You do not need to reset the configuration to upgrade. (Note that you need a valid license number or license file depending on the version you are upgrading to.)
There is no issue doing a reset or first start... provided, you are trained and know what to do. If you plan to configure the system from scratch again, I do not think it is practical to get the guidance you need purely via the forum if you do not have the foundational knowledge of the product yet. The forum can help, but should not be your only source of instruction. This is just my personal opinion.
For your issues, you can check the event log under system events... what alarms are there? You can also use the built-in system traces to further troubleshoot what is happening.