Look around you. In practically every direction you stare, that person has a computer. It’s something like 80% of everyone in the U.S. has one of these high-tech pieces of possessions. Laptops are easy to move. The bigger units need some special care.

Hopefully you had the presence of mind to keep the original packing materials. But if you’re cramped for space and had to pitch the box and all the Styrofoam, read on. We’ll help you put the whole lot in a container so when it arrives at the new location it’s not an ex-computer.

Pre-Prep

There’s a bunch of stuff that you need to commandeer before anything gets set in the almighty cardboard box.

• Clear plastic bags
• Foam pads
• A variety of different shapes and sizes of towels
• Bubble wrap
• Anti-static bags

Forget about bagging-up using a bunch of packing peanuts. Zappables don’t mix with these materials. The reason being is that they are loaded with static electricity. Not very electronic-parts friendly.

That Great American Novel you’ve given the last three-years of your life to create, all of your financial records, those pictures you took when you visited Tibet and every piece of data you’ve got on the magic box needs to be backed-up. Go to one of the Big Box paper stores and get an external drive. Purchase one that’s at least capable of holding “1 Gig” of the “can’t live without” belongings. Copy the materials onto that new storage device before unconnecting your computer.

Before you begin to unplug the cables, purchase some multi-colored tape strips. You want to be able to know where every gizmo gets connected after relocation.

Pack It Up

What should you do with all of the cables and junk? Focus on this:

• After you do everything below, all of your electronics should be packed first.
• Wrap the cable of the mouse so it doesn’t get tangled. Then put the whole deal in a ziplock bag.
• Roll the keyboard in some bubble wrap, making sure that you likewise fold-up the cable. This should go in a separate box.
• If you have any external peripherals – like a DVD or Blu Ray player, modem, speakers and that external hard drive you just bought, wrap ‘em all individually in bubble wrap. Stick in a box – one-at-a-time – then for added protection, snuggle a beach towel between all of the equipment.
• You’re going to need a box that’s much larger than the monitor for storage. But first, place the unit in a plastic bag. Cover the floor of the container with bubble wrap. Grab a couple more beach towels, bundling the monitor as if you’re sending it out in the snow to play with its little buddies. This unit needs to be well-wrapped as it’s the most likely thing to get muffed-up.
• Any discs, DVD’s or other storage materials should be in their jewel cases. Line the right sized box with bubble wrap and stack them inside. Any leftover space? Stuff more towels in the container.
• Any cables, after you’ve color-coded them should be wrapped and twist ties should be used to prevent tangling.
• The printer requires you to remove all arms, paper, trays, ink cartridges, etc. They should be packed individually in plastic bags. Employ more towels to wrap ‘em up. As for the actual printer, place it in a big plastic bag; floor the container with some extra-thick bubble wrap. Put the device in the dead-center of the box and stuff the empty areas with either bubble wrap or mores towels.
• Here’s all the stuff that can go in a single box: Power strips, the mouse, cords, cables, speakers and all of the other little gear.

Taking this path should give you a good reboot at your new location and not force you to see the Blue Screen of Death once everything’s powered-up.