I am a new member. Whats "upgrading" and "updating"?

[Dave]

Hi everyone. I just registered as a new member in this forum. Happy to join
you.

I acquired a labtop about three months ago. Please, I need to understand,
what actually is meant by the terms “upgrade†and “updateâ€. Does “upgradingâ€
and “updating†mean the same thing?

What is the effect of upgrading and updating through the internet on the
system files of a computer?

Can a computer that has some damage system files or program files be
restored or repaired by upgrading or updating via internet?

 

[Tim Slattery]

Hi everyone. I just registered as a new member in this forum. Happy to join
you.

I acquired a labtop about three months ago. Please, I need to understand,
what actually is meant by the terms “upgrade” and “update”. Does “upgrading”
and “updating” mean the same thing?

Generally, no. An "upgrade" usually means a much bigger deal than an
"update". You get updates from time to time through Windows Update.
They come automatically and take a few minutes to install. They fix
security problems or something like that.

To upgrade usually means to something more drastic, like switch to a
different operating system (WinXP to Win Vista), or sometimes
installing a service pack.

What is the effect of upgrading and updating through the internet on the
system files of a computer?

As I said above,you'll probably get updates via the Internet from time
to time. SP upgrades will sometimes come through the network,
sometimes from other directions. OS upgrades will never come through
the network. (Linux can be downloaded from various places, but that's
an exception.)

Can a computer that has some damage system files or program files be
restored or repaired by upgrading or updating via internet?

Maybe, it depends on just what's messed up. And the update/upgrade is
unlikely to fix the problem - unless you're installing a whole new OS.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi everyone. I just registered as a new member in this forum. Happy to join
you.

In that case, you probably don't realize that what you are calling a
"forum" is actually a newsgroup, and you are using the awful web
interface to read this newsgroup--it's the slowest, clunkiest, most
error-prone method there is. Do yourself a favor and switch to a
newsreader, such as Outlook Express, which comes with Windows. See
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

I acquired a labtop about three months ago. Please, I need to understand,
what actually is meant by the terms “upgrade” and “update”. Does “upgrading”
and “updating” mean the same thing?

The terms are sometimes used differently by different people or even
different companies, but most of us think of an upgrade as something
bigger and more significant than an update. For example, you might
upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, but you might apply a minor
update to some component of Windows XP.

What is the effect of upgrading and updating through the internet on the
system files of a computer?

It changes one or more of them. Updates usually fix a problem within
them, while upgrades are more likely to provide additional or improved
functionality.

Can a computer that has some damage system files or program files be
restored or repaired by upgrading or updating via internet?

In general, no.

 

[HeyBub]

Hi everyone. I just registered as a new member in this forum. Happy
to join you.

I acquired a labtop about three months ago. Please, I need to
understand, what actually is meant by the terms "upgrade" and
"update". Does "upgrading" and "updating" mean the same thing?

Upgrading is similar to getting a new girlfriend. Updating is breast
implants for the old girlfriend.

You can get "new everything" or improve what you're used to.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

When you get rid of your '77 Ford and start driving a '82 Honda, you're
upgrading.

When you replace the transmission on your '77 Ford, you're updating.

 

[Lil' Dave]

Terms are generally described by their original source of either.

From the user standpoint, an upgrade means a major impact on a vast majority
of many system files at the same time. An MS update regarding XP is usually
a patch or perhaps, an actual fix regarding a security or related problem.
There is a difference between a patch, and, a fix regarding security as well

 

[Twayne]

Upgrading is similar to getting a new girlfriend. Updating is breast
implants for the old girlfriend.

You can get "new everything" or improve what you're used to.

LOL, that's the best analogy I've seen yet!