The Computer Corner
By Charles Miller, Aug 25, 2006

When upgrades downgrade

Not long ago, I got a call from my friend Pepe, who needed some help with his antique computer. He had installed a new screen-saver program, and after that he could not access the internet.

What he learned is that a lot of new software today is not completely compatible with older systems running Windows 98 or Millenium Edition (Me). Fortunately, removing the screen saver restored his computer to normal operation.

Pepe had also been receiving notices from Microsoft saying he needed to upgrade Microsoft Internet Explorer from version 5 to 6. The question is, should he do this or not? 

In many cases, the answer to this question is "no." I can hear some readers gasp over that answer. After having recommended in this column that everyone install the latest security updates, why would I recommend against installing the newest Internet Explorer browser software?

First of all, newer computers that came with Windows XP installed already have IE version 6 loaded. The only users who are asking the question about upgrading from version 5 to 6 are going to be users of older computers still running Windows 98 or Me.

Some of these users are people who only use the computer for word processing, to surf the internet and to send and receive email. They have probably been using the same computer to do this for the last few years.

Many users find that a six-year-old computer works very well with six-year-old versions of the software, but that the same computer will often run slower or crash if the newest version of Internet Explorer and/or Windows Media Player is loaded.

In the interest of full disclosure, Microsoft really should put a warning on their websites saying "The effect of installing recommended upgrades might actually diminish or degrade the performance of your machine." 

For users still happily using Windows 98, it is a good idea to not make any changes to their systems. This is part of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" philosophy.

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7 is scheduled for release soon. When they perform their scheduled updates, it is very likely that all users of Windows will receive pop-up notices from Microsoft saying they need to download and install this new version.

IE7 is supposed to have fixed a number of security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and so users of recent hardware should install this upgrade.

If past experience is any guide, though, users of computers more than four or five years old might be better advised to hold off on this upgrade. Computers of that age might not work well with the software upgrade.

Eventually, there will come a point at which old computers and/or old software will no longer get the job done. At that point, users will find that the most cost-effective fix is to replace the computer with a new one, and with that will automatically come a new version of Windows, IE7 and probably newer application software as well.

Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant, a frequent visitor to San Miguel since 1981 and now practically a full-time resident. He may be contacted at 044-415-153-8528 or by email at FAQ@SMAguru.com