Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
EXERCISE 6.5
(continued)
11.
Close the Control Panel window.
Upgrading the Operating System
As we mentioned earlier, upgrading is different from updating. Whereas updating simply
maintains what you already have, upgrading improves on what you have by either installing
a newer version or installing a version with better capabilities.
You may think that newer would always be better when it comes to OSs, but that's not
the case. The latest OS versions are designed to run on the latest hardware. If you have an
older PC (more than a year or two old), you may fi nd that installing a new OS can actually
make the PC perform worse than before.
Looking at the Available Versions and Editions
It's important to understand what OS versions are available when you're thinking about
upgrading, and what new features and capabilities you'll get when upgrading.
A
version
is a major release of the OS, such as Windows 7. An
edition
is one of the
available packages of that OS, such as Windows 7 Home Premium Edition.
