Comments on: Tuesday’s Tip: Keeping Track of Software

By: Thea Westra

Thea Westra — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:58:03 +0000

I keep all CD’s in handy IKEA cardboard drawers on my bookshelf. They’re just the right size in which to stand CD’s.
The code I write in permanent marker on the CD cover, inside.
This program looks interesting, may be worth a look:
http://www.download.com/CDTree-Standard/3000-2248_4-10235770.html?tag=pub
Cheers,
Thea

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:15:53 +0000

In addition to writing the key on the disk, I’d recommend keeping a master list of all your keys. I used to keep it in a notepad file on my desktop, but have since switched to a slick piece of software called CDKeyper.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:39:48 +0000

Great tip! I’ve been using this process for year’s. Come in handy when you’re upgrading or need to reinstall software. It’s also great for backup photo cd’s…everything all in one place.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:45:18 +0000

I use an old CDR spindle to keep all of my software CDs. Over time, with enough software, backups, etc. you’ll run out of room in the expensive CD holders. The spindles are cheap, easy to come by and hold hundreds of CDs.

By: Jeff B

Jeff B — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:03:36 +0000

This is a great idea. I keep buying cheap CD holders that stack up on my desk and under it. I might even take the same inserts and actually file them in my filing cabinet.

By: Mark Shead

Mark Shead — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:56:52 +0000

@Ian – I run into the problem of the CD being in the drive when I need to read it, but I feel it is much safer to have it written on the CD itself just in case I lose the piece of paper the code is written on.

@Mattias – I agree, I like apt-get as well. Unfortunately there is still a lot of software that just isn’t available on linux.

By: Mattias Östergren

Mattias Östergren — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:34:33 +0000

I use a solution I find much simpler; apt-get.

By: Ian McKenzie

Ian McKenzie — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:08:12 +0000

I do something similar, though I found it problematic writing the code directly on the CD. Most of the time, when the code is needed, the CD is in the drive doing its thing. I’ve taken to writing the code on a label and sticking it to the sleeve that holds the CD.

By: Matt Gantner

Matt Gantner — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:03:50 +0000

I do the very things that you are suggesting to condense the amount of purchased CD software. Also, I maintain a spreadsheet that has serial numbers, software names, and websites of all the software – even ones that I download. I store that document on the web and on a off-site CD. Additionally I use a CD cataloging software to index the volumes of data backups CDs and DVD that I have accumulated. Those are kept in a CD wallet and numbered incrementally so if I need to find a file I just have to retrieve the media that houses the searched for file to get my data. It is impractical to keep all my data on the hard drive all the time and this is an easy solution for me.