1. A backup that you know WILL get you back to where you were
2. A CD that will install it
3. Hardware (and drivers) that will support it
4. Installation media (and keys) for all your programs you want to run on it
5. The understanding that "upgrading" doesn't work
6. The faith to blow everything away and install from scratch
Hmm... am I forgetting anything, forum
Good luck
Robb
