Make another space to keep your data safe

The most important thing on your computer is your own data — your e-mail, your photos, your music and so on.

Protect that by backing it up regularly to some other form of storage, such as an external hard drive or rewriteable CDs or DVDs.

If you run Windows XP or Windows Vista Basic and use the Microsoft web and e-mail software included in each, use the free RightBackup Lite. SyncBack Freeware can back up more types of data but requires a little extra tweaking during its setup.

Mac users who run Apple's new Mac OS X Leopard and have an external hard drive should use Leopard's outstanding Time Machine software; for backups to CD or DVD or earlier versions of OS X, try the free iBackup.

Many people who do remember to have backup for their data have one extra copy of their important files.

That means they'll be out of luck if the backup copy is lost to the same calamity that wiped out the computer. To avoid that, have a backup for your data to two different media.

If you normally use an external hard drive for backup, make a second backup on rewriteable DVDs or CDs; if you use CDs or DVDs, get an external hard drive.

Keep it away

Make sure you don't keep this secondary backup next to the computer.

One way to accomplish that, provided you have an internet connection, is to employ online backup services such as Carbonite (Carbonite.com), Mozy (Mozy.com) or Apple's Mac (Mac.com).