1. Upgrading Software
CIT 1100
Chapter4

2. 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

3. Upgrading Sofware
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 pro­claim 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

4. Patches
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

5. Service Packs
With big, complicated programs or operating systems, like Windows, the developers just keep patching for the lifespan of that piece of software
Microsoft periodically bun­dles patches together into service packs and releases those to users

6. Patches
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

7. Upgrades 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

8. Upgrades
The cost to Upgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu was $0.00
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

9. Upgrades 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

10. BSOD Automatic Updates
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…
BSOD
Updates typically occur Tuesday evenings

11. Controlling Updates to Windows
You can control when / if Windows does updates
Control Panel

12. Version Updates 1. Compatibility issues 2. Upgrade issues
Updating to a new version any operating system can lead to potential problems:
1. Compatibility issues
2. Upgrade issues
3. Potential data loss

13. Version Updates 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 dif­ference 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
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14. Upgrade Issues
If your current system is problematic do not necessarily assume that upgrading the operating system will fix the problem In 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 one This means you have to install everything from scratch, including all of your applications

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

16. Upgrade Issues
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
Always back up your data before you upgrade the O/S

17. Minimum Requirements
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

18. Administrative Rights
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

19. 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
800 MHz
512 MB
64-bit
1Ghz X64
1 GB
15 GB
Win 7
1 GHz
16 GB
1Ght X64
2 GB
20 GB

20. Licensing
Licensing
Software developers release programs under three types of licenses: 
Commercial
Shareware
Freeware

21. Licensing
A commercial license gives you permission to install a program on 1computer, maybe 2 (rare)
Your payment for the program gives you a com­mercial license
Most commercial licenses allow you to install the software on a second machine, but only if you remove it from the first machine.
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22. 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

23. Licensing Freeware is just what it sounds like: free
You can install it on any number of com­puters
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 op­erating systems available follow this pattern, as do many of the applications written for those OSes

24. Firewall Access 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

25. Software Removal
To remove unwanted software from your computer, use the Control Panel in Windows
Many programs have an uninstall option as well