I was reminded today of one of the odd tools we use on a regular basis that most people would think is absolutely meaningless or at least not even worthy of being called a PC maintenance tool. However, we begin using this little device immediately with every new machine we purchase and begin using.
I’ve also been known to ask my clients to make use of this very item as a great way to keep their machine running as needed and utilities available when needed for their machine as well.
Yep, that’s it! Ziploc bags!
Now I realize it’s not glamorous or some new whizz-bang device or software app you’ve just got to have, but here’s how it works and works perfectly.
When you get a new system, put all the software, licenses, CD-ROMs and perhaps even instruction books related to that machine in a single Ziploc bag and label it with the name of the computer or model or something. Just something to clearly help you see which bag belongs to which computer.
Now, anytime you install a new piece of software on the computer, put a copy of the installation disc in this bag. In the event of a crash or a needed reinstall of an application you’ve got everything you need to get back up and running as quickly as possible. No searching for the discs you need with the drivers you can’t find because the discs are somewhere else.
Something else I do is also use the Belarc Advisor website to get a computer inventory of the machine and keep an updated copy of that printed off and folded in the Ziploc bag too.
