Backup, backup, backup,.........

 Backup, backup, backup, any data you cannot afford to lose to at least two separate physical drives. So backup data to external hard drives, USB/thumb drives, CD-RW's etc.
The time to backup is when you create something you can't afford to lose. Don't wait until tomorrow.

If you have mistakenly deleted any files, documents, photos, or even crashed your hard drive, and you want to recover your data, please see our article, "Best Data Recovery Programs for Windows and Macs".
4. Run Scandisk and Defragment at least once a month. This will keep your hard drive healthy and prevent crashes. Alternatively, purchase a disk utility program and use it to keep your hard drive healthy. These programs are part of Windows and can be found at Start/Computer then Right click on the drive you want to fix. Choose Scandisk or Defragment from the menu.