12 Things Must to do When You Get A NEW PC -7

7. Prep for Data Backup

No doubt you've heard this a zillion times, but in case this advice hasn't taken, I'll repeat: A simple backup regime is great for peace of mind. Online backup services like MozyHome (www.mozy.com/home) make it painless. You can start with a free account that stores up to 2GB of data. Perfect for your unfinished novel or other small projects. (You can get unlimited online storage with Mozy for $4.95 per month.)

If you've got multiple machines, consider one of the many new services that synchronize files between computers and add online backup in the middle, so you can get to files when you're at someone else's PC. Dropbox (www.getdropbox .com) is an up-and-comer that supports sync between multiple Windows, Mac, and even Linux PCs. Basic service is free and gives you 2 gigs of online storage; it costs $9.99 a month to get 50 gigs.

Local backup of your data gives you more control. One option is to partition your hard drive into multiple drives—C: for the system and programs, D: for data, E: for items you don't need to back up. That way, you can tell Vista's built-in Backup and Restore Center control panel to look at one drive only. Buy an external hard drive that's at least 1.5 times larger than the data partition (a 500GB external drive to back up your 300GB partition, for example) as a target drive. Now even huge video and photo files are no big deal to back up. Simply put them in the same spot every time—always "D: for data" (for example)—and let the software do its job.