We’ve all been there. We’ve just downloaded an installation to a CD/DVD that requires a CD Key. The first instinct is to grab the sharpie marker, and scribble the key down onto the top of the CD. Some of us may have more unintelligible scrawl than others, but we all do it. The problem is later on, could be minutes, could be hours, we all need to enter that CD key into the computer system we’re installing software to.
That is where problems start to happen. At first you know clearly that that character is a B not an 8. No, it’s an 8 not a B. Wait, is it one or is it the other? Is it really the problem or did i mix up that 6 with a G? Man i just don’t know! This leads us into the potential hours it takes us to finally get the right combo, and after having tried so many times we totally forget what we did but don’t care because it’s installed now. Don’t need to worry until next time…. and there is always a next time.
I have started labeling my CD keys by putting a single dot over top of the numeric characters. No need to get fancy. I can easily tell it’s a 2 not a Z or 2 instead of S by just looking for the dot. Well you may say the dot will wear away. I say back to you it’s just as likely the little notch on the G will fade off too. So for now adding a little dot will at least be a temporary solution for the label directly on the CD because at least in the meantime we’ve probably got it saved in a text file for later use. Just thought I'd share that little nugget i picked up after years of wasted time.
Offbeat, Windows Utilities