Keep License Keys Safe

It is important to keep software license keys in a safe place. Presuming you are safely backing up your data, you can save your Debrief license key in a Debrief note. These sample steps demonstrate how to keep a backup copy of your software license key in Debrief.

In Debrief, create a note and give it an appropriate subject like "License keys"
Record your license key(s) in this note.
Place this note in an appropriate Debrief note folder, such as "PC". (If you do not already have a folder called "PC", create one. It is a good place for saving PC-related tips.)

If you ever need the license key again, you have a backup in your notes. If you are reinstalling Debrief from scratch, here are some sample steps.

Restore your data from your backups.
Install Debrief.
When Debrief prompts to create a new notebook, navigate to the notebook data file you restored in the above step.
Or, if you have just created a new, empty notebook, you can open the earlier one with the Debrief menu options.
File > Open a Debrief Notebook
If Debrief prompts you for a license key, you can select the Basic Edition menu options which does not need a key.
In Debrief, navigate to your "License key" note to retrieve the license key.
Enter the license key with the Debrief menu options,
Help > About > License (button)

Of course, stay within the intent of software license agreements.

Backup Copies of Software

Given the nature of downloaded software, you generally do not receive a CD containing the software installation program.

Here is a tip. Keep all of your downloaded software programs in a single folder on your PC hard drive. You can name that folder something like "Software Products". Burn that folder to a CD so you have all of your downloaded software on a single disc. Once or twice a year may be frequent enough, or maybe you prefer performing a backup each time you download new software.

Another option is to dedicate a USB flash drive (a.k.a. "memory stick") to store your downloaded software installation programs. USB flash drives are usually quicker, while CDs are convenient if you want multiple copies for on and off site storage.

Many software vendors allow you to go back and re-download fresh copies of the software. The approach above gives you one more backup, and it provides a history of the software you have installed. It can be convenient when moving from one PC to another.

Of course, stay within the intent of software license agreements.

Debrief Notes
Idealign Software