Do I Have to Keep All Those Disks and Manuals?
copyright 2004 by Alden and Micki Nellis, Computer Professionals USA,
603 N. Main, Cleburne TX 76033 817-641-9646

It's very important to keep all the disks, manuals, and documentation that
came with your computer. Computer systems change often, but the disks that came with your computer will always work for your computer.

In the event of a catastrophe such as a hard disk crash or a virus
infection, you will need the original disks to restore your computer to its
original configuration. If you do not have the operating system software
disk and key number, you may have to buy a new copy. If you do not have the
driver disks for the hardware, you may be able to download drivers from the internet, but it's a time-consuming process to find and verify the correct
drivers. If you hire someone to restore your system, it could cost nearly as
much as a new system if you don't have the original disks and manuals.

A good point to remember when buying or selling a used computer is that a
computer with all of its original software disks, driver disks and manuals
is worth much more than one without. A computer may seem like a bargain if
you bought it for a few dollars or your employer gave it to you. If it didn't have the original disks and manuals, you may soon discover it was no
bargain.

It is common practice and a good idea to remove personal data files before
selling or donating a computer. There are two things to consider when doing this. First, if the files are not properly removed, an experienced computer techie (or hacker) can easily rebuild the files in a Microsoft Windows environment. Second, if you are not careful when deleting files, you can delete some essential files and render your computer non-functional. If you don't know what the files are, leave them alone!

The best way to prepare your computer for sale or donation if you are not a
techie is to run the FDISK program to delete the partition. Then re-run
FDISK again to partition the disk. This deletes everything on the hard disk,
including the operating system and hardware drivers. You, or the computer
recipient, will have to reinstall the operating system and drivers before
the computer can be used. To do this, the original disks and drivers are
necessary.

Keep all the disks and documentation that came with your computer in a safe
place where you can readily access it when you need it.

By the same token, if you have disks and manuals for more than one computer, clearly label them and keep them separate. It is frustrating and time consuming if someone hands a repair person a bag of disks for several
computers mixed together and says "Here's everything I've ever had since
1985. You can just go through and find what you need." Do you really want to pay someone to install and test by trial and error?