Upgrading Your OS: Windows 10 Edition

Thinking about upgrading to Windows 10? Anytime you upgrade your OS there are potential pitfalls. So before you start installing Windows 10, do the following to ensure a smooth upgrade!

Windows 10 was just released by Microsoft this week and we already have numerous Backblaze subscribers that have updated to the latest operating system from Microsoft. Just like with OS X updates, Backblaze has been ready for Windows 10 for a while. The latest Backblaze version for Windows (4.0.2.881) is Windows 10, ready and waiting for you to upgrade to the latest Windows OS. But before you do, make sure you’re putting yourself in the position to have a smooth transition.

OS Upgrade Best Practices

Before you update or do anything to an operating system, we recommend doing the following two things:

1. Make a full system backup or clone of your computer. While Backblaze has a copy of your data, the system files are not backed up. We strongly recommend that before doing any work on your OS, you create a full system image or clone. That way, if something goes very wrong you’ll have a method of bringing your system back to normal. If you’re unsure of how to make a full system copy, you can take a look at our Complete Backup Guide, which has detailed instructions.
2. Always back up your data. It’s important to have an off-site backup just in case something occurs during the new OS installation. If you’re using Backblaze, we’ve already got you covered. But as a general rule you should check to make sure you’re data is completely backed up before making any OS changes.

Updating Backblaze

Our latest Backblaze version is ready for Windows 10. Chances are you’re already using the latest and greatest version, but if you haven’t updated Backblaze in a while, you can do so by:

1. Right-clicking on the Backblaze icon and pressing “check for updates.”
2. Going to https://secure.backblaze.com/update.htm and downloading the latest version!

So once your complete system backup is safe and secure with your clone and your data is offsite with Backblaze, you’re off to the races! It’s time to upgrade to the latest OS! You can upgrade your Windows OS by checking out Microsoft’s Windows 10 Upgrade site!