Can program installation files be used on a different computer once downloaded from the software publishers servers?
Depending on what type of failure you have on a computer, having a direct backup of you applications directories can be helpful (backup of the c:\program files\…). However, normally there’s little hope of you doing any direct reinstallation based on the these data backups just because the nature of application installation is that a lot of files may be installed in a lot of places, combined with registry entries and other changes to your computer. That said, the better solution is just to make sure you have the original media necessary to reinstall your applications should that be necessary. Normally that’ll include the CD’s (or DVD) provided with your original computer, and any software you’ve purchase and installed. If you buy software off the internet, you would be wise to burn a copy of whatever you originally used to install the software, along with a record of your purchase and the serial number assigned. This will allow you to install the software back on your same machine in
