What makes more sense to me is for people to test a newer version before installing over or uninstalling the current version of any software product one is using, especially if you have deadlines or are in the middle of any project.

In my travels over the years, I've seen this happen to people countless times where they install a new version of software over an older one that is working fine and run into the type of problem where it breaks their operation.

I don't know why people do this, but the software engineering method is to install and test every upgrade or new component elsewhere where it won't effect a production environment before deploying it production.

More often than not, people don't really need the new functionality, they just want it or want to keep up with the latest version, for whatever reason. That mindset just makes money for corporations and almost always gives frustration and pain to end-users.

So, bottom line is, make sure you really need the latest version and if you do, don't install it right away on your currently functioning environment. Test it somewhere else to see if it will perform the way you need it to. Then, when it comes time to install a new version over a currently operational version, if it is "mission critical", make sure you get a backup of your current environment before the upgrade, and make sure you can successfully restore from that backup in the event it is necessary. All mission critical environments should be backed up periodically in any case.

I know it doesn't help solve Scooter's problem, but maybe this change in mindset will help prevent others from a lot of frustration and wasted time.