Upgrading Bitcoin Client

[bubble1]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but a search didn't answer my simple question.

Currently I run  v0.13.1 (64-bit) on Windows 7 and re-synch on a weekly basis.

I see there's now v0.14.2.

Would I be advised to upgrade? How best to upgrade that avoids having to reload the whole blockchain - currently 137Gb?

Sorry if I'm being naive, but I am not a techie.

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[aleksej996]

I don't see why you wouldn't upgrade.

New versions of Bitcoin Core use the same data directory as the old one where blockchain is stored. I don't know about your installation procedure, but you just need to keep the data directory, that is it. If you want, you can simply rename the data directory, uninstall the current client and install the new one. That way you can be sure that uninstalling the old client won't remove the directory, but it might be unnecessary to do that if installing the new client will just overwrite the executables. If you are compiling from source then it shouldn't touch your data directory, for other installation methods I am not sure.

[DannyHamilton]

The most important thing to do, if you haven't done it yet, is to create a backup of your wallet.  That way, you can recover your bitcoins if anything goes wrong during the upgrade.

If you have bitcoins in your wallet and you have not yet created a backup, you are taking a VERY big risk (what if your computer accidentally becomes damaged?!).  Create a backup immediately.  Store it somewhere secure and separate from your computer.

[yinoye]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but a search didn't answer my simple question.

Currently I run  v0.13.1 (64-bit) on Windows 7 and re-synch on a weekly basis.

I see there's now v0.14.2.

Would I be advised to upgrade? How best to upgrade that avoids having to reload the whole blockchain - currently 137Gb?

Sorry if I'm being naive, but I am not a techie.

Wow 137gb is much..

[bubble1]

Yes, my wallet is backed up to a memory stick.

Thanks to all who suggested this.

[bubble1]

If I download the zip file for the new version, can I simply extract the exe file and replace the old one?

[aleksej996]

I believe it requires more than just a one executable. You should replace all the files that you get in a zip file. I assume as well that you are downloading the zip file from bitcoin.org