Stop! DON’T upgrade to Windows 11 before reading this.

28 Sep

On Tuesday, October 5th 2021, Microsoft will begin to roll out a free* Windows 11 upgrade to all Windows 10 users.

Yes, we all love new stuff, and on the surface, a new upgrade to Windows 11 does offer some fantastic new features. BUT upgrading to a new operating system (OS) as soon as it’s launched can often mean issues with the compatibility of other 3rd party software that you rely on.

To avoid any complications that may arise with other software, like Retail Pro, we advise that all our clients DO NOT go ahead with the automatic upgrade feature on their Windows PC’s. Upgrading too early could lead to downtime and an unnecessary impact on productivity, which is the last thing you need in these testing times.
Once software providers and Pinnaca have finished their final Windows 11 compatibility testing, we will ensure that all of our clients know the most suitable time for your computers to be upgraded.
Contact us if you are worried about how this will affect your business, and we will talk you through any issues that might occur.

Why does upgrading to Windows 11 affect how other software perform?

When a major operating system upgrade is installed on your computer, the system undergoes a rather extensive facelift. But it’s not just the design that is affected; an OS upgrade can often lead to your computer receiving a new GUID (global unique identifier). A GUID is a unique Windows applied address for your PC that allows other software to validate and license your computer. If the GUID is changed, other software can not tell that the computer is still valid, and the software will appear DOWN and not run as it sees it as a new device and not the existing one. You may even receive error messages like these examples from Retail Pro "OSID Mismatch" and "Unable to connect to the Database".

For example, when the Windows 10 upgrade was first released, many end-users went ahead with the automatic upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, leaving Microsoft users with non-functional systems. This resulted in several hours of downtime and lost revenue, plus the additional cost of IT professionals such as Pinnaca performing an emergency system downgrade to get users back up and running.

What should you do to ensure that Windows 11 does not affect how other software performs?

Gain complete control of your operating system upgrades by switching OFF Auto Updates and switching on Manual Updates. We suggest that this is completed before October 4th 2021 and that computers are restarted after new settings are applied. Please ask your IT Support Partner to do this for you.
Only manually upgrade to Windows 11 once you are positive that a FULL software audit of your computer is complete and you are happy that ALL software is compatible and thoroughly tested on Windows 11. Pinnaca will inform you when this has happened for all software that they supply to you.
Inform all your users of the above and advise them not to initiate an upgrade. To avoid service disruption, it is IMPERATIVE that this message be communicated to ALL end-users in your company.

If your IT is managed and supported by Pinnaca, we have you covered!