What serial numbers do I need to keep with my software?

  • Thread starter Thread starter George
  • Start date Start date
George said:
I must admit I was quite shocked to see the price of a clean
installation of windows XP? I dont know how dell supplied this
computer with a reinstallation full version disc for the price it did
including delivery.
Really I could not have built a computer at this price.....I'm
absolutely sure they must not have made a penny on this offer.
Click to expand...

That's because they don't pay retail prices for the OEM license and the CD
costs about 10 cents to make.
BTW, exactly why did you ask what serial numbers you needs to keep if you
already knew the answer?

--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
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Dell and all the computer companies spend a lot of money
sending irrelevant and expensive printed materials with
their new computers. They also have hidden partitions on
the hard drives that allow software reinstallation, of
course when you replace the hard drive or format that hidden
partition, it won't work without those numbers.


|
in message
| | > Why not keep EVERYTHING that came with your computer.
You don't really
| > want to be one of those jerks who say "Oops! I think I
threw that away!"
| >
| > --
| > Regards,
| >
| > Richard Urban
|
| I see where your comming from, but I am also a person that
uses common
| sense, I dont think its necessary to keep everything.
Especially if they are
| not relevant. Anything that is meant for activation or
important will be
| marked that way.
| >
| > aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard :-)
| >
| > If you knew as much as you thought you know,
| > You would realize that you don't know what you thought
you knew!
| >
| >
| > | >> Hi,
| >>
| >> I've received a new dell computer, it has alot of CD's
that are not in
| >> boxes, they are in sleeves, and there are no serial
numbers with them,
| >> but on the back of the CD sleeves are "tracking
numbers" and sometimes a
| >> nother number below a bar code.
| >>
| >> With these CD's do I need to try to find the serial
number of them?
| >>
| >> One of them is Microsoft Works, which is one that I do
want to keep, but
| >> again it has not got anything clearly labelled "serial
number". Or
| >> product activation key.
| >>
| >> Regards
| >>
| >
| >
|
|
 
George;
Most people and probably you included, need to keep more than they think.

You came and asked here and then immediately discarded what information was
given.
Most if not all that answered you know exactly what has to be kept.
They also know what may be needed in the future but seems insignificant now.
Since none of us can see exactly what you have, it is prudent to save it all
since the space is minimal.
If we were there with you, it would be easy to tell you p[recisely what is
needed.

However instead you ask and then seem to get defensive when the answers do
not seem to line up with the decision you already made and carried out.

The point is you asked and then promptly ignored the overwhelming advice to
keep what you discarded.
Why did you ask?
But since it is your computer and software, you will be without if something
is missing.
There is already at least one thing of importance you seemed to throw away
since you have not mentioned it...or I missed that you had.
 
I've received a new dell computer, it has alot of CD's that are not in
boxes, they are in sleeves, and there are no serial numbers with them, but
on the back of the CD sleeves are "tracking numbers" and sometimes a nother
number below a bar code.

With these CD's do I need to try to find the serial number of them?
Click to expand...

Welcome to "complicate your life for no good reason at all." Best
to keep all the little numbers, because you never know what the
numbnuts who sell the computers are going to require you to
produce before they will help you to fix their mistakes.
 
Michael Stevens said:
That's because they don't pay retail prices for the OEM license and the CD
costs about 10 cents to make.
BTW, exactly why did you ask what serial numbers you needs to keep if you
already knew the answer?
Click to expand...

I'm beginning to think George is the kind of guy who never makes eye contact
during conversations. :-)
 
George said:
I see where your comming from, but I am also a person that uses common
sense, I dont think its necessary to keep everything. Especially if they
are not relevant. Anything that is meant for activation or important will
be marked that way.
Click to expand...

George, are you familiar with a really funny web site called The Onion?
www.theonion.com Maybe a year ago, they ran a story about a guy who was
going through a major crisis in his life. The crisis: After years of
visiting fast food restaurants, he'd collected a lot of extra ketchup
packets, and didn't know what to do with them. This was a major problem for
him. Naturally, the article was intended to be humorous, but your situation
is beginning to sound similar.

Didn't your Dell come with a nice cardboard box, with velcro-fastened lid,
for storing the documentation & disks? Put everything in there, put the box
someplace safe, and GET ON WITH LIFE!!! :-)
 
Doug said:
Keep all of those sleeves. And, take them to a flatbed copier and make
copies of the sleeves. Sometimes, the computer asks for things like
this at the stupidest times and you have to unearth the paperwork.
Click to expand...

After losing both the CD case and my paper copy of the serial number for
Visio, I always do two things:

1. Write the SN on the disk in permanent ink. (Let the ink dry before you
put it in the drive. <g> Otherwise you get a tie-dyed effect.)

2. Email all the info to a web-accessable email account that I use just for
that purpose.

This takes a little extra time, but the peace of mind is worth it.

-- Mark
 
Thanks for your reply Doug, I've now decided to throw them out, and have put
the discs in a protective CD holder.

I have the receipts for the original Dell computer so if anything ever came
up then they should reissue any password, although I can't think anything is
important would not be clearly marked.
Click to expand...


Look on the back, side, and bottom for Microsoft stickers with your
registration numbers. Every Dell system should have an MS sticker for
XP. I don't know how they handle MS works.

Dell puts a "service tag" on every PC and they keep that number is a
database with record of everything you bought on that PC. I've never
checked to see if they would use that as proof and then tell you waht
your keys are.

I tell people to get a box or folder and put all the CDs and bits of paper
in it. If I set up their PC I make notes on the folder as I set stuff up.

Did Works come pre-installed on your machine ? If it did then if you
have a system problem and Dell support tells you to restore from the
CDs all your software will get installed at the same time.

I also strongly recommend a full image backup after all the system is
set up to capture all the registration codes. I do this after the
system is a couple days of use.

IMO It's impossible for a non-technical PC user to buy software and
services online and remember all the downloads, keys, account IDs, and
passwords necessary to reinstall. When the disk dies and I tell them
that if they don't have this information they'll have to repurchase
all that stuff, and pay for my time to reinstall it. It's amazing how
much software people buy, $19.95 at a time. They also store passwords
in their email and web browser without writing them down. After a
year they've forgotten they even exist.

An image backup addresses these problems, as nothing else.
 
Hi well I have now thrown them, the reason is that I coudl not find any
serial key or any password key, I also have just installed Microsoftw Works
and it didn't ask me for a key.

Also the key that I was given on the side of my computer does NOT match the
one that dell sent me...Eg. I had to find the product key from belarc from
the original one that was originally installed on the brand new dell
computer.

So I could be here all day saving totally irrellevant bits of paper that are
meaningless.. I only care about the most important ones, eg. windows XP
disc, microsoft works, I think common sense will say that if something is
important then Dell will CLEARLY mark it not just leave some ambiguous
number pattenr without clear labelling, the comptuer is brand new.
Click to expand...

Lots of second-copy software gets bought because the owner doesn't
have the codes. Dell, and Microsoft don't mind that.
 
Yes I will keep that sticker on it, but the windows KEY they have written on
it is the wrong one, but the tag I think you mean is the one thats on the
back of the system...
Click to expand...


If the "windows key" is a Microsoft hologram label, it may not match
your Dell paperwork, but IS proof of legal purchase of your copy of XP
owr whatever. if you damage/lose your CDs. MS (or dell) will replace them
based on that number.
I think (hope) I have kept the most important keys/notes...after all I have
got the hardware and receipts.

So much stuff is superflouse, the majority of the CD's included were only
"documentary support" and some others were trial software.
Click to expand...

Dell does send lots of crap, but you run the risk of not having
something if there is a tech support case. Throw out the worst of the
crap, but put everything else in a folder. With luck you'll never have
to look at it again.
 
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