A Horror Story

I personally do not install upgrades unless literally forced to do so. (And I do not install new software except when absolutely required.) Some time back while using an earlier version of IE, I was forced to upgrade. The results were disastrous.

I first tried upgrading IE to latest version, 5.5. But I never could get it to run. I dropped back to version 5.1, which ran, but unpredictably.

My system became unstable. Lots of memory collisions (GPFs) that crashed some program maybe two dozen times a day. Even IE was not running properly and became program most likely to crash. Other stuff was happening that required restarting computer 5-6 times each day. If you have been there, you know how much this slows you down.

Further, several of programs I use routinely, such as Eudora, began failing with troubling regularity. And two would no longer run at all.

My only option was to retire a perfectly good computer less than two years old and buy a new one. Then install all latest software all at once. This meant chucking some stuff I liked, then hunting up replacements. Both time consuming and tedious.

So What Went Wrong?

I have no idea, really. But most likely cause of this failure was in overwriting one or more DLLs with later versions required by IE that my other software could not handle. That is, my other programs were designed to run on previous versions, not latest.

What This Means To You

If you are a casual user of your computer, and load up something new about once a month, chances are you will never face problem described above. The worst that is likely to happen is that as new software is added, older programs do not run in quite same way.

If you are a serious computer user, and depend upon one as an integral part of your business, take position you won't upgrade or install new software unless you are absolutely forced to do so.

My tale is not an isolated case. All heavy users of contemporary PCs have had this experience, even if not quite so severe.

If you need a program, by all means install it and go. But be hesitant in playing game, "I think I'll try this." Why risk it?

You can get 256 MB of RAM for about 40 bucks. A couple of places online are crucial.com and kingston.com. Crucial even has an onsite configurator that will tell you EXACTLY what your computer uses.

And don't be afraid of installation. I had never installed ANYTHING before, and I had it installed in under 5 minutes!

So upgrade your computer, and enjoy!