The Great Migration: Upgrading to Windows Vista Tips for a Successful Vista Migration Lauren Simonds
Tips for a Successful Vista Migration
Whether you decide to upgrade or to wait and buy new PCs, once you are ready to move to Vista, it's important to make a plan. Migrating requires forethought, so we talked with Mike Riegel, IBM's director of mid-market services. He offers five steps to help avoid a migration headache:
Take an Inventory
You need to know how many and what kind of PCs you have. Be sure to list the hardware configurations and the type of software applications (and which versions) for each PC
Account for Hardware Upgrades
Skip this step if you own Vista-ready PCs. If you don't, you'll need to determine which hardware components need to be replaced (see Vista minimum specs above).
Plan for Software Upgrades
Consider upgrading your software applications. One prime example, says Riegel, is Microsoft Office. "If you're moving to Vista, you might want to upgrade to Office 2007 at the same time," he says. Depending on your business, you may have proprietary or homegrown software applications – you'll need to do a bit of research to see if they'll work smoothly with Vista.
Back up your Data
You'll need to back up the critical data on each individual PC. Riegel urges small business owners to make a plan for doing so. "It's not just the PCs in your office," he says. "Be sure to include computers of any remote workers or anyone who works at home. Making sure your data is backed up before you begin migrating is crucial."
Create a Migration and Post-Migration Plan
Prepare to upgrade your computers individually, one at a time. "Vista is an enormous program at close to 3GB, says Riegel. "This isn't something you can do over a network." He also recommends that you institute a support plan. "Once the upgrade/migration is complete, you'll need someone to answer employees questions on how to use the new software."
Lauren Simonds is the managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com
