What do I do with my installation discs?

Keep them in a safe place. you will probably need them sometime when you need to reinstall/repair your system. it’s also used to reset your password if you forget it. Also keep in mind that if you repair your mac, you’ll get it back with a blank hard drive and you will have to install from the gray discs. Giving them away is illegal, and the discs are said to be unique per machine.

You could give them to me >_>

I hear it has updated drivers for Boot Camp, and I could really use that.

You will eventually screw something up and need to reinstall. Or your hard drive will fail. I would just tuck them away because you will eventually wish you had them. And the install disks that came with your Macbook will only work on another Macbook.

And if you sell your computer having the install disk is handy. You will get more for it and you will be able to put a fresh OS install on it. I wouldn’t actually buy a used Mac unless it came with the Install disks. It screams “stolen.”

I would make an image for yourself, then give the originals to someone not so tech savy, that way they can have their own install disks.

If not that, then just keep them someplace safe. Even though it is a mac, it will mess up at some point.

Keep them, if for nothing else the ability to boot from them & run Disk Utility.

Keep them with all your manuals in a safe place. I highly recommend buying one of those CD wallets and dedicate it to your computer discs and other drivers (printer installs, etc). That way they’re all in one place, and away from danger.

I find it best to just rip all my discs to a server running raid 1 or 5 and then just tossing them. Just one less thing to keep up with. Or a billion if you have as many CDs as I used to.

Keep them in a safe place. You may eventually need/want to re-install the OS and without those disks you won’t be able to (unless you shell out $130 for a new Leopard disc).

The install discs that come with Apple computers only work on that type of computer. Its odd, but I’m sure it helps in preventing piracy.

If you get rid of them, you will eventually regret not having them.

I used to encase old AOL installation discs in plastic wrap, and then encase them in clear hard plastic. They make a good place to place cups on, and if you’re careful with the procedure it is possible (albeit tedious) to remove the discs, as the plastic on one of mine cracked but the disc still worked fine.

Otherwise, you may be able to create some sort of partition on your hard drive to boot from if you need the disc again (although, never having used Mac, I do not know if this is possible).

Put them in a fireproof vault and bury them in a reinforced cement tomb in the back yard. Barbed wire, guard dogs and alarm systems with 24-hour guards also work well.

Seriously though, as a person who has helped many a body who has lost their original discs, it takes far more time to do a system repair/restore than if they were available. One thing that I do for anyone who has a new out-of-the-box system is take the documentation and discs and put them all into a legal-sized clasp envelope and use double-sided tape to sick it to the side of the machine, or to the underside of one of the walls of their desk. That way they don’t get lost in a drawer or box “somewhere.”

I know it sounds cruel, but I also have been charging for replacements for discs lately, mainly because it’s a major PITA to gather all of the stuff necessary to get a system running again. If you have your restore discs, you get a discount though! So it evens out.

And I don’t care who told you that it’s illegal, I am telling you MAKE COPIES! It’s not illegal unless you put it on multiple systems or a system that it’s not licensed for. That way if the originals get lost, TA DAH! You have backups.

I don’t think anyone here said making copies is illegal. Giving them away is.

you will never ever ever need them! Except for one day after you threw ‘em away :)

I have a file labeled “computer” and keep all my install disks and documentation there. Won’t get lost, there when you need…and you will!

it would be really good to save them just in case the hard drive crashes but at some point you will need them again so keep em’ safe but don’t forget where you put em’

Everyone’s already told you to keep your discs, but as a Mac tech I can remind you of one even more important reason to follow their advice: your original install discs contain the Apple Hardware Test suite for your computer. No other discs do.

If you need to reinstall your OS, you could do so by buying a set of retail Leopard discs or by borrowing a friend’s, although this would be a pain. If you need to run AHT, though, as you might perhaps if instructed by Apple Support to troubleshoot a weird issue, to try and pinpoint a hardware problem, or to test RAM, only the discs that came with your computer will work.

It’s worth it to keep them around. Ditto the point about selling the computer—the install discs really are part of the whole.