Barry Fox

Upgrading software is like flying a Jumbo jet. Once the plane is belting down the runway it's too late to do anything other than take off.

The bugs in PC software only bite after it has been installed. Usually a bad upgrade can be uninstalled and the original reinstalled. And Windows Restore can help roll back the clock.

The hidden trap springs if the new version uses a new data structure. There will be a free conversion program that reliably converts a database, address list or email filing cabinet from old format to new.

But providing a reverse conversion tool would be an admission that the new software may not be better. DIY reverse conversion, by squirting the data through a neutral format like Comma-Separated-Variable Ascii, is very risky.

Many of us now use several PCs, so we need to be able to carry data files from one to the other. If new and old versions of software are not compatible, all the software on all the PCs must be upgraded.

So always back up the old data to a safe file before an upgrade. The old program can then be reinstalled and the data restored.

But this only works if problems with the new version are immediately apparent. If it takes a few days or weeks to discover the downside, data added during the discovery period will be lost.

A few years ago, AOL bought Compuserve, and encouraged Compuserve subscribers to upgrade to a new service called Compuserve 2000. CS2000 (with domain name cs.com) was very similar to AOL (aol.com) and quite different from Compuserve Classic (compuserve.com).

When I upgraded from Classic to CS2000 I hit problems and found that AOL had made reversing the switch well-nigh impossible. So I warned people not to make the change from Classic to 2000.

That advice was vindicated when AOL killed off CS2000 and made subscribers switch to AOL. Once CS2000 shut down, it became impossible to read old CS2000 mail (unless it had been previously exported to AOL files).

Mail to the old cs.com addresses was only temporarily forwarded to the new AOL equivalent. People often wonder why I have not replied to emails that were lost in the cs.com black hole.

TV adverts now promise: "AOL 8 is here - it's everything you want." The change from AOL 7 to 8 brings back memories of the change from Compuserve Classic to 2000.

Previous versions of AOL (5, 6 and 7) have been similar, allowing data to be shared easily between different versions on different PCs. Just copy the Organise and Download folders from the AOL program folder (in the Windows Program Files folder).

AOL's helpline recommends using older versions, such as AOL 5, on older PCs, which grind into slow motion when asked to handle AOL 7.

Without warning, AOL seems to have changed the file structure for AOL 8. So if one PC is running AOL 7 or earlier and the other is running AOL 8, it is no longer possible to share Organise and Download folders.

AOL stated: "This is not a use of AOL we have officially supported."

But when upgrading to AOL 8, I would choose the option to 'Copy' files from the old to the new version, not 'Move'.

Also, make safety copies of the Organise and Download folders, for example drag and drop to a CD-RW. (CD-R copies can cause problems because read-only attributes are added). That way you will find it easier to revert if necessary.

I installed AOL 8 on two Dell XP PCs (desktop and laptop) and a few days later both PCs refused to boot, repeatedly giving the same Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) error message 'Page fault in non-paged area - NV4_disp.dll'.

Safe Mode start and Restore could not help. I had to roll back each PC by restoring from full system ghost back-ups, and then reclaim lost email from AOL's online storage. This wrecked my life for several days.

I have now reinstalled AOL 7 and both PCs are working again. Is it coincidence that both PCs failed in the same way?

"There is a known problem with Windows XP and the file that is mentioned," said AOL. See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=325730, it suggested.

This says that the NV4_displ.dll/BSOD problem is triggered by some simulator games, none of which I have ever used. Is it possible that AOL 8 is a similar trigger?

"So far we have not seen this issue arise in member services. However, we are always keen to ensure that every base is covered in terms of bugs," said the company.

Perhaps my BSOD experiences were just an unhappy, Sod's Law one-off. But maybe AOL has hidden nasties for PCs with nVidia graphics chipsets.

All I know is that I am back with AOL 7, and a much happier bunny. And AOL can never say it was not warned.

Yes, I know I am missing the opportunity that AOL 8 offers to send automated out-of-office replies. But I am not advertising to burglars when I am away, nor telling spammers that mine is a live address worth spamming.

Why do I pay a lot to use AOL? Because it's a relatively bombproof system that works well all round the world, and I don't like Outlook.

That's why I feel especially sad when AOL fixes things that weren't broken and, in doing so, breaks them.

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