Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows and there is a lot to like about it. They have reintroduced a lot of functions back into the start menu and have made the operating system more secure and introduced a new web browser to replace Internet Explorer. The purpose of this article is not to extol the virtues of Windows 10, but to make you aware of Microsoft’s upgrade strategy.
Windows 10 is a free upgrade to most every computer running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. What this means is that you can download and install the software for free. In fact, Windows has made it so easy that they will download the update on to your computer and then prompt you to install it. You are told that you can roll back to your old Windows within 30 days and then it is off to the races. Seems pretty straight forward right? Well, like most things in life, stuff can happen. We recommend planning for your upgrade. Consider the following before pressing that button and installing the update:
- What versions of QuickBooks are you using? I am not aware of any problems running QuickBooks Point of Sale Desktop V12 and Windows 10. I have several clients using it today. We have had a couple of clients where we needed to reinstall the software after the upgrade as it seems that some files were damaged or permissions were not updated properly.
- What is strange is that you can open the program, but the company file will not open. This happens from time to time in the normal course of events and usually creating a new company file and then switching back to yours corrects the issue. Not this time. The first time I saw this, went through a lot of troubleshooting before finally uninstalling and reinstalling the software. That fixed the problem and since then, I go straight to uninstall and reinstall.
- Consider what hardware you are using. Older printers may not have Windows 10 drivers and therefore will need to be replaced.
- Consider what other software you are using. Check with those vendors to ensure they are Windows 10 compatible.
So in short, investigate before upgrading and upgrade with caution assuming that "Stuff still happens." I certainly wouldn’t consider upgrading in the morning before opening for business. If you have multiple machines consider upgrading the least critical and then going from there. Additionally, while Windows 10 is supposed to make a backup of the complete system before upgrading, I would go into Windows backup and make another copy just to make sure.
About the Author: William S. English is President of English Management Solutions, Inc. and a recognized expert in Point-of-sale solutions including QuickBooks Point of Sale. He is a frequent contributor to Insightful Accountant in 'all things' POS related, and more.