Now this is pretty general but as with most of my topics I want to start them in Early Aviation first.

No matter what "Operating System" you have consider the following to keep your sanity and avoid problems. Always have a storage space away from your Operating System. Keep it simple My docs, my documents, my Pics, my pictures & etc.

Today I just lost 56GB of information and image files due to a drive that developed a corruption. But all is not lost because I had duplicate and high resolution images on a separate external 232GB drive.

Just remember that computers have life spans and so do their components. There is no warning. It has nothing to do with viruses, though they can eat your OS quickly. So until I can reformat or replace the dead drive I use the other external drive without missing a beat. I know its double the filing initially but it is so worth it if you do any kind of work you want to keep.

Very good advice Stephen . Myself I don't save info on an external drive but rather on disc , gives more freedom to access this info if my computer does crash big time . Since I use laptops having a spare new hard drive also helps . They aren't very expensive to buy ( less then a model kit ) and can always re-install my O/S . But like any O/S you will need to keep your drivers up to date , windows doesn't do this so it has to be done manually . What ever brand name your computer is you can go to their web site and do a driver scan to bring it up to date this will keep your computer running at the speed just like when you first got it . Also up-date your bios every few months and registry as well . This will prolong the life of your hard drive ..........You also want to make sure you are installing the correct drivers , installing the wrong one can aid to the problem even more

Few people aren't aware of this and is the cause of most computers crashing . Even though virus and mal-ware aid in this if you have your settings set to what your needs are for the net and what can be accessed .....