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When Your Client’s Machine is Too Old to Upgrade
You’ve probably been there before. You’re asked to do some maintenance on someone’s computer, and when you arrive, you discover it’s Windows 2000, running on 128 MB of RAM, with outdated browsers, and outdated software. To them, it’s just a little slow, and while it takes a couple minutes to display some modern websites, it doesn’t display them correctly, and it’s just… too old. There are no extra slots for memory, the processor is so old and slow, and every time the machine is asked to perform some task, it sounds like a miniature jet engine trying to take off. When your client’s machine is too old to upgrade, where do you start?
1. Ascertain Their Needs
First, ascertain their computing needs. Are they a basic user, satisfied with a few spreadsheet programs and solitare? Or are they a small business owner who has been using old proprietary software for business use? Perhaps they’ve filled that old machine with so many useful programs that they use every day, and they have no idea what they would do without it.
It shouldn’t be hard to do a quick ‘system requirements’ check for the commonly used software to see what operating systems are supported. Sometimes, not only has the software disappeared from all internet archives, but the company who produced it has disappeared as well, and the only option, if an incompatible upgrade operating system is chosen, is to find an alternative solution, or go through the hassle of using a virtual machine with a compatible guest operating system.
Something we might tend to lose sight of sometimes is the fact that the internet is an ever changing landscape. A few months ago we might have searched for an alternative program to something we used to find useful, only to find one alternative, and it wasn’t that great. The same search today may pull up 10 alternatives, and you’ll have difficulty choosing the best option from them. If the client is open to a new and most likely better alternative, search around and you may find better results than expected.
2. Recommend Better Options
Depending on their computing needs, the client may be interested in moving from a desktop to a laptop, or perhaps even a tablet. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of mobile platforms with them. Perhaps they need software that isn’t currently supported on mobile devices, and that option is out. But for small business users, laptops are great, especially as they are most likely to run proprietary business software, and they can be taken on business trips, and still offer most if not all of the peripheral connections they had on their old desktop.
Do they still use 3.5 inch diskettes? Don’t grimace, they’re still a popular storage media for a few. If they refuse to upgrade to discs or usb drives, that’s allright. There are still USB powered floppy drives available on the market, but USB drives are so much faster and so much easier. If they don’t believe you, grab one of your drives and do a free demonstration for them. Let them see how easy it is. The point is to encourage them to use newer and better options.
3. Shop Around
The last important aspect of switching to newer technology is assisting them in their purchase. If they don’t want any help with this, that’s fine, but it’s really recommended that you at least point them to the best deals you can recommend for their situation. If they notice they’re better deals than they were able to find, they’ll more than likely appreciate your continued assistance. Maybe they’ve tried Windows Vista, 7, and perhaps 8, and refuse to upgrade beyond Windows XP, no exceptions. You should be able to find a reasonable deal on a compatible machine, and offer to set it up for them with all their software moved to the newer machine. Of course, using operating systems which are no longer supported by the developer isn’t the best move, and eventually they’ll discover they need to upgrade again. You’ve already made them aware of this, of course, but in the end, it’s the customer whose satisfaction is required.
If they’ve made the choice to fully upgrade to the latest operating system, offer to set it up for them and try to find ways to make their old software work on the new machine, or at least find newer and better alternatives, and show them how to use them. Make sure they’re as comfortable as possible with the new machine before you leave, and offer follow up calls if they have any questions. For instance, I have one rate for actual computer repairs and maintenance tasks, and another lower rate for training sessions. This encourages them to call you up and pepper you with questions, and they feel they got a discounted rate as opposed to having you come out and actually work on their machine.
The main point is to encourage them to fully upgrade to the latest operating system and a modern system. It will prevent more headaches down the line, or at least spread them out a few more years. Be sure to treat clients with respect, even if they refuse to upgrade from obsolete storage media and old proprietary software. Just be sure to make them aware of the drawbacks of such a course, and provide evidence by illustration if you need to. (Where can you still find audiocassetes for purchase? Records? 8 Tracks? Leaded Gasoline?)
Have you ever run across a similar scenario where that machine was too old to upgrade? Drop a comment below!
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I run into this problem all the time where I live. its mostly in the senor citizen area or people on a fixed budget. they want there same old computer to run the latest software at the speed they notice with the display model in wall-mart or best buy or some other store. and there eight to twelve year old computer just will not do that.
when you tell them that you can not do what they want, and inform them that they should purchase a new computer for a price between 699.00 to 1500.00 dollars plus tax. this is when the trouble begins.
stores advertise sales prices of sell off discontinued laptop/netbook computers for 399.00 or less but there not meant for daily usage by someone with a disability (such as arthritis or eye problem that senor can have) or lack of knowledge about the complete deal such as a 90 day warranty
this is where they want you to come up with a better deal(Thank to a previous age when I stocked such things and got burnt too many times I no longer sell hardware or software) this keeps me out of this problem but I do have a rapore with
I run into this problem all the time where I live. its mostly in the senor citizen area or people on a fixed budget. they want there same old computer to run the latest software at the speed they notice with the display model in wall-mart or best buy or some other store. and there eight to twelve year old computer just will not do that.
when you tell them that you can not do what they want, and inform them that they should purchase a new computer for a price between 699.00 to 1500.00 dollars plus tax. this is when the trouble begins.
stores advertise sales prices of sell off discontinued laptop/netbook computers for 399.00 or less but there not meant for daily usage by someone with a disability (such as arthritis or eye problem that senor can have) or lack of knowledge about the complete deal such as a 90 day warranty
this is where they want you to come up with a better deal(Thank to a previous age when I stocked such things and got burnt too many times I no longer sell hardware or software) this keeps me out of this problem but I do have a Rapport with some of the smaller computer business in the area and even with some of the techs in the big box computer stores giving me a edge.
this allows me to point most people in the correct direction to purchase the best computer for the buck for there required usage.
If they are just using their system for basic web browsing, email, etc. then a lightweight linux distro could be a good solution as well…
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-lightweight-linux-distributions-give-pc-lease-life/
I have a client that has 5 systems (WinXP to Win 7) that all connect together over a Win 2003 Server. They run their payroll off a 23 year old DOS application that just recently stopped working after a WinXP Windows update. I can’t tell you the number of times I had stressed to them before this event that they needed to move to a more modern payroll system. After this scare they now see the light.
They also have an MRP system that is 8 years old (I know it’s not old to some folks)Recently when the oldest of the 5 systems died (10 yr old Dell running Winodws 2000 Pro) I recommented they purchase a new Dell system with Windows 7 Pro (This was a task since Windows 8 had just been released) and it came as a 64bit system. Needless to say the MRP system would not install in native or compatibilty mode. So XP mode it was and he was up and running.
In our repair shop, we build custom PC’s, Servers and keep refurb computers (abandon by other customers) to sell to people who have too old to fix computers.
It has been as much as a 1/3 of my revenues for 8 years or more. I’d recommend you keep a small inventory so that you can offer better alternatives to your clients. Otherwise you are letting money walk out the door.
The above comments do a nice job saying what I would have written. I love the suggestion of keeping old (re-furbed) computers on hand.
Ditto on the senior citizen market. In their defense, that old computer may have cost them $2,000 and and they remember paying it like it was yesterday. They are used to appliances lasting 20 years or more and think the same about computers. They may not know that computer prices have plummeted over the years so be sure they know that.
Also, I like to tell them that each year of “computer years” is equal to fifteen years in “people years.” When they do the math their eyes typically get very w-i-d-e. (Believe me, they GET the whole aging process thing and what it means).
On the other hand, you will have the occasional Flight Simulator user who just loves his old program and it won’t run on the newer operating systems. I just warn them and warn them that anything mechanical/electrical can go at any moment!
(btw, you know the computer is old when you have to replace the CMOS battery).
Hit’s home. There are a lot of big reasons why people do not want to upgrade.
For the most part people think the computer should last forever and function the exact some way and that it should never change including cosmetically. It’s been a major pain in my side dealing with people like this.
The hardest thing is that parts for these older machines get harder and harder to find and the money invested is just not worth it. It will reach a point where there will be no new old stock and customers won’t have a choice. It will reach a point where finding a tech that can support windows 95/98/2000 will be hard and cost a lot of money.
I have clients who have PCs with power switched off at the wall socket overnight and over the week end. In this situation the CMOS battery is going to discharge much faster and will need replacing in less than a couple of years.
This is a great article. You have brought up alot of great topics. I have been in cases when clients do not want to upgrade their computers on their network. I advised them of the software drawbacks and there may be a much newer version on the market.
There are soooooo many people out there that just INSIST on sticking with XP. Microsoft is going to have a real problem on their hands if they can’t appease all these people. If they can’t keep the old system, rather than learn the newest Microsoft OS they’ll just go to Mac. Or worse, forget a computer completely and just go with a freaking Android tablet or iPad. Technology has really been going downhill in the last five or six years or so starting with Vista and its only gotten worse. 7 is a great OS. But 8 leaves a whole lot to be desired by both the tech savvy crowd and the clueless consumer.
At http://www.computerpcmedic.com we have many clients (of all ages) trying to “nurse” along their old computers, because they are running Windows XP and many compatible applications that they are dependent on. The problem we hear most, is, “my computer is so slow” would you tune it up. As clearly mentioned in the article above, these computers are running with a slow processor, motherboard, dying harddrive and limited memory. If our evaluation demonstrates that it is a hardware issue, we will present a price for upgrade that normally gives the customer an incentive to purchase new state-of-the-art hardware. Our customers appreciate the honest approach. We even have some articles on our website to help them in a new purchase. I believe that April 2014 is the end of Windows XP support so getting them to move now on upgrading will save them a lot of grief later. If, money is a real issue, we will still recommend upgrading at a later date, but will do the best we can on a tuneup now. We realize that we are all in difficult economic times.
Thank you all for this great conversation! I am a senior tech and have made a career of computers since Heathkit introduced the H8. Many of my clients fit the profiles above and, at my age, I feel their pain, literally and figuratively. What I have learned is patience is the most valuable asset one can bring to the conversation. I listen very carefully to the person who seeks help and try to empathize with their situation before suggesting a course of action. Granted, this takes time which may or may not be fully billable, but my objective is to build a relationship before asking for commitment. I also use a “just-in-time learning” approach when tutoring clients on tech matters. Most folks have a particular problem with an application ahead of their hardware issues. I approach this problem directly with an hour or two of billable training that gets them past an immediate barrier and builds confidence. A number of these clients are now calling on me regularly for ongoing training on topics of their choosing. Upgrading hardware and software has frequently followed these training sessions as clients’ skill and confidence grow. This approach may not be the most efficient way to sustain a business which depends on making a profit within time and patience limitations, but it has worked well for me up to this point. Now to upgrade my own aging skills and hardware…
After Posting my Comment, I found these links about WINE & Linux that I share here.
Making Linux A Genuine Windows Replacement
January 30, 2013
By Chris Hoffman
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/making-linux-a-genuine-windows-replacement/
With Windows 8 casting a long shadow over the PC industry and Valve committing to create Linux-based gaming PCs, there’s never been a better time to start using Linux. For many users, the Linux desktop is now there — so many applications have moved to the cloud, hardware support has improved, and the desktop has been polished. You can even watch Netflix and play a variety of games on Steam — two big holes that have been filled recently.
We’ll be starting with Ubuntu 12.10 for this tutorial. Ubuntu 12.10 is a more complete desktop than Windows out-of-the-box, coming with the LibreOffice office suite, Firefox and Thunderbird for web browsing and email, Transmission for BitTorrent, and applications for everything from watching videos and playing music to instant messaging and tweeting.
Run Windows Applications on Linux (or Mac) with WINE
June 23, 2008
By Varun Kashyap
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-about-some-wine-with-your-linux/
http://wiki.winehq.org/Debunking_Wine_Myths
WINE doesn’t slow down your computer, the application performance will be same as with Windows (no more, no less). In fact it’s actually better than using virtualization which has two operating systems running side by side and thus more resource hungry. Refer to “Debunking WINE myths” for more on these and similar questions.
“From Debunking WINE Myths”
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For most people there remain a handful of programs locking them in to Windows. It’s obvious there will never be a Microsoft Office ported to Linux, however older versions of programs like TurboTax won’t be ported either. Similarly, there are tens of thousands of games and internal corporate applications which will never be ported. If you want to use Linux and rely on any legacy Windows application, something like Wine is essential.
But these days are long gone. Currently, Wine advertises its version as Windows XP, so Win32 is the primary thing Wine supports. Support for Windows 3.1 applications is still around, of course, as is some support for DOS applications.
As of January 2009, Win64 support is being worked on, but is still far from stability. There are very few (if any) Win64 applications which do not have Win32 versions, so this isn’t a problem. (See Wine64 for more information.)
The 32-bit version of Wine works on 64-bit systems. (See WineOn64bit for more information.)
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All in all if you cannot give up running a Windows app or you want to play Windows games inside Linux then definately give WINE a try. It’s worth it.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-key-differences-between-windows-and-linux-you-should-know-about-before-switching/
7 Key Differences Between Windows & Linux You Should Know About Before Switching
September 28, 2012
By Joel Lee
Linux has made some serious headway over the past decade, elevating itself from “that open source operating system” to “wow, this thing is actually usable!” There’s been a gentle but definite trickle of users away from Windows toward the freer option of Linux and maybe you’re thinking about making that leap. But should you?
From an objective standpoint, there are real and compelling reasons why you should switch, but I’m not here to convince you one way or the other. This article is meant for those of you who are leaning towards making the switch already. If that’s what you want, great! You should know, however, that the switch is not exactly a cakewalk.
Here are some fundamental differences between Windows and Linux. Read through them and be absolute certain that you’re willing to put up with the learning curve because there’s nothing worse than jumping headfirst into something unexpected.