Say So Long to Shrink-Wrapped Software
But take a few precautions when you download your software purchases.
Yardena Arar
I recently had to reinstall a whole slew of applications on my work PC, following a clean install of Windows Vista. It took me the better part of the day to get my most important packages up and running. And weeks later, I'm still reinstalling the odd utility or game that helps me make it through the day. But in the end, I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it all went, and how much of the resurrection occurred without reliance on CDs or DVDs.
Practically everything I needed was a download, from PC World's corporate servers, from the Downloads folder on my hard drive, or from the Web. Almost nothing was on a disc, which certainly wouldn't have been the case several years ago. It made me wonder: Is the age of shrink-wrapped software ending? If disaster strikes, are you better off with discs, or are downloads good enough?
Some people are simply more comfortable using discs, and in some instances, with good reason. "They want the CD-ROM in case anything happens or they have to boot from the CD," says Chris Swenson, director of software industry analysis for the NPD Group, which tracks software sales. Others might not have room on their hard drives to store a lot of installation files. But often, downloading software makes more sense than getting it from discs.
All-Night Store
Broadband makes it feasible for people to download large programs that they would never have dreamed of obtaining over a dial-up connection. And as more software becomes available electronically, more customers are forgoing discs. Even Microsoft is climbing aboard the download wagon, with a trial download program for its new 2007 Office software suite. Adobe now sells its entire line of content creation software electronically, and though the company won't disclose what percentage of its sales are downloads, that business is definitely growing, says Mark Floisand, the company's director of worldwide direct commerce. Meanwhile, 45 percent of customers who buy an edition of Intuit's QuickBooks at QuickBooks.com download it, says Heidi Jackman, group marketing manager for its site. And at about 430MB, QuickBooks isn't a trivial download: Intuit estimates a download time ranging from 20 to 45 minutes over broadband. Adobe's Creative Suite, meanwhile, requires more than 5GB of hard drive space, so it's a very lengthy download even with a broadband connection. With files this big, you might want to use a download manager (if the software maker's store allows you to) that will let you resume the transfer without starting over if, say, your Internet connection drops. For this purpose, my colleague Erik Larkin recommends LeechGet, a free utility that works with all the major Internet browsers.
Many shrink-wrapped Adobe packages come with hefty printed manuals. But if you buy the software as a download, you'll get the manual only in electronic form (as a PDF). Adobe is willing to send download buyers the printed manual, but at a cost of $35 to $50 for something that buyers of the shrink-wrapped product get for free. In this case, I'd defer the instant gratification and instead go for the box with the discs and the manual.
If you want both the convenience of downloading and the insurance of having physical media on your shelf, you may be able to purchase backup installation discs. Intuit charges about $10 to cover shipping and handling; and Adobe charges between $10 and $20, depending on how many discs the product requires.
Digital Records
If your hard drive dies, you may actually have more options for reinstalling downloaded software than for replacing shrink-wrapped versions. That's because most companies retain records of customers' downloads. So even if you lose the product key that the vendor included with your download when you purchased the software, you can probably arrange with the company to get a free replacement, typically by logging in to the account you established as a download customer. When I lost PopCap's Zuma Deluxe game in my Windows Vista install, I couldn't find my product key. So I e-mailed PopCap and received a replacement key from it within 24 hours.
Of course, if I had purchased the game on CD, I wouldn't have had to wait 24 hours to reinstall it; on the other hand, if I had lost the CD, I probably wouldn't have received a free replacement copy, because PopCap wouldn't have had a record of my purchase unless I had registered the software. (Unlike registration, product activation simply verifies that the software you're installing is a legal copy not already installed on another system. It doesn't identify you to the vendor.)
Intuit requires all QuickBooks users, whether they purchase a box or a download, to register within 30 days of installing the product. If a catastrophe, be it a hard-disk crash or a fire, later strikes, Intuit will replace the software, regardless of how you acquired it. You'll be able to download it for free, or pay around $10 for a replacement disc to be shipped to you. Either of those options beats having to pony up for a brand-new license.
If you download software from Adobe, you don't have to register separately to be protected, because you're already in the system. The company doesn't require buyers of its shrink-wrapped products to register, but you should take the time to do so, because if you lose your CDs or DVDs, your registration is your only recourse. Even if you do register a shrink-wrapped version, you'll have to pay $10 to $20 and wait for mailed replacement disks (Floisand says that the company is considering allowing people to create Download Center accounts, however).
In any case, don't interpret a company's stated willingness to keep track of your purchase as an absolute guarantee, because businesses lose customer records all the time. For the best protection, record your serial numbers, activation keys, customer numbers, and other unique identifying information in one place, say, in an Excel spreadsheet on your hard drive, and then save a copy of the document somewhere else, such as on a USB drive, an external backup drive, or even in a Web-based e-mail message.
Should You Shun Shrink-Wrap?
Before deciding between downloaded software and a shrink-wrapped copy, find out what your options are if disaster does strike. Will the vendor keep a record of your electronic purchase, and will it give you a replacement product key if you lose the original? Conversely, if you buy and register a shrink-wrapped package, will you be able to download a replacement program or get replacement disks if you lose your originals?
If the file isn't too large and a big manual isn't at stake, I generally go for the download. Who needs the media taking up valuable bookshelf space? I need that for actual books, that is, until I become a little more comfortable downloading electronic versions of them.
Yardena Arar is a senior editor for PC World. E-mail her at consumerwatch@pcworld.com.