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Don't throw that out! We might need that!

You know you can safely throw out old software when:
  1. Your computer doesn't have a drive for the media. 
  2. The media included has a size of 512KB or less. 
  3. The product has DOS, or mentions DOS in the recommended hardware requirements.
  4. The original packaging doesn't have a website or email address printed on it. 


Comments

  1. ChaosAdventurer26 July 2013 at 08:06

    Unless you support systems, and you never know when a new client pops up needing help with this old system they have stashed away in a corner that doesn't officially exist, but that key parts of the business rely on that system.
    On that note, I had someone looking for a RLL or MFM type harddrive (pre IDE) just last week.
    I generally purge old software on what is useful is a support call came in for it, which lets me at least trim what I keep of a package, and do I remember it well enough to be useful.

    Of course keeping some old stuff is just plain fun to abuse friends with, such as asking them to recover data off of an 8" floppy that happens to be blank ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Xorton26 July 2013 at 08:55

    Of course that goes without saying! I may frame that floppy some day! Currently it has a place of honor on my home desk.

    As someone who appreciates old tech, and for the same reasons you've mentioned, I too tend to stash away a fair amount of dinosaur products for those "just in case" situations. Of course, I will throw out the other 49 copies of Windows 98SE Update still sealed in their original plastic wrap.

    Best old tech I've come across yet though had to be the re-purposed 8-track motor bands being used to bind rolled up promotional posters. You haven't experienced Ziggy Stardust until you've heard it on 8-track!

    ReplyDelete

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