Once patched, programs work better and often can

do things that they previously couldn't

Patches

With big, complicated programs or operating systems, like Windows, the developers just keep patching for the lifespan of that piece of software Microsoft periodically bun dles patches

together into service packs and releases those to users

Service Packs

Some hackers wait until Microsoft detects a flaw and release patches, then exploit the weakness knowing that many users do not keep the system updated Patches designed to fix flaws in security

should always be applied Application patches fix problems in the

original program and should be applied

Patches

An upgrade is generally a new program you need to purchase To upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows

7 was about $150.00 Many users refused to upgrade to Vista and

maintained Windows XP Microsoft’s announcement that they would

no longer support XP forced many to upgrade to Windows 7

Upgrades

• Ubuntu has made a commitment to upgrade there operating system every 6 months at no cost to the user

• Not only is Ubuntu free it includes nearly all the applications at no charge there are few paid applications available for Ubuntu

UpgradesThe cost to Upgrade from Ubuntu 11.04 to Ubuntu 11.10 was $0.00

Upgrading a system always has an element of risk involved Different OSes use different methods for

patching and upgrading software Windows does things one way, while Mac OS

and Linux do things differently The risks and issues associated with the

process, however, are the same for each OS

Upgrades

Microsoft constantly works to make Windows stable and safe Early versions of Windows, patches and service packs were

made available assuming people would voluntarily download and install them

When that didn't happen, people got hit with viruses and security exploits that Microsoft had already fixed, Microsoft came up with a new system

Current versions of Windows use Windows Update to update automatically any computer connected to the Internet

One major risk by allowing automatic updates to your computer - What if Microsoft gets it wrong and applies a buggy patch to your computer…

Automatic Updates

BSOD

Controlling Updates to WindowsYou can control when / if Windows does updates

Control Panel

Updating to a new version any operating system can lead to potential problems:

Version Updates

1. Compatibility issues2. Upgrade issues3. Potential data loss

Compatibility Issues A lot of people ran out and purchased copies of Windows 7 when it was first released Many were running Windows XP, not Vista which was the

intended upgrade The diff erence between hardware capable of running

Windows XP and computers capable of running Windows 7 is pretty extreme

Many couldn't install Windows 7 or found that various parts of the computer didn't work with the new OS

In some cases, the PC didn't meet the minimum hardware requirements necessary to install Windows 7

Often the hardware must be upgraded before installing a new operating system

Version Updates

If your current system is problematic do not necessarily assume that upgrading the operating system will fix the problemIn many cases the best method to upgrade to a new operating system is to do a clean install to prevent problems migrating from the old O/S to the new oneThis means you have to install everything from scratch, including all of your applications

Upgrade Issues

To ensure a successful upgrade, you can use the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, available for free from Microsoft's Web site

Upgrade Issues

http://windows.microsoft.com/upgradeadvisor

Potential Data Loss - During the upgrade process you have the option to format the hard drive, essentially erasing everything from the drive, including user data

Upgrade Issues

Always back up your data before you upgrade the O/S

Operating systems require a certain level of hardware to function properly:◦ Fast enough CPU ◦ RAM ◦ Free hard drive space◦ Video Display controllers

With Apple computers, there’s less worry because Apple controls the hardware that runs Mac OS X

Apple writes the OS to work with specific hardware Windows computers, in contrast, offers a lot of

variety in hardware

Minimum Requirements

You need administrative rights to install software in every modem operating system You get administrator rights by logging in as

the Administrator account in Windows or as Root in OS X or any Linux OS

If you're logged in as a standard user, the OS will prompt you to type in the account name and password for an account that has administrator rights if you attempt to load software

Administrative Rights

Windows Minimum System Requirements

Operating System

Bit Complexity

CPU RAM Hard Drive Space

Win XP 32-bit 233 MHz 64 MB 1.5 GB

Vista 32-bit 800 MHz 512 MB 1.5 GB

Vista 64-bit 1Ghz X64 1 GB 15 GB

Win 7 32-bit 1 GHz 1 GB 16 GB

Win 7 64-bit 1Ght X64 2 GB 20 GB

Licensing Software developers release programs

under three types of licenses:  Commercial Shareware Freeware

Licensing

A commercial license gives you permission to install a program on 1computer, maybe 2 (rare) Your payment for the program gives you a

com mercial license Most commercial licenses allow you to install

the software on a second machine, but only if you remove it from the first machine.

Licensing

A shareware license enables you to install the program on any number of computers, but usually imposes some limit on the software You might have 30 days of free use, for

example, to evaluate the program, but after 30 days, you'd need to pay for it or it would stop working

Other companies release shareware without a time limit, but disable many important features, similar to Sysoft’s Sandra that we use in our Labs

Licensing

Freeware is just what it sounds like: free You can install it on any number of com puters Most freeware is distributed under the GNU Public

License (GPL), which says you can use the freeware and even customize it, but you can't charge other people money for the changed version

You must make the altered software available as a free download

The many Linux op erating systems available follow this pattern, as do many of the applications written for those OSes

Licensing

Some programs require Internet access to work properly

When you install the game on an Internet-ready computer, the installer will automatically make changes to settings in your firewall

With some other programs, though, you'll be prompted before such changes are made

Firewall Access

To remove unwanted software from your computer, use the Control Panel in Windows

Many programs have an uninstall option as well

Software Removal