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I've got a couple of CDs and there's the "part number"

I'm wondering what exactly is the "part number" for..

And assuming I'm throwing away the CDs and backuping up those software in a hard disk, do i need to back up the "part numbers" ?

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This question is rather vague: What kind of CDs do you have? What part number are you looking or do you have? We can't tell you if you need to back-up the part numbers if we don't know from what context they are... – Tom Wijsman May 21 '11 at 21:28
@TomWijsman i've got a windows vista home premium CD. and there's a part number – Pacerier May 21 '11 at 22:01
If you are sure this is the part number and not the serial number, then @ConnorW answers this right. – Tom Wijsman May 21 '11 at 22:03
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closed as not a real question by Tom Wijsman, slhck, ChrisF, Kyle, Nifle May 25 '11 at 18:05

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2 Answers

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In answer to the second part of your question, no. The CD and the software on that CD are completely independant. The part number on the CD has nothing to do with the software that is on it, as any software part numbers or whatever will be accessible from within the software itself.

Like on most things, the part number on the CD is probably just to make the CD traceable as to where and when it was made, or what batch it was in. I do not think it would be of any use to anyone but the people who made it, who would know what the numbers mean.

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so in other words i can simply copy all the files into somewhere safe and throw away the CD? – Pacerier May 21 '11 at 22:22
The only situation where files are linked to the physical CD is if a copy protection system is in use (SecuROM is a common example). This is usually only the case with video games. – jcrawfordor May 22 '11 at 0:52
@Pacerier Yes. However, to backup the CD do not simply copy and paste the files you find on the CD and paste them into a folder (espicially bootable CDs like a Windows disk). There are files on the disk that can't be viewed, but are needed to make the CD bootable or auto-run etc. Use a program like PowerIso (poweriso.com) to rip the CD to an ISO image. You can then mount this using PowerIso on a computer to run it, or easily burn it back to a CD if needed in the future. Hope that helps! – Connor W May 22 '11 at 8:55
is there anyway we can do it without third party tools? I have the "show all hidden files" enabled, is that safe enough to allow me to drag all the files into a separate folder? – Pacerier May 23 '11 at 2:20
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up vote 2 down vote

Everything needs to have a part number for the sake of tracking. You can tell them, 'i need an install cd for a model XYZ laptop', but internally everything has a serial number, a part number, a FRU number... etc. It makes inventory control much easier if everything was a number, rather than a potentially duplicable name.

Its meant for internal tracking and reordering. I'd probably make a image of the cd (NOT a copy of the files. A simple copy may not be bootable.), take down the part number somewhere safe, and kind of forget about it.

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Exactly. Windows CDs have part numbers specifically because Microsoft occasionally produces newer versions of Windows CDs with some updates included. The part number would tell Microsoft exactly which patch level (i.e. update set) your CD is. So, when precision is important, that part number tells them more than just "windows vista install CD" does. – jcrawfordor May 22 '11 at 0:56
so in other words, the part number is important to backup? – Pacerier May 23 '11 at 2:21
its a good idea to keep the numeber somewhere safe if you throw away the cd, in case you need to re-order it. – Journeyman Geek May 23 '11 at 5:08
I dont think you would need the part number of a CD in the event that you needed to re-order it. The only difference would be that the re-ordered software CD will likely have a newer build of the software on it, which is a good thing anyway. Also, companies do not often continue to produce old versions (atleast on CD, because of the cost) – Connor W May 23 '11 at 11:25
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