No, not some piece of magical hardware or software called Shoe BoxTM, a plain and simple cardboard shoe box. Obviously not just the box, you need some special contents but you should already have all the contents you need.
When you buy a PC, bit of software or some hardware, you usually receive a couple of important things – a CD or DVD containing software and a license key. If you ever need to rebuild your PC all these discs and keys can make the job much easier and cheaper.
So, put them somewhere safe, somewhere together but not necessarily somewhere near your computer (if your computer is damaged by water or fire then anything near it may be damaged too).
Recovery Discs
Particularly important is that annoying message that pops up when you buy a new PC, nagging you to create a set of recover discs. We see lots of PCs that are years old and still pop up this little message every time they get turned on. We also find that whenever we ask someone who has a dead PC the question…
“Do you have a set of recovery discs handy?”
…the answer is almost always…
“No.”
It is in this situation that we are permitted to use the international language of a tradesman faced with extra work – the sucking of air through teeth.
Other things to put in your box
When you buy some software online, burn a copy of the file you download to a CD and pop it in the box, along with the license details.
When you sign up with a new broadband connection, write down the ADSL username and password you are given and pop that in the box too. What about taking a note of the server settings you need to use for your email, or the admin password for your router?
These are all things that can save your friendly geek time, which means saving you money.
Save money
I have just been to see a client whose hard drive died about a year ago. We needed to rebuild their system and they hadn’t created their recovery discs. Toshiba in the UK wanted £90 to provide a set, fortunately we were able to source some from the US for about £25.
Today they appear to have wiped their drive (have I ever mentioned about computers and children, or how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing?) – but no problem, thinks I.
“Can I have the recovery discs we gave to you? I’ll set it rebuilding and it won’t need to come back to the workshop.”
“Um, no.”
(Quietly) sucks air through teeth.
Treat yourself
So, next time you’re passing a shoe shop why not treat yourself to a new pair? Then when you get home, put the box to good use.
A Microsoft Certified Professional with many years of large corporate experience and training, he now focuses on helping small businesses make the most of their IT.
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