How To Install Software - A 12 Step Program
How To Install Software - A 12 Step Program
--author anonymous
[pic]
1. Examine the software packaging until you find a little printed box
that explains what kind of computer system you need to run the software.
It should look something like this:
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
2386 PROCESSOR OR HIGHER
628.8 MEGAHERTZ MODEM
719.7 MB FREE DISK SPACE
3546 MB RAM
432323 MB ROM
05948737 MB RPM
ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM
2 TURTLE DOVES
NOTE: This software will not work on your computer.
2. Open the software packaging and remove the manual. This will contain
detailed instructions on installing, operating, and troubleshooting the
software. Throw it away.
3. Find the actual software, which should be in the form of either a
3.5-inch floppy diskette or a CD-ROM, located inside a sealed envelope that says:
LICENSING AGREEMENT
-------------------
By breaking this seal, the user hereinafter agrees to abide by all
the terms and conditions of the following agreement that nobody ever
reads, as well as the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter and the
Secret Membership Oath of the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks
and such other terms and conditions, real and imaginary, as the
Software Company shall deem necessary and appropriate, including the
right to come to the user's home and examine the user's hard drive, as
well as the user's underwear drawer if we feel like it, take it or
leave it, until death do us part, one nation indivisible by the dawn's
early light,... finders keepers, losers weepers, ...
4. Hand the software to a child aged 3 through 12 and say, "(Name of child),
please install this on my computer."
5. If you have no child age 3 through 12, insert the software in the
appropriate drive, type SETUP" and press the Enter key.
6. Turn the computer on, you idiot.
7. Once again type "SETUP" and press the Enter key.
8. You will hear grinding and whirring noises for a while, after which the
following message should appear on your screen:
The Installation Program will now examine your system to see what
would be the best way to render it inoperable. Is it OK with you?
Choose one, and be honest:
+-----+ +------+
| YES | | SURE |
+-----+ +------+
9. After you make your selection, you will hear grinding and whirring for a
very long time while the installation program does who knows what in there.
Some installation programs can actually alter molecular structures, so that
when they're done, your computer has been transformed into an entirely new
device, such as a food processor. At the very least, the installation
program will create many new directories, sub-directories, and
sub-sub-directories on your hard drive and fill them with thousands of
mysterious files with names like "puree.exe," "fester.dat," and "doo.wha.."
10. When the installation program is finished, your screen should display
the following message:
CONGRATULATIONS!
The installation program cannot think of anything else to do to your
computer and has grown bored. You may now attempt to run your software.
If you experience any problems, electrical shocks, insomnia, shortness
of breath, nasal discharge, or intestinal parasites, you should
immediately *!@!$)$%@&*^^)$*!#$_$*^^&
11. At this point your computer system should become less functional than the
federal government, refusing to respond even when struck with furniture.
12. Call the toll-free Tech Support Hotline number listed on the package and
wait on the line for a representative, who will explain to you, in a clear,
step-by-step manner, how to adopt a child aged 3 through 12.
Installing Software
1. Prepare for installing:
a. There's always a risk that something will go horribly wrong when you install, uninstall or update software. Back up everything you don't want to risk losing before you install a program. You have to decide what that is. I make sure that I have recently backed up my whole system with a disk image before I install programs.
b. If you downloaded the software, check the file for any pestilence before you use it. There's not much risk of getting a virus, worm or Trojan from "boxed" commercial software.
2. Get your system ready:
a. Close any programs you have open. The easy way to do this is to "logoff" your computer. Just log back on to the same account when Windows asks. (Don't enter a password if you usually don't use one.)
You can also use Task Manager -- Ctrl+Alt+Delete -- to close running programs or you can do a clean start so that you have no unwanted programs running.
b. Disable any antivirus autoprotect processes that you have running.
c. Optional, but strongly suggested: Run System File Checker to set a clean starting point. [Click Start > Run > type sfc]
d. Alternatively, if you're running Windows XP, set a system checkpoint.
3. You may need to uninstall the old program first:
a. If you are upgrading a program to another version, or hope to solve a problem by reinstalling a program, it's usually best to uninstall the old program first. Sometimes you get instructions with the software that tell you whether you should or not. If so, follow them. Otherwise I'd recommend you install the old program first.
b. Click Start > Settings > Control panel > Add/Remove Programs > scroll down the list until you find the old program. Click Add/Remove and answer OK.
c. Reboot your computer after you've unstalled the program. Windows can't delete or replace some files that need to be changed except during startup.
4. Install the program/software:
a. Read everything carefully in each dialog box as the process goes along. Respond appropriately.
b. Don't just ignore alert messages during the installation.
c. Restart your computer if you are notified that it's needed to complete the installation. Windows can't delete or replace some files that need to be changed except during startup.
5. Advanced: Run System File Checker again to see if anything bad happened during the installation. [Windows 98: Click Start > Run > type "sfc"] [Windows XP: Open a command prompt and type "sfc"If there are any potential problems, a dialog box will open. It's usually safe to ignore or update the system information if the version # of the new file is higher, even though the date of the old file is later. For example, it's OK if version 3.8.8033 has replaced 3.8.7288, no matter what dates are shown.
6. Keep a permanent record of the action you've taken (for example -- Installed "Avenger" - version 3.0 on 7/4/2002, along with any relevant notes or observations).
7. Precaution: Before you install any more software, restart your computer -- even if you do not get a notice that you "Need to restart your computer."
Ctrl+Alt+Delete ^top^
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete (This means press and hold down the first two keys and then press the Delete key for an instant. Often called the 3-fingered salute in deference to Bill Gates.
In the Close Program dialog box, click the program that you want to close, and then click End Task. "AnswersThatWork" has a comprehensive list of programs to guide you in which programs to start.
Backup ^top^
Before you install, uninstall or update any software, make sure you have a current backup of at least your critical documents and data. You can't afford to lose that. It's more likely that something will happen to your system (Windows mostly) though. It's a good idea to back your system up as well. The Windows XP System Restore function is an adequate alternative. It can take you back to a point before the time when the installation went bad.
Alert messages during installation ^top^
A message may pop up during the installation process: "File being copied is older than the current file". Programs often use files in the Windows folders that are also used by other applications. When you get that message you should take precautionary action. Make a copy of the file that is about to be replaced -- and save it in a convenient folder. [Use Windows Explorer to make the copy. Hold down the Windows key (between Ctrl & Alt) and press the E key to open WE.)] Close WE and proceed with the installation. Later, if you find that something does not work, you can replace the older file with the copyyou made of the newer one..
Installation log ^top^
A log of each program you install or uninstall can be invaluable if you run into a problem. You can easily create a Log file that automatically enters the date each time you open it. Open Notepad and create a text file with the single line ".LOG" (Without the quotes.) Be sure to include the lead off period. Close and save the file. Now when you open it, you will see the current date. You can then complete your log entry. Put a shortcut for the file somewhere where you can easily find it when you need it -- on the desktop for example
The term upgrade refers to the replacement of a product with a newer version of the same product. It is most often used in computing and consumer electronics, generally meaning a replacement ofhardware, software or firmware with a newer or better version, in order to bring the system up to date or to improve its characteristics. Contrast update and replace. See also laptop upgrade.
Audiophiles use the word upgrade to describe the replacement of a product with a better-quality product with the aim of bringing enhancements to sound quality.
| |
[edit]Computing and consumer electronics
Common hardware upgrades include (for example) installing additional memory (RAM), adding larger hard disks, replacing microprocessor cards or graphics cards, and installing new versions of software. Many other upgrades are often possible as well.
Common software upgrades include changing the version of an operating system, of an office suite, of an anti-virus program, or of various other tools.
Common firmware upgrades include the updating of the iPod control menus, the Xbox 360 dashboard, or the non-volatile flash memory that contains the embedded operating system for a consumer electronics device.
Users can often download software and firmware upgrades from the Internet. Often the download is a patch—it does not contain the new version of the software in its entirety, just the changes that need to be made. Software patches usually aim to improve functionality or solve problems with security. Rushed patches can cause more harm then good and are therefore sometimes regarded[by whom?]with scepticism for a short time after release (see "Risks").[1] Patches are generally free.
A software or firmware upgrade can be major or minor and the release version code-number increases accordingly. A major upgrade will change the version number, whereas a minor update will often append a ".01", ".02", ".03", etc. For example, "version 10.03" might designate the third minor upgrade of version 10. In commercial software, the minor upgrades (or updates) are generally free, but the major versions must be purchased. See also: sidegrade.
When one replaces a product made by one supplier with a product made by a different supplier, one carries out a competitive upgrade.
[edit]Risks
Although developers produce upgrades in order to improve a product, there are risks involved—including the possibility that the upgrade will worsen the product.
Upgrades of hardware involve a risk that new hardware will not be compatible with other pieces of hardware in a system. For example, an upgrade of RAM may not be compatible with existing RAM in a computer. Other hardware components may not be compatible after either an upgrade or downgrade, due to the non-availability of compatible drivers for the hardware with a specific operating system. Conversely, there is the same risk of non-compatibility when software is upgraded or downgraded for previously functioning hardware to no longer function.
Upgrades of software introduce the risk that the new version (or patch) will contain a bug, causing the program to malfunction in some way or not to function at all. For example, in October 2005, a glitch in a software upgrade caused trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to shut down for most of the day.[2] Similar gaffes have occurred: from important government systems[3] to freeware on the internet.
Upgrades can also worsen a product subjectively. A user may prefer an older version even if a newer version functions perfectly as designed.
[edit]Audiophile
|[pic] |This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable|
| |sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010) |
The hobby of audiophilia offers a rich playground for potential upgraders and tweakers.
Audiophile circles use the noun "upgrade" to describe the replacement of a system component or components, for example a low quality or low powered electronic amplifier, with a better quality or more powerful amplifier from the same or different manufacturer's product range ostensibly to improve on the quality of reproduced music from a hi-fi system.
However, the description generally excludes the modification to the sound using different types of interconnect cables, or the replacement of electronic components within the system components by the owners in order to customise the sound, as this would constitute DIY or tweaking.
The word "upgrade" has spawned the noun upgraditis, used to describe a person's obsession, compulsion, or addiction (akin to a disease) to perpetually changing his/her hi-fi system components in order to obtain ever greater enjoyment and fulfillment through enhancements to sound quality. Although the original aim is to improve the sound quality, persons with extreme manifestations of this disorder may completely lose sight of the objective and make frequently and highly expensive component changes for their own sake.
When Should You Upgrade Your Software?
By Dave Paradi
With new versions of the software we use being released regularly, one of the questions I get often is how should someone decide whether they should upgrade their software to the current version. In addition to the cost of the upgrade, which seems to be rising steadily, there is the hassle factor in using new software - learning the new features or interface, the bugs that inevitably there and the resulting temporary loss of productivity. When I am talking about software, I am referring to both the software drivers that guide the operation of the computer components as well as the application software, such as a word processor or spreadsheet.
I generally separate software upgrades into two categories: 1) service releases or bug fixes and 2) new software versions. For service releases or bug fixes, I tend to upgrade as soon as they are released since they usually make the software more stable and reliable. For new software versions, I use two criteria to determine whether I want to upgrade:
1. Is my current version no longer supported?
As software manufacturers release new software, they no longer support the older versions. Most software companies support the most recent old version and perhaps one more past version, but rarely more than two old versions. To check if your version is supported, you can go to the software maker's website and check the support area. When your software is no longer supported, it may be hard to get answers to questions you have and this can lead to possible delays and frustration if you run into a problem with the software.
2. Does the new version have some features that will make my work more efficient?
Almost every software release includes a slew of new features designed to make work more efficient or easier. I examine the list of new or changed features to see if any will really benefit me. Most people never use more than 10-20% of the features of a software package, so new features in that unused 80% are of less interest.
The answers to the two questions above lead me towards or away from a new version of software. But before I upgrade, I consider two more factors:
3. Has the software been out long enough to detect any significant problems?
I will usually wait 6-12 months after a major new software version is released before upgrading. In the first few months, the software company finds bugs that they didn't find when testing it and they prepare a service release or minor upgrade to fix those problems. I usually wait until that first service release is available until I upgrade. This reduces the risk of upgrading and running into significant problems.
4. Will I run into file format compatibility issues?
If a software application has changed the file format that the information is saved in, the new files may not be compatible with the old version of the software. This can cause problems when sharing files with colleagues or partners. If the file format has changed, I will wait longer to upgrade in order to ensure that most of the people I will share files with have upgraded and we will reduce the risk of running into file compatibility problems.
By considering these four questions, I hope you feel more comfortable in making software upgrade decisions.
10 things you should do before, during, and after reinstalling Windows
171Comments
more +
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
By Alan Norton
October 15, 2008, 11:19 AM PDT
There are some very good reasons why you might want to reinstall Microsoft Windows. Whether it is 2000, XP, or Vista, the registry can become corrupted or it can accumulate settings for programs long-since forgotten, leading to sluggish performance. Or you can find yourself with a stubborn Trojan Horse. The only way to be 100 percent sure that you have rid yourself of some particularly nasty viruses is to reload Windows.
I have wanted to document the steps needed to properly reinstall Windows for a long time now. I always end up missing something after the reload and find myself scrambling to find IDs, passwords, configuration settings, or favorite Web sites lost in the reinstall.
Be sure to set aside a large block of time to do the reinstall. Don’t do it before a term paper is due or your business presentation slide show. A weekend is a good time.
An OS reinstall is also a good time to decide to upgrade. If you want to upgrade to Vista, there are a lot of options available to you. For more information about these options and the pros and cons of Vista, please read Vista Confusion.
This article focuses on Vista but the concepts apply to all versions of Window. This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.
When you run the Windows Vista set-up program, you will see a window with two options: Update and Custom (Advanced). The Update option is not available when reinstalling Windows Vista. Under the Custom option, you will be doing what is known as a Clean Install. Follow these 10 steps and you will, hopefully, not find yourself having to scramble for files or information that you need after the reinstall.
Please Note: I have gone to great care to test and retest this documentation. It is still possible that there are errors or missing information or that I have not covered your specific reinstallation configuration. Please provide feedback in the forum if you find any issues.
Before reinstallation
1. Document your login IDs, passwords, and settings.
If you are using your browser to store the passwords for Web sites, you will be in for a rude awakening after reinstalling Windows — they will be gone. Your browser is a poor place to keep your Web site IDs and passwords.
One possible option is to store your information in a spreadsheet. However, if you keep your IDs and passwords in a password-protected Excel or OpenOffice Calc spreadsheet, be aware that there are programs that can recover/discover the password for most .xls files. I suggest you use stronger encryption techniques to better protect Excel 2002, 2003, and 2007 spreadsheets.
If you do have Excel 2002 or later, secure your spreadsheet from hackers and then make sure you don’t lose your password! Next, add your IDs and passwords. Create a row in your spreadsheet for your ISP, e-mail, Web hosting company, personal Web sites, and any other password-protected logins. This file is also a good place to keep your e-mail POP3, SMTP, and newsserver name.
If you don’t have Excel you can keep the IDs and passwords on a piece of paper securely locked away in a safe place or you can choose one of the software alternatives available. RoboForm is a popular way to secure your browser login user name and password but is not freeware. GuardID Systems offers a product called ID Vault that is supposed to be a secure way to store your IDs and passwords — for a small price. Do not keep your IDs and passwords in a Notepad or Word document unsecured and “in the clear,” readable by anyone with access to your computer or to a hacker.
2. Export your e-mail and address book, bookmarks/favorites, and cookies.
You can export your e-mail and contacts from Outlook Express, Outlook, MS Mail, and most third-party e-mail programs. I have a folder called Mail Exports under my Archive folder where I export my e-mail. You can export from the various mailboxes. Select the Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, and Drafts. Unless you have a special reason otherwise, you can exclude the Deleted and Junk mail boxes.
I don’t bother exporting my contacts. If I need a contact, I pull it up from an archived e-mail. You might want to export your contacts though, especially if you have a large number.
I used to always forget about bookmarks for my favorite Web sites. I had to spend time searching for a favorite site after Windows was reinstalled. I made a promise that I would export my IE Favorites and Firefox Bookmarks the next time I did a Windows reinstall. You can also export feeds and cookies.
3. Download the latest applications and drivers.
There is a core set of applications that you know you will be using. One good way to identify these core apps is to take a look at your desktop and Start menu. You can save an image of your desktop to a non-system folder and use that as a guide to reinstalling your core apps. You can also look at your installed programs in Programs and Features located in the Control Panel.
I have a logical drive named Documents and on that drive a folder called Downloads. I keep all my apps and drivers downloaded from the Internet there. These add up in a hurry. To keep it organized, I have a lot of subfolders including one for Apps and one for Drivers.
Once you have a list of your core apps, download the latest versions from the Internet and save them to your \Downloads\Apps folder or a non-system folder of your choice.
Some of your core apps may be on DVD, CD, or even floppy. Pull out your media and set it in a stack ready for reinstallation later.
Download the latest version of your favorite anti-virus software. I like Alwil Software’s Avast! The free home version includes real-time protection for e-mail, instant message, Web browser, Outlook Exchange, and four other types of real-time protection. If you can, download a file containing the latest virus definitions.
How do you know what drivers you will need? There are two basic types of drivers. I separate them here because updating them is usually handled differently:
Motherboard Specific Drivers - Auto Update
• System and Chipset (usually Intel)
• Onboard Sound
• Onboard Video (some motherboards)
• Onboard LAN
Many motherboard manufactures and computer vendors have an application that will check all the motherboard-related drivers to see if they are current. If your manufacturer or vendor provides this type of application, go to their Web site and download the latest version now.
If you don’t have access to an update utility, you have to manually identify the motherboard-related drivers that you will need:
Other drivers - Manual Update
• Sound Card (if your computer has a sound card)
• Video Card (if your computer has a video card)
• Modem
• RAID (Intel Matrix RAID, JMicron RAID, or other if you have a RAID-controller card)
• Other Unique Devices
If you do not already know the type of video card, sound card, modem, RAID, or other unique devices in your system, you can identify them by opening the Device Manager (Figure A).
Figure A
[pic]
The expanded items in the Device Manager show the devices installed on my computer requiring a manual driver download and install.
If you aren’t running RAID, you should not need to identify any Storage controllers. If you are running RAID, you will need to have the driver file available on a floppy disk or CD if installing XP or previous versions of Windows. You also need to know the exact driver/controller name — Intel 82801 GR/GH SATA RAID for my system. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Vista recognizes your hard drives during setup and you can get your RAID drivers from there.
I don’t have a sound card in my system, but if you do, expand the Sound, video and game controllers item to determine the sound card installed in your computer.
Mike Smith has put together a handy Windows Reinstall Checklist (PDF) that you might want to print and use.
After identifying the drivers you need to install, download them and save them to a non-system logical drive. Do not pull them from old floppies or CDs unless you are sure that new drivers are not available.
4. Housecleaning and backing up your data.
Now is the time to clean up your hard drive by deleting unneeded or unwanted files. Cleaning up years of accumulated files that you no longer need or want is no fun. If you want to make it less of a chore, you can start a week or more in advance of the reinstall. Spend one or two hours each day deleting the files you are sure that you want to send to the great bit-bucket in the sky.
This is also an excellent time to do a thorough anti-virus scan of all your drives. You don’t want to back up infected files.
Then do a full backup, which is easy for me to say, right? You can spend hours doing a full backup, but this is a good investment of your time. Back up anything that you don’t want to lose. It is especially important if you are one of the unfortunate ones without a Windows OEM disc or a vendor reinstall disc. Many computer vendors put the Windows setup and installation files on a separate partition or folder on the hard drive. If you have a vendor built computer, Windows Reinstall - OEM Computers is a must-read.
If you will be reinstalling Vista on a different partition, you will need almost 15GB of free spaceminimum on a logical drive/partition to load Vista. I like to create a partition of 30-40GB for the 32-bit version of Vista and 40-50GB for the 64 bit version. Do a full format of the logical drive/partition that will be your new system partition so that you will have a clean Vista-ready partition.
Warning! If you will be dual booting using XP and Vista, do not use XP to create the partition that you will install Vista on. For a very helpful guide to issues dual booting XP and Vista please readDual Booting Windows Vista & Windows XP by Bert Kinney.
5. Service packs
As of October 2008, the latest service packs are SP3 for XP and SP1 for Vista. There are five ways to retrieve and install the latest service packs. Some of these methods reduce or eliminate your risk to security vulnerabilities. Some are alternative methods you can use if you are having problems installing the service pack from Windows Update. If you are not concerned about either of these two issues, you can skip this section entirely and move on to item 6.
There are five ways to get the latest Windows service pack:
• Download it via Windows Update
• Download it from the Microsoft Web site
• Order it on CD/DVD disc
• Order the latest copy of Windows that includes the latest service pack (should be noted in the product description)
• Install Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or the System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) if available and if the computer is networked on a local Intranet
The update is much smaller when done through the Update utility found in the Control Panel. I planned to recommend that it is best to download the latest service pack and install it manually. Doing this would install important security updates in the service pack before connecting to the Internet. After a request for information from Microsoft I received the following response as to why that is not recommended:
“Microsoft strongly recommends using Windows Update to download and install Windows Vista SP1 on single PCs.
If a customer prefers to install Windows Vista SP1 from a DVD and has Internet access, they should first visit Windows Update and install all recommended and optional drivers and updates (the SP1 DVDs will have this advice on their packaging).
Customers should know that the install program on the DVD does not include the same logic that Windows Update uses to check for device drivers prior to SP1 installation. To make this change, the installer would need to be substantially modified, which would take a significant amount of time. Additionally, one of the benefits of Windows Update is that it can dynamically add or remove filtered devices over time, as is necessary. If the DVD were to ship with the set of filters included, they could not be added or modified as the driver landscape changed over time.
We also want customers to know that if they have any problems during or after installing SP1, they can call Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) free of charge with questions or for help.”
Note the emphasis added. Both options require connecting to the Internet before installing SP1.
I spoke with a Microsoft technician specializing in Windows Update. He informed me that there are two primary reasons why you might want to manually install SP1. I added reason three as myreason for a manual install.
1. You cannot download SP1 from Windows Update or it will not install properly.
2. During high demand times SP1 may not be available to some users for up to a week or possibly longer due to a limitation placed on the number of downloads.
3. You want the security updates included in SP1 installed before connecting to the Internet.
The technical representative understood why I might want to install SP1 so that my system would be more secure before connecting to the Internet. He said it was possible to do this. However, SP1 does not include all the security patches since its release, even if you download it today. You will still have to start Windows Update to get these security updates.
In case you were wondering, SP1 installs 23 important security updates and 551 hot fixes, and some of those security updates are cumulative. If you want a closer look at the details, you can review Hotfixes and Security Updates Included in Windows Vista Service Pack 1.
The service packs for Vista are large — 434.5 MB for the 32-bit version and 726.5 MB for the 64-bit version. If you are still using dial-up you might be able to download the 32-bit version, but it would be easier to have a friend with broadband download the 64-bit version for you. Read the knowledge base article KB936330 carefully before installing the service pack.
I downloaded the Vista 64 bit SP1, and it took approximately 42 hours over four days. Oh the sacrifices I make for you, my patient reader! Use a download manager if you want to download the Vista service pack. I don’t recommend you do this over dial-up. At $3.50, just order the SP1 CD or DVD.
During reinstallation
6. Load Windows.
Tip: When installing Vista in Windows, the installer takes over the entire screen. But you can still have access to Windows and features like Disk Manager by clicking on the [Windows] key. I have not had problems doing this when stuck and needed information or wanted to delete files on the target partition or format the target partition, but it might be dangerous to do while the installer is busy.
Don’t forget to have your product key handy. If you have a RAID setup you will need to load the RAID drivers (be sure to get the right driver — 32 bit or 64 bit) and know the RAID controller name. For more information about installing Windows on a RAID system see Want Speed and Data Safety? Consider RAID. Rarely, you may have to have drivers for a device where Windows will be installed. As an example, some older motherboards require that you load SATA drivers in order to recognize SATA drives.
Perhaps the best way to reinstall Windows is the simple and straightforward “insert Windows disc into optical drive, format target partition and install to target partition” method. You should, if you can, start with a nice clean partition to install Windows on.
You can reinstall Vista from within your current Vista installation in addition to the traditional CD/DVD bootup install. If reinstalling from within Windows, connect to the Internet so the installer can check online for the latest installer updates.
You can replace your existing installation, even from within the existing installation, or you can load Windows onto a different partition that you prepared in item four. If you do reinstall Windows in a different partition, the original installation must be removed per the EULA. You cannot format the target partition if it is the same as the one with the current Windows installation.
Starting with Vista, the system boot files and boot manager are located in a folder called Boot. Gone is boot.ini, and replacing it is something called a Boot Configuration Data store(BCD). If you are running a dual-boot system the Boot folder may not be located on logical drive C:\. The boot files are system files and will be hidden unless you have unchecked Hide protected operating system files when configuring Explorer. If you want to load Windows onto a different logical drive, be careful that you do not delete the Boot folder when removing the original Windows installation. You also do not want to format the logical drive where the Boot folder is located.
Tip: Microsoft includes a comprehensive help file called Installing Windows. It is a good idea to read this before reinstalling Windows.
After reinstallation
7. Reconfigure personal settings.
I have a routine that I follow — one that I developed over the years. Personal settings are, wellpersonal. I have a list of my personal settings that I like to make immediately upon Windows startup. I offer these changes as suggestions and not recommendations.
Read How to Personalize Windows Vista for a step-by-step how-to guide or click on the specific topic below:
• Gadgets
• Display resolution
• Desktop background
• Power settings
• Explorer settings
• Cookies handling
• Defrag schedule
• Indexing options
• Desktop shortcuts
For those of you who are Vista experts, you might notice that there is something conspicuously missing from my list. I do not recommend changing the default settings that leave User Account Control (UAC) turned on, but this is how to turn it off if you must.
If the Windows personalization aren’t enough for you, there is a freeware version of TweakVI for Vista. You can easily spend the better part of a day going through all the tweaks available, and some of them are even useful. If you have kids and they have a computer, there are some tweaks that are useful for hiding administrative tools that you don’t want them to access. Lo and behold, you can even get your Vista product key plus lots of other detailed information about your system.
You no doubt have a list of your own, many of which have long-since been forgotten that you suddenly remember after reloading Windows. You might want to keep a list of these personalized setting so that you will have it the next time you have to reinstall Windows.
8. Enable previous versions and create a “clean install” restore point.
You will need to enable Previous Versions if you are using this feature in Vista Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise for a specific logical drive or folder. If you aren’t using Previous Versions, you should be, especially if you are a programmer. For information about how to turn this feature on in Vista, see Previous Versions in Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise in the #2 Give examples section.
I always like to immediately create a restore point once Windows is installed and personalized. You can create a restore point in the same Window that Previous Versions is enabled.
Warning! If you are dual booting XP or Server 2003 and Vista or Server 2008, XP / Server 2003 will delete the Vista / Server 2008 restore points. If Previous Versions is enabled, the shadow copies of your files will also be gone. There is no simple solution for this. Be sure that Vista is installed properly before booting into XP in case you need to use a system restore point.
XP users with SP1 or greater and Server 2003 users need not feel left out. They have a similar feature called Shadow Copies.
9. Configure network, install service packs, patches, and security updates.
There are other security updates and patches that may be required. For example, I had a Micron Millenium PC that had an atapi.sys patch that had to be installed immediately after installing Windows.
Install all security updates, patches, and fixes before connecting to the Internet.
How you install SP1, your modem drivers, anti-virus, malware, firewall etc. (items 9.a - 9.e below) depends on which method you choose. Please use the instructions column of Table A to get the right order for the method you have chosen. If you skipped item 5, use the instructions for method one.
Table A — The Five Vista SP1 Installation Methods
|Method |Instructions |Notes |
|Method One |9.a Install anti-virus, anti-virus definitions, malware |The Windows Update installer will have to |
|Windows Update |9.b Install modem drivers and set up network connection |download files to update itself, and then |
| |9.c Run Windows Update |it will have to restart. |
| |9.e Create Restore Point | |
|Method Two |9.a Install anti-virus, anti-virus definitions, malware, and |Comodo Firewall ProThe Windows Update |
|Firewall Application |firewall9.b Install modem drivers and set up network connection9.c |installer will have to download files to |
|Blocking |Run Windows Update |update itself, and then it will have to |
|Windows Update |9.e Create Restore Point |restart. |
|Method Three |9.a Install anti-virus, anti-virus definitions, malware9.b Install|The Windows Update installer will have to |
|Windows Update |modem drivers and set up network connection9.c Run Windows Update |download files to update itself, and then |
|Manual Install |9.d Install SP1 manually |it will have to restart. |
| |9.e Create Restore Point | |
|Method Four |9.d Install SP1 manually9.e Create Restore Point9.a Install | |
|Manual Install |anti-virus, anti-virus definitions, malware | |
|Windows |9.b Install modem drivers and set up network connection | |
|Update |9.c Run Windows Update | |
|Method Five |9.d Install SP1 manually9.e Create Restore Point | |
|(Stand-alone) | | |
|Manual Install | | |
9.a Install anti-virus, malware, and firewall (optional)
Install your anti-virus, spyware, and adware. Restart the computer if prompted before connecting to the Internet. Don’t forget to configure the anti-virus app to set the scan sensitivity. Set it to High or maximum for a thorough scan and set the real-time protection to High. If you have a file containing virus definitions, load these now.
If you have a third-party firewall you want to use instead of Windows Firewall, install it now.
9.b Setup and configure network connection.
Install your modem/network drivers. Create and configure your network connection(s).
9.c Run Window Update to scan for new drivers and updates.
Next, connect to the Internet and use Windows Update to scan for drivers and updates. UseWindows Server Update Services or the System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) if available and if the computer is networked on a local Intranet. The discussion below is centered on those using Windows Update.
It had been so long since I started Windows Update manually that I had completely forgotten about its strange behavior. The Windows Update Window will show that it is looking for updates, and then it will close. It took me awhile to remember that although it appears that Windows Update has died a look at the notification icons on the taskbar shows that Windows Update is busy downloading updates (Figure B).
Figure B
[pic]
Task Manager shows Windows Update process wuaudt.exe running.
When I ran Windows Update after installing SP1, there were 28 important updates (Figure C) and thirteen of those were security updates (Figure D). I asked if there was a way to get the security updates created after SP1 in a downloadable cumulative security update file and was told that they are available only via Windows Update.
Figure C
[pic]
Windows Update Window shows 28 important updates, totaling 159.4 MB after manually installing Vista SP1.
Figure D
[pic]
Clicking View Available Updates reveals the 28 important updates since the release of SP1 — already marked for update.
9.d Install SP1 manually (optional).
Install the service pack from either a disc or a file. A manual install of Vista SP1 (Figure E) requires about 7GB of free space for the 32-bit version and 13GB for the 64-bit version.
Figure E
[pic]
These updates are installed after manually installing Vista SP1.
9.e Create a new Restore Point.
After SP1 is successfully loaded, I immediately create another restore point manually and call it Clean Install with SP1 or a similar identifiable name. I do this before installing any drivers and apps. I know I will be installing a lot of drivers and apps and some of those, like video card drivers and apps, may be problematic. If I begin to have problems after loading numerous apps and drivers, it is nice to be able to go back to the Clean Install with SP1 point and restart loading the apps and drivers.
Please read Remove All Remnants of the Windows Vista SP1 Installation by Greg Shultz for instructions about how you can recover disk space gobbled up by the SP1 installer.
10. Reload your drivers and apps.
One thing is almost certain now that Windows has been reinstalled — some of the generic drivers that Windows has installed are not optimal. If you are lucky enough to have an auto-update utility from your motherboard manufacturer, install the latest version that you downloaded earlier, connect to the Internet, and fire up the update app.
Do NOT update the BIOS. This option may be available in your motherboard update app and it may be called a BIOS update, but it is more commonly known as a BIOS flash. A BIOS flash is nota driver update. You also want to avoid any option labeled Update All.
Next, pull out your list of drivers requiring manual installation and install them now.
I keep my apps on a separate logical drive labeled Vista x64 Apps. It is a good idea to now go to the logical drive/folder where you keep your app files and wipe it clean. This is the fastest way to clean out the deadwood files that you will never use again. If you have all your apps on one logical drive and nothing else is stored there, it is best to format the logical drive before reloading your apps. Some programs like your newsreader usually store information like group messages on this logical drive. Export this information to your \Archive folder if you don’t want to lose it before formatting the logical drive.
If you are running Intel’s Matrix RAID, install the Intel Matrix Storage Manager.
It is finally time to reload all your applications. Take a peek at the desktop JPEG you created earlier or use a list of your core apps to determine what apps you want to install. Install to a fully formatted non-system logical drive.
There are two basic strategies when reloading your apps. You can reload the apps you use the most and load additional apps when needed or load a full list of apps up front. I prefer to load the core apps and load additional apps only when needed.
Take it from experience — it is not a good idea to load a lot of apps requiring a system restart and postpone the restart. Install a few at a time, restart the computer, and see if all is still well. If you do find a problem, you can return to the last known good restore point or uninstall the offending app. If you find no problems, consider manually creating a new restore point.
Don’t forget to reload your e-mail messages, e-mail contacts, browser favorites, and other data that you exported earlier back into your newly reloaded apps.
The final word
Even a casual glance at this list reveals that loading Windows is the easy part of your reinstall project. The prep work and configuration will occupy most of your time; plan the actual date and time of the install accordingly.
There is one more final bit of housekeeping to do. If you reinstalled Windows in a folder with an existing installation of Windows, you should decide what to do with the Windows.old folder. You will not find this folder if there was insufficient space on your system partition during the Windows setup.
If you are reinstalling Vista, the Windows.old folder will be too large for a single-layer DVD but may fit on a dual-layer DVD. You can archive it to a backup drive, or if you have followed the steps carefully in this article and are satisfied that you have all your Windows-specific data, simply zap it into oblivion.
Congratulations! By completing the 10 steps outlined here, you have prepared your computer for years of maintenance-free service. You have also protected yourself from data loss due to a hard drive failure.
Installing/ Upgrading software...?
-Advantages and disadvantages on installing/upgrading software
-Risks of installing/ upgrading software
-The requirements in preparing for install/upgrade
-How to minimize risks when installing/ upgrading software
• 2 years ago
• Report Abuse
[pic]Kim Z.
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
Before installing, removing, or upgrading software, you may want to learn more about it first. Do any of the new and/or improved features benefit you? If yes, does the price to purchase the upgrade match that benefit?
5 Things to Consider:
1. Others Will others be affected by the change? Will employees, vendors, customers, clients or service providers, have difficulties interfacing with you? Remember, if you make it difficult for people to work with you, they may choose to go elsewhere!
2. Compatibility Are there programs that you simply must use in the course of your business? Will the new software be compatible? If file sharing is something you do, will others that share your files have problems accessing what you have done with their older versions of the same program?
3. "Buggy" Software
Some software is notoriously "buggy" when first released. Others work like a charm. Do your homework. If the one you are considering is one that has a tendency to be "buggy" do you have the patience to work through the problems until a service pack is provided to address those issues? If not, you may want to wait until those issues have been addressed.
4. Opinions
If you belong to a network of people in your industry, ask their opinion. Get a consensus based on people with your same skill level and level of patience. Is this something you can quickly pick up on your own, or are you going to need to take a class or e-course to bring yourself up to speed?
5. New and/or multiple computers
This is the one case where it is more important (from a financial standpoint) to determine if you should downgrade the new computer or upgrade the old, or perhaps run both versions on different computers. Think long and hard how you can best serve: Your customer base, your patience level, and your personal learning curve. If you have one or more computers running on an older platform it may be financially sound to consider a downgrade for the newer computer. On the other hand, having the ability to switch back and forth from older to newer might make it a win-win.
Why It's Important to Upgrade Your Software
[pic] Laura G [pic] No comments
When considering staying up-to-date with the latest software and how it can influence your academic and professional life, you should consider the following:
Compatibility: if all of your classmates and professors are working on a new version of software, you may run into some problems when trying to submit or share documents.
New software can be faster to operate with increased security features.
New Features: Enhanced technology and new and improved features will allow you to apply the latest enhancements to your projects.
Receiving support: if you have an outdated version of software you may be not be able to receive the software support you require, as support is usually designated for newly released software bugs and technical issues.
Knowing how to use the latest software features can leave you ahead of the game when it comes to how your school papers or project will be presented. This can also give you an upper hand when it comes to the work force, as you will already know your way around new software, providing you with an advanced skill set.
Question: Do I Have to Upgrade Personal Finance Software Every Year?
Some of the most popular financial software offers a new version every year, which can get expensive. Is it worth your money to buy new financial software annually?
Answer: The primary reason for upgrading to the latest financial software is to get new features and bug fixes for problems that existed in the previous version. Before you buy the latest personal finance software version, consider this:
Reasons Not to Upgrade Software
• If your current version is supported (you can get tech support and no features have been disabled) and you are installing updates as they are made available, you should be getting the same bug fixes for your existing software that are included in the latest version.
• The latest version of your financial software may not have eradicated all bugs in the previous version of the software.
• Ironically, with a new financial software release comes the possibility of new bugs. The newest software version from any reputable developer will have been well-tested and quite functional, but annoying glitches can surface when the software is being used by the general population.
How Long is Too Long Between Upgrades?
While many financial software users upgrade annually simply to enjoy using the latest technology, some prefer to upgrade almost never, possibly going a decade before upgrading their software. The problem with waiting too long to upgrade is that when a new computer is eventually purchased, the old software may not run on the new system.
If several upgrade versions exist between the version currently installed and the latest version, upgrading directly to the new version may not be possible. This is usually because the latest software can't read the data files which hold all the transactions entered over the years. To get around this, you need to install a version from between your old version and the new one to allow the software to convert your data files. After completing one or two of these intermediate upgrades, you will be able to install and use the latest version of the financial software. To find old software versions, contact tech support, who should be able to provide one or two free downloads of old versions.
One other hassle caused by waiting for too long between software upgrades is missing out on using time-saving features included in newer software. These features are often worth the cost of an upgrade.
The Happy Medium for Upgrades
A good rule to follow for getting the most out of money spent on personal finance software upgrades it to upgrade at least every three years to take advantage of new technology that will generally run faster on your system. Within three years significant improvements will have been made to the software to make entering data, setting up budgets and using financial reports easier. Just be sure to know your financial software's obsolescence policy, which may cut off support and features that require the Internet (like data downloads) sooner.
Software versioning
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Versioning" redirects here. For other uses, see Version.
Software versioning is the process of assigning either unique version names or unique version numbers to unique states of computer software. Within a given version number category (major, minor), these numbers are generally assigned in increasing order and correspond to new developments in the software. At a fine-grained level, revision control is often used for keeping track of incrementally different versions of electronic information, whether or not this information is actually computer software.
|Contents |
| [hide] |
|1 Schemes |
|1.1 Sequence-based identifiers |
|1.1.1 Change significance |
|1.1.2 Designating development stage |
|1.1.3 Separating sequences |
|1.1.4 Number of sequences |
|1.1.5 Incrementing sequences |
|1.1.6 Using negative numbers |
|1.1.7 Degree of compatibility |
|1.2 Date |
|1.3 Year of release |
|1.4 Alphanumeric codes |
|1.5 TeX |
|1.6 Apple |
|1.7 Other schemes |
|2 Internal version numbers |
|3 Pre-release versions |
|4 Modifications to the numeric system |
|4.1 Odd-numbered versions for development releases |
|4.2 Apple |
|5 Political and cultural significance of version numbers |
|5.1 Version 1.0 as a milestone |
|5.2 To describe program history |
|5.3 Keeping up with competitors |
|5.4 Superstition |
|5.5 Geek culture |
|6 Overcoming perceived marketing difficulties |
|7 Significance in software engineering |
|8 Significance in technical support |
|9 Version numbers for files and documents |
|10 Version number ordering systems |
|11 Use in other media |
|12 See also |
|13 References |
|14 External links |
[edit]Schemes
A variety of version numbering schemes have been created to keep track of different versions of a piece of software. The ubiquity of computers has also led to these schemes being used in contexts outside computing.
[edit]Sequence-based identifiers
[pic]
In sequence-based software versioning schemes, each software release is assigned a unique identifier that consists of one or more sequences of numbers or letters. This is the extent of the commonality, however, schemes vary widely in areas such as the quantity of sequences, the attribution of meaning to individual sequences, and the means of incrementing the sequences.
[edit]Change significance
In some schemes, sequence-based identifiers are used to convey the significance of changes between releases: changes are classified by significance level, and the decision of which sequence to change between releases is based on the significance of the changes from the previous release, whereby the first sequence is changed for the most significant changes, and changes to sequences after the first represent changes of decreasing significance.
For instance, in a scheme that uses a four-sequence identifier, the first sequence may be incremented only when the code is completely rewritten, while a change to the user interface or the documentation may only warrant a change to the fourth sequence.
This practice permits users (or potential adopters) to evaluate how much real-world testing a given software release has undergone. If changes are made between, say, 1.3rc4 and the production release of 1.3, then that release, which asserts that it has had a production-grade level of testing in the real world, in fact contains changes which have not necessarily been tested in the real world at all.[clarification needed] This approach commonly permits the third level of numbering ("change"), but does not apply this level of rigor to changes in that number: 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.3.3, 1.3.4... 1.4.1, etc.[clarification needed]
In principle, in subsequent releases, the major number is increased when there are significant jumps in functionality, the minor number is incremented when only minor features or significant fixes have been added, and the revision number is incremented when minor bugs are fixed. A typical product might use the numbers 0.9 (for beta software), 0.9.1, 0.9.2, 0.9.3, 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, 1.1.1, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2, etc. Developers have at times jumped (for example) from version 5.0 to 5.5 to indicate significant features have been added, but they are not enough to warrant incrementing the major version number. This is improper. It is usually done to create a visual differential between software versions. A person may be less inclined to go through the trouble of installing, reinstalling, and/or removing old versions of software if a minor change is made instead. (I.E. Version 5.0 to 5.01, or 5.0 to 5.1)
A different approach is to use the major and minor numbers, along with an alphanumeric string denoting the release type, i.e. "alpha", "beta" or "release candidate". A release train using this approach might look like 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 == 1.0b1, 1.0b2 (with some fixes), 1.0b3 (with more fixes) == 1.0rc1 (which, if it is stable enough) == 1.0. If 1.0rc1 turns out to have bugs which must be fixed, it turns into 1.0rc2, and so on. The important characteristic of this approach is that the first version of a given level (beta, RC, production) must be identical to the last version of the release below it: you cannot make any changes at all from the last beta to the first RC, or from the last RC to production. If you do, you must roll out another release at that lower level.
However, since version numbers are human-generated, not computer-generated, there is nothing that prevents arbitrary changes that violate such guidelines: for example, the first sequence could be incremented between versions that differ by not even a single line of code, to give the (false) impression that very significant changes were made.
Other schemes impart meaning on individual sequences:
major.minor[.build[.revision]]
or
major.minor[.maintenance[.build]]
Again, in these examples, the definition of what constitutes a "major" as opposed to a "minor" change is entirely arbitrary and up to the author, as is what defines a "build", or how a "revision" differs from a "minor" change.
A similar problem of relative change significance and versioning nomenclature exists in book publishing, where edition numbers or names can be chosen based on varying criteria.
In most proprietary software, the first released version of a software product has version 1.
[edit]Designating development stage
Some schemes use a zero in the first sequence to designate alpha or beta status for releases that are not stable enough for general or practical deployment and are intended for testing or internal use only.
It can be used in the third position:
▪ 0 for alpha (status)
▪ 1 for beta (status)
▪ 2 for release candidate
▪ 3 for (final) release
For instance:
▪ 1.2.0.1 instead of 1.2-a1
▪ 1.2.1.2 instead of 1.2-b2 (beta with some bug fixes)
▪ 1.2.2.3 instead of 1.2-rc3 (release candidate)
▪ 1.2.3.0 instead of 1.2-r (commercial distribution)
▪ 1.2.3.5 instead of 1.2-r5 (commercial distribution with many bug fixes)
[edit]Separating sequences
When printed, the sequences may be separated with characters. The choice of characters and their usage varies by scheme. The following list shows hypothetical examples of separation schemes for the same release (the thirteenth third-level revision to the fourth second-level revision to the second first-level revision):
▪ A scheme may use the same character between all sequences: 2.4.13, 2/4/13, 2-4-13
▪ A scheme choice of which sequences to separate may be inconsistent, separating some sequences but not others: 2.413
▪ A scheme's choice of characters may be inconsistent within the same identifier: 2.4_13
When a period is used to separate sequences, it does not represent a decimal point, and the sequences do not have positional significance. An identifier of 2.5, for instance, is not "two and a half" or "half way to version three", it is the fifth second-level revision of the second first-level revision.
[edit]Number of sequences
There is sometimes a fourth, unpublished number which denotes the software build (as used by Microsoft). Adobe Flash is a notable case where a 4-part version number is indicated publicly, as in 10.1.53.64. Some companies also include the build date. Version numbers may also include letters and other characters, such as Lotus 1-2-3 Release 1a.
[edit]Incrementing sequences
There are two schools of thought regarding how numeric version numbers are incremented: Most free software packages treat numbers as a continuous stream, therefore a free software or open source product may have version numbers 1.7.0, 1.8.0, 1.8.1, 1.9.0, 1.10.0, 1.11.0, 1.11.1, 1.11.2, etc. An example of such a software package is MediaWiki. However, many programs treat version numbers in another way, generally as decimal numbers, and may have version numbers such as 1.7, 1.8, 1.81, 1.82, 1.9, etc. In software packages using this way of numbering 1.81 is the next minor version after 1.8. Maintenance releases (i.e. bug fixes only) would generally be denoted as 1.81a, 1.81b, etc.
The standard GNU version numbering scheme is major.minor.revision, but emacs is a notable example using another scheme where the major number ("1") was dropped and a "user site" revision was added which is always zero in original emacs packages but increased by distributors.[1] Similarly, Debian package numbers are prefixed with an optional "epoch", which is used to allow the versioning scheme to be changed.[2]
[edit]Using negative numbers
There exist some projects that use negative version numbers. One example is the smalleiffel compiler which started from -1.0 and counted upwards to 0.0.[1]
[edit]Degree of compatibility
Some projects use the major version number to indicate incompatible releases. Two examples are Apache APR[3] and the FarCry CMS.[4]
[edit]Date
The Wine project used a date versioning scheme, which uses the year followed by the month followed by the day of the release; for example, "Wine 20040505". Wine is now on a "standard" release track; the most current stable version (as of 2010) is 1.2. Ubuntu Linux uses a similar versioning scheme—Ubuntu 10.10, for example, was released October 2010.
When using dates in versioning, for instance, file names, it is common to use the ISO scheme[5]: YYYY-MM-DD, as this is easily string sorted to increasing/decreasing order. The hyphens are sometimes omitted.
Microsoft Office build numbers are actually an encoded date.[6]
[edit]Year of release
Other examples that identify versions by year include Adobe Illustrator 88 and WordPerfect Office 2003. When a date is used to denote version, it is generally for marketing purposes, and an actual version number also exists. For example, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server is internally versioned as Windows NT 5.0 ("NT" being a reference to the original product name).
[edit]Alphanumeric codes
Examples:
▪ Macromedia Flash MX
▪ Adobe Photoshop CS2
[edit]TeX
TeX has an idiosyncratic version numbering system. Since version 3, updates have been indicated by adding an extra digit at the end, so that the version number asymptotically approaches π; this is a form of unary numbering – the version number is the number of digits. The current version is 3.1415926. This is a reflection of the fact that TeX is now very stable, and only minor updates are anticipated. TeX developer Donald Knuth has stated that the "absolutely final change (to be made after my death)" will be to change the version number to π, at which point all remaining bugs will become permanent features.[7]
In a similar way, the version number of METAFONT asymptotically approaches e.
[edit]Apple
Apple has a formalised version number structure based around the NumVersion struct, which specifies a one- or two-digit major version, a one-digit minor version, a one-digit "bug" (i.e. revision) version, a stage indicator (drawn from the set development/prealpha, alpha, beta and final/release), and a one-byte (i.e. having values in the range 0–255) pre-release version, which is only used at stages prior to final. In writing these version numbers as strings, the convention is to omit any parts after the minor version whose value are zero (with "final" being considered the zero stage), thus writing 1.0.2b12, 1.0.2 (rather than 1.0.2f0), and 1.1 (rather than 1.1.0f0).
[edit]Other schemes
Some software producers use different schemes to denote releases of their software. For example, the Microsoft Windows operating system was first labelled with standard numerical version numbers (Windows 1.0 through Windows 3.11). Later, Microsoft started using separate version names for marketing purposes, first using years (Windows 95 (4.0), Windows 98 (4.10), Windows 2000 (5.0)), then using alphanumeric codes (Windows Me (4.90), Windows XP (5.1)), then using brand names (Windows Vista (6.0)). With the release of Windows 7 it appears that Microsoft has returned to using numerical version numbers, although the official version number for Windows 7 is 6.1.[8]
The Debian project uses a major/minor versioning scheme for releases of its operating system, but uses code names from the movie Toy Story during development to refer to stable, unstable and testing releases.
BLAG Linux and GNU features very large version numbers: major releases have numbers such as 50000 and 60000, while minor releases increase the number by 1 (e.g. 50001, 50002). Alpha and beta releases are given decimal version numbers slightly less than the major release number, such as 19999.00071 for alpha 1 of version 20000, and 29999.50000 for beta 2 of version 30000. Starting at 9001 in 2003, the most recent version as of 2011 is 140000.[9][10][11]
[edit]Internal version numbers
Software may have an "internal" version number which differs from the version number shown in the product name (and which typically follows version numbering rules more consistently). Java SE 5.0, for example, has the internal version number of 1.5.0, and versions of Windows from NT 4 on have continued the standard numerical versions internally: Windows 2000 is NT 5.0, XP is Windows NT 5.1,Windows Server 2003 is NT 5.2, Vista is NT 6.0 and 7 is NT 6.1. Note, however, that Windows NT is only on its third major revision, as its first release was numbered 3.1 (to match the then-current Windows release number).
[edit]Pre-release versions
In conjunction with the various versioning schemes listed above, a system for denoting pre-release versions is generally used, as the program makes its way through the stages of the software release life cycle. Programs that are in an early stage are often called "alpha" software, after the first letter in the Greek alphabet. After they mature but are not yet ready for release, they may be called "beta" software, after the second letter in the Greek alphabet. Generally alpha software is tested by developers only, while beta software is distributed for community testing. Alpha- and beta-version software is often given numerical versions less than 1 (such as 0.9), to suggest their approach toward a final "1.0" release. However, if the pre-release version is for an existing software package (e.g. version 2.5), then an "a" or "alpha" may be appended to the version number. So the alpha version of the 2.5 release might be identified as 2.5a or 2.5.a. Software packages which are soon to be released as a particular version may carry that version tag followed by "rc-#", indicating the number of the release candidate. When the version is actually released, the "rc" tag disappears.
This can apparently cause trouble for some package managers, though. The Rivendell radio broadcast automation package, for example, is about[when?] to have to release its first full production release package... v1.0.1, because if they called it v1.0.0, RPM would refuse to install it, because the algorithm sorts "1.0.0" lower than "1.0.0rc2" (which is because version comparison algorithms are generally language-agnostic and thus don't know the meaning of "rc").
[edit]Modifications to the numeric system
|[pic] |This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations |
| |to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010) |
[edit]Odd-numbered versions for development releases
Between the 1.0 and the 2.6.x series, the Linux kernel used odd minor version numbers to denote development releases and even minor version numbers to denote stable releases; see Linux kernel: Version numbering. For example, Linux 2.3 was a development family of the second major design of the Linux kernel, and Linux 2.4 was the stable release family that Linux 2.3 matured into. After the minor version number in the Linux kernel is the release number, in ascending order; for example, Linux 2.4.0 → Linux 2.4.22. Since the 2004 release of the 2.6 kernel, Linux no longer uses this system, and has a much shorter release cycle, instead now simply incrementing the third number, using a fourth number as necessary.
The same odd-even system is used by some other software with long release cycles, such as GNOME.
[edit]Apple
Apple had their own twist on this habit during the era of the classic MacOS: although there were minor releases, they rarely went beyond 1, and when they did, they twice jumped straight to 5, suggesting a change of magnitude intermediate between a major and minor release (thus, 8.5 really means 'eight and a half', and 8.6 is 'eight and a half point one'). The complete sequence of versions (neglecting revision releases) is 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.2 (skipping 3.1), 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 7.0, 7.1, 7.5, 7.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 8.6, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2.
Mac OS X has departed from this trend, having gone more conventionally from 10.0 to 10.7, one minor release at a time. However, note that the 10.4.10 update does not follow the previously-indicated approach of having a "one- or two-digit major version, a one-digit minor version, a one-digit 'bug' (i.e. revision) version…". The bug-fix value is not a decimal indicator, but is an incremental whole value; while it is not expected, there would be nothing preventing a distant-future "X.4.321" release.
[edit]Political and cultural significance of version numbers
[edit]Version 1.0 as a milestone
Proprietary software developers often start at version 1 for the first release of a program and increment the major version number with each rewrite. This can mean that a program can reach version 3 within a few months of development, before it is considered stable or reliable.
In contrast to this, the free-software community tends to use version 1.0 as a major milestone, indicating that the software is "complete", that it has all major features, and is considered reliable enough for general release.
In this scheme, the version number slowly approaches 1.0 as more and more bugs are fixed in preparation for the 1.0 release. The developers of MAME do not intend to release a version 1.0 of their emulator program.[citation needed] The argument is that it will never be truly "finished" because there will always be more arcade games. Version 0.99 was simply followed by version 0.100 (minor version 100 > 99). In a similar fashion Xfire 1.99 was followed by 1.100. After over 8 years of development, eMule just recently reached version 0.50a.
[edit]To describe program history
Winamp released an entirely different architecture for version 3 of the program. Due to lack of backwards compatibility with plugins and other resources from the major version 2, a new version was issued that was compatible with both version 2 and 3. The new version was set to 5 (2+3), skipping version 4. The developers also humorously joked that they skipped version 4 because "nobody wants to see a Winamp 4 skin", referencing the foreskin of a penis.[12]
A similar thing happened with UnixWare 7, which was the combination of UnixWare 2 and OpenServer 5.
[edit]Keeping up with competitors
There is a common habit in the proprietary software industry to make major jumps in numeric major or minor version numbers for reasons which do not seem (to many members of the program's audience) to merit the "marketing" version numbers.
This can be seen in several Microsoft and America Online products, as well as Sun Solaris and Java Virtual Machine numbering, SCO Unix version numbers, and Corel WordPerfect, as well as the filePro DB/RAD programming package, which went from 2.0 to 3.0 to 4.0 to 4.1 to 4.5 to 4.8 to 5.0, and is about to go to 5.6, with no intervening release. A slightly different version can be seen in AOL's PC client software, which tends to have only major releases (5.0, 6.0, 7.0, etc.). Likewise, Microsoft Access jumped from version 2.0 to version 7.0, to match the version number of Microsoft Word.
Microsoft has also been the target of 'catch-up' versioning, with the Netscape browser skipping version 5 to 6, in line with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but also because the Mozilla application suite inherited version 5 in its user agent string during pre-1.0 development and Netscape 6.x was built upon Mozilla's code base.
Sun's Java has at times had a hybrid system, where the actual version number has always been 1.x but three times has been marketed by reference only to the x:
▪ JDK 1.0.3
▪ JDK 1.1.2 through 1.1.8
▪ J2SE 1.2.0 ("Java 2") through 1.4.2
▪ Java 1.5.0 ("Java 5")
▪ Java 1.6.0 ("Java 6")
Sun also dropped the first digit for Solaris, where Solaris 2.8 (or 2.9) is referred to as Solaris 8 (or 9) in marketing materials.
Another example of keeping up with competitors is when Slackware Linux jumped from version 4 to version 7 in 1999.[13]
A similar jump has recently taken place with the Asterisk open-source PBX construction kit, whose project leads announced that the current version 1.8.x will soon be followed by version 10, which will be followed by version 11, and then 12, and so forth, presumably dropping the other components (and their useful semantic significance) entirely. This change, though, does not seem to be motivated by 'keeping up with competition'. [1]
[edit]Superstition
▪ The Office 2007 release of Microsoft Office has an internal version number of 12. The next version Office 2010 has an internal version of 14, due to superstitions surrounding the number 13.[14]
▪ Corel's WordPerfect Office, version 13 is marketed as "X3" (Roman number 10 and "3"). The procedure has continued into the next version, X4. The same has happened with Corel's Graphic Suite (i.e. CorelDRAW, Corel Photo-Paint) as well as its Video editing software "Video Studio".
▪ Nokia decided to jump directly from S60 3rd Edition to S60 5th Edition, skipping the fourth edition due to the tetraphobia of their Asian customers.
▪ ABBYY Lingvo Dictionary uses numbering 12, x3 (14), x5 (15).
[edit]Geek culture
▪ The S.u.S.E Linux distribution started at version 4.2, to reference 42, "the answer to life, the universe and everything" mentioned in Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
▪ The current Slackware Linux distribution is version 13.37, referencing leet.
[edit]Overcoming perceived marketing difficulties
In the mid-1990s, the rapidly growing CMMS, Maximo, moved from Maximo Series 3 directly to Series 5, skipping Series 4 due to that number's perceived marketing difficulties in the Chinese market, where the number 4 is associated with “death” (see tetraphobia). This did not, however, stop Maximo Series 5 version 4.0 being released. (It should be noted the "Series" versioning has since been dropped, effectively resetting version numbers after Series 5 version 1.0's release.)
[edit]Significance in software engineering
Version numbers are used in practical terms by the consumer, or client, by being able to compare their copy of the software product against another copy, such as the newest version released by the developer. For the programmer team or company, versioning is often used on a file-by-file basis, where individual parts or sectors of the software code are compared and contrasted with newer or older revisions, often in a collaborative version control system. There is no absolute and definite software version schema; it can often vary from software genre to genre, and is very commonly based on the programmer's personal preference.
[edit]Significance in technical support
Version numbers allow people providing support to ascertain exactly what code a user is running, so that they know what bugs might affect a problem, and the like. This occurs when a program has a substantial user community, especially when that community is large enough that the people providing technical support are not the people who wrote the code.
[edit]Version numbers for files and documents
Some computer file systems, such as the OpenVMS Filesystem, also keep versions for files.
Versioning amongst documents is relatively similar to the routine used with computers and software engineering, where with each small change in the structure, contents, or conditions, the version number is incremented by 1, or a smaller or larger value, again depending on the personal preference of the author and the size or importance of changes made.
[edit]Version number ordering systems
Version numbers very quickly evolve from simple integers (1, 2, ...) to rational numbers (2.08, 2.09, 2.10) and then to non-numeric "numbers" such as 4:3.4.3-2. These complex version numbers are therefore better treated as character strings. Operating systems that include package management facilities (such as all non-trivial Linux or BSD distributions) will use a distribution-specific algorithm for comparing version numbers of different software packages. For example, the ordering algorithms of Red Hat and derived distributions differ to those of the Debian-like distributions.
As an example of surprising version number ordering implementation behavior, in Debian, leading zeroes are ignored in chunks, so that 5.0005 and 5.5 are considered as equal, and 5.5 99). In a similar fashion Xfire 1.99 was followed by 1.100. After 6 years of development,eMule has not even reached version 0.50 yet.
To describe program history
Winamp released an entirely different architecture for version 3 of the program. Due to lack ofbackwards compatibility with plugins and other resources from the major version 2, a new version was issued that was compatible with both version 2 and 3. The new version was set to 5 (2+3), skipping version 4. The developers also humorously joked that they skipped version 4 because "nobody wants to see a Winamp 4 skin", referencing the foreskin of a penis.[9]
A similar thing happened with UnixWare 7, which was the combination of UnixWare 2 andOpenServer 5.
Keeping up with competitors
There is a common habit in the proprietary software industry (usually, though not always, spurned by free software programmers) to make major jumps in numeric major or minor version numbers for reasons which do not seem (to many members of the program's audience) to merit the "marketing" version numbers.
This can be seen in several Microsoft and America Online products, as well as Sun Solaris and Java Virtual Machine numbering, SCO Unix version numbers, and Corel Word Perfect, as well as the filePro DB/RAD programming package, which went from 2.0 to 3.0 to 4.0 to 4.1 to 4.5 to 4.8 to 5.0, and is about to go to 5.6, with no intervening release. A slightly different version can be seen in AOL's PC client software, which tends to have only major releases (5.0, 6.0, 7.0, etc.). Likewise,Microsoft Access jumped from version 2.0 to version 7.0, to match the version number of Microsoft Word.
Microsoft has also been the target of 'catch-up' versioning, with the Netscape browser skipping version 5 to 6, in line with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but also because the Mozilla application suite inherited version 5 in its user agent string during pre-1.0 development and Netscape 6.x was built upon Mozilla's code base.
Sun's Java has at times had a hybrid system, where the actual version number has always been 1.x but three times has been marketed by reference only to the x:
▪ JDK 1.0.3
▪ JDK 1.1.2 through 1.1.8
▪ J2SE 1.2.0 ("Java 2") through 1.4.2
▪ Java 1.5.0 ("Java 5")
▪ Java 1.6.0 ("Java 6")
Sun also dropped the first digit for Solaris, where Solaris 2.8 (or 2.9) is referred to as Solaris 8 (or 9) in marketing materials.
Another example of keeping up with competitors is when Slackware Linux jumped from version 4 to version 7 in 1999.[10]
Superstition
▪ The Office 2007 release of Microsoft Office has an internal version number of 12. The next version Office 2010 has an internal version of 14, due to superstitions surroundingthe number 13.[11]
▪ Corel's WordPerfect Office, version 13 is marketed as "X3" (Roman number 10 and "3"). The procedure has continued into the next version, X4. The same has happened with Corel's Graphic Suite (i.e. CorelDRAW, Corel Photo-Paint) as well as its Video editing software "Video Studio".
Popular culture
▪ The S.u.S.E Linux distribution started at version 4.2, to reference "the answer to life, the universe and everything" mentioned in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Overcoming perceived marketing difficulties
In the mid-1990s, the rapidly growing CMMS, Maximo, moved from Maximo Series 3 directly to Series 5, skipping Series 4 due to that number's perceived marketing difficulties in the Chinese market, where pronunciation of the number 4 (四) in Chinese rhymes with “death” or “failure”. This did not, however, stop Maximo Series 5 version 4.0 being released. (It should be noted the "Series" versioning has since been dropped, effectively resetting version numbers after Series 5 version 1.0's release.)
Significance in software engineering
Version numbers are used in practical terms by the consumer, or client, by being able to compare their copy of the software product against another copy, such as the newest version released by the developer. For the programmer team or company, versioning is often used on a file-by-file basis, where individual parts or sectors of the software code are compared and contrasted with newer or older revisions, often in a collaborative version control system. There is no absolute and definite software version schema; it can often vary from software genre to genre, and is very commonly based on the programmer's personal preference.
Significance in technical support
Version numbers allow people providing support to ascertain exactly what code a user is running, so that they know what bugs might affect a problem, and the like. This occurs when a program has a substantial user community, especially when that community is large enough that the people providing technical support are not the people who wrote the code.
Version numbers for files and documents
Some computer file systems, such as the OpenVMS Filesystem, also keep versions for files.
Versioning amongst documents is relatively similar to the routine used with computers and software engineering, where with each small change in the structure, contents, or conditions, the version number is incremented by 1, or a smaller or larger value, again depending on the personal preference of the author and the size or importance of changes made.
Version number ordering systems
Version numbers very quickly evolve from simple integers (1, 2, ...) to rational numbers (2.08, 2.09, 2.10) and then to non-numeric "numbers" such as 4:3.4.3-2. These complex version numbers are therefore better treated as character strings. Operating systems that include package management facilities (such as all non-trivial Linux or BSD distributions) will use a distribution-specific algorithm for comparing version numbers of different software packages. For example, the ordering algorithms of Red Hat and derived distributions differ to those of the Debian-like distributions.
As an example of surprising version number ordering implementation behavior, in Debian, leading zeroes are ignored in chunks, so that 5.0005 and 5.5 are considered as equal, and 5.5 ................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related searches
- how to install office 365 already purchased
- how to install calculator in windows 10
- how to install spectrum app on firestick
- how to install home and student 2019
- how to install salesforce for outlook
- how to install a minecraft mod
- how to install minecraft 1 12 2
- how to install forge 1 12 2
- how to install forge on a server
- 12 step program quotes
- how to install windows to a usb
- how to install minecraft forge 1 12 2