General Computers - 7 Things to Consider When Installing a Beta Operating System or Update

SUMMARY: Before installing an operating system or update that has not been officially released, heed this advice.

When it comes to computer operating systems, many people only want to use tried and tested software. After a new operating system release, they wait months if not years for others to find bugs, patch security exploits, and update driver software to support most hardware. These individuals won't even think about upgrading before the release of a Service Pack or other major patch.

And then there are those who like to live "on the wild side". These people love testing and tweaking the next big thing before the mass public gets their hands on it. Nothing makes them happier than knowing they were running the latest and greatest software months, if not years, before an official release.

For those who fall into the latter category that test alpha, beta, and release candidates of operating systems and major patches, and especially those new to this practice, heed these warnings and advice:

1. Lack of Device Support

If you have an obscure off-brand scanner, older digital video camera, or a digital media player from a company that has since gone bankrupt, you may find that the beta operating system does not support the hardware. This can be due to the vendor's perceived lack of customer use of a particular piece of hardware or lack of support from the device manufacturer. Thus, if your computing activities absolutely require a particular older device, think twice before installing the beta software.

2. Lack of Software Support

Just as hardware may fail, so will some software packages, especially if they require hooks into the operating system such as antivirus, file backup, firewall, or CD burning applications. Vendors may not release patches to the software as they don't want to spend time dealing with an operating system that changes before its final release. Plus, some vendors will not release patches at all, instead only supporting the new operating system with newer versions that cost extra.

3. There Will Be Bugs

Even if an operating system or update is at the final beta or release candidate stage (and even for official releases!), the code will contain bugs. Network disconnections may occur, folders may not open, obscure error messages may appear, and these are the types of bugs that you want to see. Bugs that you don't immediately notice can cause even more problems such as corrupting certain types of multimedia files, deleting text from word processing documents, or worse.

4. Backup All Data Files

Because a beta operating system or patch can corrupt files if not an entire hard drive, make sure to backup all of your personal and business information before installing. As mentioned above, some corruption is not easily noticeable, so you may not want to completely trust any data placed on the computer running the beta code.

5. Backup Your PC Completely

If your computer already has a working operating system, before you install the beta o/s or patches, consider performing a full backup of the hard drive(s) using a disk cloning tool such as the commercial Norton Ghost or free Clonezilla. This way if something goes haywire and you want to remove the beta software, you won't have to spend time reinstalling the older operating system - simply copy the cloned image back to your computer and you should be good to go! Paranoid users may want to make a second backup of the cloned image in case one gets corrupted.

6. Realize Support will be Minimal

Vendors release beta copies of operating systems for the general public to hammer away and find bugs. Because of this, expect minimal, if any, official support. The vendor knows errors may occur and only wants to know what problems exist and how to recreate them.

Though vendor support may be minimal, before installing the operating system, do find out if unofficial support groups exist online. Vendors may provide links to message forums full of fellow testers happy to help you work around problems in the beta operating system, as long as you are willing to help others yourself.

7. Don't Use Your Primary Machine If Possible

For all of the above reasons, it makes sense not to use your primary machine when testing a new operating system or patch if at all possible. This way, when something does go wrong (and it often occurs), you will still be able to perform normal computing activities without having to frantically recover from backups.

Installing a beta operating system or patch can be a fun and rewarding experience, but doing so without a safety net and understanding the potential difficulties may cause all sorts of consequences for your computing and data. Do not expect 100% hardware or software support before the operating system or update's full release, and even then support may be iffy for awhile. Realize there will be bugs and some can cause all types of hidden problems that may not be noticed for weeks, so backup your data files first and possibly create a complete clone of your hard drive for easy recovery. Understand support may be minimal, and by all means, do not use your primary machine for testing if you can help it! By following this advice, you too can be a "trendsetter" and check out the latest and greatest software before it reaches the general public.