Possible FAQ - How to be a SMART software owner

Question

When the FAQ area opens for input... what else could I add to this?
At least once a week, in one of the Adobe forums I read, someone posts a message saying something like... "I lost my install CD" or "I lost my install Key" or even "I downloaded version-X and need to reinstall, and all they have now is the Version-Y that I can't afford to buy" - ending with the Question - "How do I reinstall my software?"
Maybe someone will read this BEFORE they have a problem (well, one can always HOPE!)
1 - Safeguard your program CD (or DVD) and install key, in case you need to reinstall after a computer crash... put your CD/DVD and install key in a well marked box and make a place for that box where you will always know where it is located (and, if you move, buy a roll of RED packing tape to wrap that box so it is very visible)
2 - If you buy an upgrade version, be sure to keep your qualifying product CD/DVD (and install key) in the box you created for #1 - just in case you have a problem and need to reinstall (Note that you MAY not need to actually install the previous version, since entering the previous install key when asked will usually work)
3 - If you buy software via download, IMMEDIATELY write the download file(s) to a CD or DVD and put the disc in the box you created for #1 - and be sure to include a note with the install key with the disc (ie- print the email which includes the install key)
4 - Write down the install keys for all of your programs, and keep in a folder in your desk (I use a MS Word document, which I update and print each time I buy new software)
5 - When everything is working properly, buy and USE software to make a backup image of your hard drive, to DVD-R or an external USB hard drive... this is NOT a Windoze restore point, this is a full picture of everything on the drive, which you may not only use to restore to the same drive, you may put everything on a new drive in case of a hard drive crash
Norton Ghost (which I have not used) is one product... there are several others
The program I use is Terabyte's Image program... it makes a full drive "picture" for backup (or a selected partition, such as the restore partition some vendors supply instead of actual CD media) and it will span multiple CD/DVD discs or write to an external USB hard drive or to a second internal hard drive
As far as I know (I have multiple identical 80Gig boot drives which I rotate via removable drive housings, creating a backup image before I install or remove any program) this program goes directly to the drive hardware to backup and restore EVERYTHING on a drive, even the "hidden" parts that software vendors use to store registration information... and which (from what I have read in various software forums) some (many?) other backup programs MISS, which means that a restore from those programs may leave you with unregistered software which you can't use until you re-register
The download at http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-linux.htm includes a MAKEDISK.EXE program to create a bootable CD - (be sure to set your CD/DVD drive as FIRST for booting, in your computer BIOS)
If you have a boot 3.5" disk drive in your computer (not all computers today have a 3.5" drive) you may use the DOS version of the program... the function is the same as the Linux version, and the screens are "similar" - The DOS version through 1.99 will fit on a 3.5" disk, I have not used the 2x DOS version so don't know the size of the program
Note that you MUST use the Linux version if you have a USB keyboard or a USB mouse... also note that the current Linux version (again, I have not used the current DOS version) will allow you to select an option for "entire drive" and it will then select all partitions on that drive for you, and you may (if your target drive is a DVD writer or an NTFS hard drive) have everything created in one file, and that "entire drive" option will then allow you to restore everything, including partitions, to a different drive (when making a backup, I select the option to have everything written to one image file on an external USB hard drive, which is formatted NTFS)
This "entire drive" option even works when the target restore drive is not configured the same as the drive you imaged... I learned this when I made an image of an entire dual boot drive (8Gig for Win2k, 72Gig for WinXp) and restored that image to an 80Gig drive that started out with just one partition... after the restore, this drive was reconfigured to have the two partitions for dual booting... this was MUCH easier than having to use FDISK to manually set up the target 80Gig drive and then restore the individual partitions from the existing dual boot drive
I have not used their Windoze version, since I prefer to run an imaging program that boots outside of Windoze
Image Discussion http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/webnews.htm
My other Adobe software notes at http://www.pacifier.com/~jtsmith/ADOBE.HTM

Answer 1

I've not seen that with most Adobe software, but about a year +/- ago, PS was pirated. From the details that I recall, some group in Singapore was doing a fully bogus package, with full paperwork, packaging, etc. These were distributed to legit resellers around the globe. Everything checked out, except that the DVD's (or maybe the box) had "Printed in Singapore," on them. Many resellers were stung. Problems existed for some time. This was possibly near the end of the run of CS3, but could have been at the introduction of CS4. Memory clouds on the fine details. One clue for the PS pirated versions was that F1 did not function - at all. Fortunately, many of that forum's regulars starting picking up on the likely problems. It didn't take too many quesitons, before a lot of them had the problem nailed for the OP's. Now, I do not recall reading of any prosecutions, etc., even in the Financial Times of London, or the Wall Street Journal. Maybe some of the software trade pubs covered it, but I'd guess that a lot of legit resellers took major heat - they thought that they'd purchased and re-sold legit copies of PS. Guess that I've always been lucky, but then 99% of my Adobe purchases come directly from Adobe, even if CDW, or someone else has it for a few $'s less.
I also have never done a trial of anything Adobe, and have never bought the on-line version of any programs. I'll spring for the full, boxed version, in hopes that there might be a manual in that box.
I'm starting to see a shift in the mindset, or maybe it's just an influx of people, who were of this mind and have just arrived in these fora. Many feel that if they wish to create something, buying a legit copy of software is just not gonna' happen. It's about their budget and their "art." Any means justifies their end. I'm just too old for that BS. To me, Adobe isn't "the man." They are a company that has supported me for decades, and if they fail, then I am likely to fail, or at least not benefit from future advancements. It does not take an advanced degree in economics, or finance from Wharton to figure this out - that's my wife. Still, without her help, I can understand the economics of corporations, like Adobe. It really is not difficult.
Hunt
PS please keep up the good work that you do in so many fora!