Policy for Upgrading Operating Systems

We recommend an OS upgrade if owners are having issues/problems with the OS they are running now or if they are going to run a piece of software that requires the new OS. At this time, due to limited resources we need to do this in a logical manner. FYI - This policy does not pertain to new equipment. Owners should order new machines with the latest OS available. If clients or departments are considering buying new equipment, Click here for OIT recommendations.

To achieve these rebuilds in a timely manner we will use the following guidelines:

1. We will accept the following standard equipment for rebuilds: UT Arlington built machines, and Dell's. Any other machines will be given special consideration by the Desktop Group Manager. If clients can provide original media that came with the machine, this will improve the possibility of a successful upgrade. Laptops usually present the biggest challenge. So we prefer handling all laptop rebuilds in our shop located at DH B82. A date/time will be scheduled for clients to drop of their laptop/s. This will allow the installer to more resources to get it completed successfully if problems should arise.

2. We will inspect the machine prior to the upgrade to make sure that the hardware configuration meet the minimum requirements for the OS you are requesting. Click here for OIT's minimum system requirements.

3. Before the rebuild takes place - Owners are responsible for backing up their data files before we begin and restoring them after we finish. All data on the machine is erased during the rebuild process, and will be lost if owners do not back it up. We can provide some space for clients to backup their data if it is to large to backup to clients Network J: drive. We treat these upgrades as a normal rebuild. We do not overlay the new operating system over the top of an existing operating system.

4. Machines will be rebuilt in the clients office. If any hardware or software issues occur during the installation the machine will be brought back to our shop. The rebuild may take a couple of hours, and depends on the equipment itself.

5. We will reinstall our standard software (MSOffice, Outlook etc.), and get the machine back on the network. Any specialized software will need to be re-installed by the client.

6. If clients have specialized software they need to verify that the software will work with the new OS they are requesting. OIT will not guarantee the compatibility of hardware or software with new operating system you are requesting but we will make a reasonable effort to resolve conflicts. Problems arising after the rebuild will be resolved at the owner's expense.

7. We do not recommend owners upgrade to any new operating system themselves. The most common problem that owners come across is losing all network connections. If other problems arise we will make a cursory attempt to resolve the problem and then proceed with a rebuild as described above. If this also fails we will revert the machine back to the way it was before the upgrade.