If your plan is to install a shiny new operating system on your Windows PC this holiday season, we suggest you hold off – at least until you check with us. Many of the mission-critical law office applications we support are not yet certified by their respective vendors to work with Windows 8. The last thing you need at year-end are glitches in your time/billing/accounting or practice management software due to a premature operating system upgrade.

By most accounts, Windows 8 is notable technological achievement. Our consultants testing Windows 8 agree that it boots more quickly and runs faster than Windows 7 on the same hardware. However, it looks and works in ways that even Windows 7 “experts” are not able to immediately grasp. Most importantly, complex law office software depends on certain code in the operating system. If that operating system code changes, the software may not work properly. There will be a time when we can recommend Windows 8 for your law firm, but we are not there yet.

What if you need a new computer NOW and Windows 8 is the standard operating system offered on every desktop or notebook PC you find on the shelf at Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, etc.? There is no reason to buy “off-the-shelf” computers for your law firm. Pre-configured computers at big box stores are not usually the best choice for the tasks you need your computer to perform in a law office setting. For example, few will have the “Professional” version of Windows with networking and security features needed by any business operation. A custom-configured PC can be ordered from several major computer makers with Windows 7 Professional pre-installed along with the right to upgrade to Windows 8 when you are ready.

To read our complete compatability statement, click here http://orionlaw.com/lib/fn/Windows_8_Compatibility_Statement.pdf