I am about to upgrade/get a new PC. I am going to buy a separate hard drive so I can transfer all my documents and music etc. However, what can I do about all the programs?! I have things like Sibelius, Cubase, Photoshop etc and I don't have any of the discs anymore. Is there a way that I can save the programs and then transfer them to my new PC when I get it?!
Programs like Norton Ghost let you copy an entire drive image from an old drive to a newer one, which would copy all the programs too. It'll also copy over all the rubbish that's slowly accumulated on your computer over time.
If you want a totally fresh install, and just put your programs back on, you'll need the discs.