We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed this one). The one thing I am most careful about is my FO - that is the first thing I "transfer" and it made the move much more gracefully than did I. Please, kind computer experts and others, how do you manage to make the move and not lose anything? Floreda

> I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed > this one). You've gotten some good ideas already, let me address specifically the address book issue. If you're using Outlook Express, you can export and import your address book ('File' 'Export' or 'Import' 'Address Book') or under Outlook it would be 'File' 'Import and Export' 'Export to a personal folder file (.pst)' 'Contacts'. You can also export your Internet Explorer favorites list - 'File' 'Import and Export' 'Export Favorites'. Most programs have some kind of backup or export facility to prevent the loss of data. If you have a program such as a checkbook program, household inventory, important papers database, genealogy contacts spreadsheet, etc., you should familiarize yourself with the backup system for each program and then do backups just as you do for FOW. In every case, detailed instructions are available in the Help section of the program. If you're going to take the time to put in your valuable date, take the additional time to find out how to protect it. Finally, I learned the hard way that spreading your files all over your hard drive is a sure way to lose some of them in a disaster or an upgrade. I ALWAYS put every saved file in the same place - a folder under My Documents. As I said, I have my old hard drive installed as drive d: and I follow the same rule - every file written to my backup drive goes into d:\My Documents\ Most programs allow you to change the default path settings and it's the first thing I look for when I install a new program. I am luckier than most, I have a computer at work and a remote connection. Periodically, I open the remote connection from home and then simply copy my entire My Documents folder to my work system. It's quick, easy and I KNOW my data is protected. While this may not work for everyone, it is possible to set up such sharing with close relatives and you can back up on each others' systems simply by coping directories back and forth. Good Hunting! -- Paul aka Graveseeker on Geocaching.com where YOU are the search engine.