At some point, it’s bound to happen. Your personal computer (Mac or PC) is going to have some sort of major crash. No matter how careful you might be, or how many precautions you take, just accept this fact. Naturally, you can protect your system from things like power surges and spikes by using a power conditioner and you really must have a backup power source for those times when the power goes out for no apparent reason. If you’re smart, you’ll back up all your data regularly, without fail. But when you’re on a deadline or when inspiration strikes, who has the time?
A big part of recovering from any TCI (Traumatic Computer Incident) is having all your most important application installer disks close at hand. But just as important is to have all your serial numbers and authorization codes available in one place. When you’re in the process of dealing with a TCI, the last thing you need is to realize you have no idea where your original serial number is.
For instance, if you installed the iLife ’06 package on your Mac, the serial number is on the box. You do not want to realize six months from now that the box ended up in the recycling bin. Trust us on this one! If you write down every important serial number or authorization code in one place – better still, two places! – surviving a TCI is a piece of cake. Without them, it’s a nightmare!