Don’t you hate it when you lose your keys? Fortunately, they always seem to turn up. But this article concerns a different type of key. Your software product key. Most software, when you install it, asks you to input a series of numbers and/or letters. These characters are your product keys – also known as serial number, registration keys, unlock code, or any number of other monikers. The bottom line is, this string of characters uniquely identifies your software to the manufacturer.
If you ever need to reinstall the software, you will be required to re-enter the product key. For this reason, it is imperative that you keep a copy of your product keys in a safe place. The Computer Psychic recommends that you print out a page containing any pertinent information for a given program. This would include the program name, the product key, any user names and passwords associated with the application, plus contact information – company’s address, help line number, and the like.
You can then keep a file of all of these pages in a handy location, in case you ever need to reinstall. There is one more precaution you can take. If you have a web-based email account (Windows Live Mail, GMail, Yahoo Mail), or if your internet service provider has a web-based tool for their email (most do), you can email yourself a list of all of these product keys. This way if you have a fire and lose both your computer and your product keys file, you can always recover these from your email.
One more thing to keep in mind. The Windows operating system also has it’s own product keys. If your computer came with Windows pre-installed, there will be a sticker on the computer showing the version of Windows you have, and its product key. Since these stickers have been known to come off, or wear down such that they are illegible, you will want to add that information to your product key file as well.
This article is provided by Steve Smith, The Computer Psychic. All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.
The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content. It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use. As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.
