And I Need My Own Copy Because ...

Over recent years the price of Computers has come down and you can buy quite a nice little machine for under £400. But the problem, is that the price of Software has not.

It used to be common for people to share programs like Office, or Operating Systems like Windows 95 or XP. Companies sold hundreds of computers with the same Serial Number. "Who needs to buy Office, I can borrow it from a friend", or "That nice man down at the computer shop will put it on for me".

Several years ago Microsoft started to Audit Serial numbers and registered users. I suspect that a lot of you will have seen the dreaded sign 'You might be a victim of copy write theft'. There are still many ways to buy 'Pirated Software', but almost all of it will come with rogue code that can cause all sorts of problems.

We recently had to repair a computer, not only did it not have any internet security, but relied on a copy of Office 'borrowed' from a firm no longer in business. I still do not think that they completely believe me when that I would be unable to reinstall Office for them until they bought a pukka copy of their own.

If you use a program it is far easier to have your own copy, tucked away safe for when things go pear shaped, far less pain and it also saves a fortune on replacing chewed carpets, all those E numbers!