They're more apt to scatter little code droppings willy-nilly throughout your system, making it darn hard to root out every last little component that your favorite flight simulator or image viewer needs. Actually purchasing your software as opposed to borrowing it from Cousin Lou will save you a panicked phone call to Alpena in the middle of the night to ask him to FedEx you that installer for Excel. After you've gotten your machine set up the way you like it, figure out how you're going to back up your stuff. If you're smart, you'll hang on to the installer disks for your programs, and if your disk meets a gruesome fate, just reinstall. It's better to lose time than data.
Documents are another matter.
Invest in a storage device, like an Iomega Zip or Jaz drive, to store your documents at least once a week. The Detroit News We welcome your comments .