Removable mobile racks are cheap and make swapping hard drives easier.  I
have some older hard drives that I keep around for data backup or ghost
storage.  You can even get adapters that would allow you to use a laptop
hard drive in the desktop.  I have one.

Sid...

I meant the virus writers. I'd have to be a monster to post that about my
stepgirls. My damn husband (their father) is dying,  as I wrote in my
original post, I almost always have to do some minor tweaking of my PC after
they come. I accept that. I have since locked my pc down even more and they
still (and always) have used my pc

Most data isn't stored by programs, it's stored by users.  Just because a
program defaults to My Documents doesn't mean you have to put your stuff
there.  Reconfiguring is a pain but losing photos is a lot more painful.

DVD's and CD's are relatively inexpensive, but they aren't very good
backup solutions, as they are very small compared with typical hard
drives today.  I know someone will say that you only have to back up
your data, which takes a small amount of space, but from a practical
standpoint, that's nearly impossible and won't get done if you rely on
that type of media.  It's too hard to figure out where data is stored
by various programs, plus lots of important config information is
stored God only knows where by the various programs and O/S components.
  The only practical backup IMO, is either a seperate hard drive,
either std or a USB one, together with a good backup program, like
Ghost.  I use a USB one which can contain a few complete backup images
of both my desktop and notebook drives.

I personally use a HD over a firewire connection on all of my machines.
However, for those who are somehow challenged to keep an active backup, a CD
and/or DVD can work to prevent loss of important data.  Most folkds don't
have nearly as much stuff to protect as i do, so again, a DVD can work just
fine.

Also, I avoid the use of software that hides my data.

Ghost also allows for compression so the images don't have to be as large.

Sid...

whew.
ain't lost it yet but ya never know.
actually Curt needed me to bring him something at work today and he looked
like my baby. singing and working and as usual, there was another
construction-type guy watching him. It makes it look so easy, yet he is so
exacting  (he is also referred to as 'picky" so people that want that "xtra"
will ask for him [he sells and subcontracts too] that he gave that job the
same attention he'd give any job.  He was laying carpet in a section 8
(subsidized) apartment in a bad part of Minneapolis. He is damn good at what
he does. he gives the same quality to a Sec 8 apt that he is going to give
to the house where Kirby Puckett {how the mightly have fallen, assaulting
your wife and then not too many months later dragging a woman into a
bathroom at a trendy eatery and groping
her will damage the rep)   is moving into. \. He charges what he charges
and he doesn't raise his prices for the more affluent customers nor does he
drop it for guys like this who will have to replace that carpet when that
tenant gets evicted in 6-12 months.
He NEEDS to keep working. he's been home about 3 days in the last 8 and I
wanted to bean him on the head!1 so we decided that he works until he drops.
It keeps things "normal".
Lori