I say this all the time to my customers. I tell them this because they have knowing or unknowingly customized their computer to meet their needs over time - Especially, if they have installed software to automate their daily tasks. Even I am no different.

This weekend I decided to upgrade from Microsoft Office version 2003 to version 2010. Here's what went wrong.

Background:
I use ACT! as my contact manager. One of the features of ACT! is it tracks all meetings, tasks, phone calls, and emails for each contact. I use ACT! to record all my emails to my contacts. This is exceptionally helpful when I need to recall what I did and with whom.

The Update:
Well, when I installed Office 2010 (there are actually 2 versions of Office 2010 - 32bit and 64bit - I chose the 64bit) everything went hunky-dorie. But, a new error quickly told me that ACT! had lost communication with Outlook and now my emails wouldn't be recorded.

The Solution:
My investigation focused on ACT!. I quickly learned that ACT! knows about the issue but will have a solution in the next version of ACT! - that's ACT! 2011 - out in a few months! In the meanwhile, I am out of luck.

Other Upgrades to Lookout for:
Here are a few other popular software programs that integrate with Word, Excel, and Outlook:
• Quickbooks Contact sync for Outlook
• Plaxo synchronizer and Outlook
• Outlook and Google Apps (Google contacts) synchronizer
• MobileMe and Outlook
• ACT! and Outlook (Word and Excel too)

My lesson is your lesson:
Before you spend money to upgrade any of your software, make sure it is compatible with all your software.

Do you have any experience with an upgrade that you found wasn't compatible?  Let me know. Click on 'Add comment' at the top of this tip.