{mantra)Backup...Backup...Backup!!!!(/mantra) I cannot stress that when you purchase/download stuff, save it to a 'working data' drive and a 'backup' drive. When there is enough data to archive on the backup drive, write a CD or DVD. In the least, copy it to an external drive placed in a moderate climate. It is rare that CDs or DVDs become corrupted (but it does happen on the rare occassion). But better to have two or three copies of the data than to lose the only one that you think is 'safe'. Basically, drives eventually die. Dual-layer DVD drives are a 'dime a dozen'. The media is not so cheap, but you get 8.2GB of archival storage per disc. And the media is guaranteed to go down in price (geez, you can get a billion CD-Rs for a dollar these days). ;) Be a conservative miser - conserve the data in multiplicity. One cannot depend on a single storage strategy. Best of luck and best wishes to overcome this!!

C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot. C++ makes it harder, but when you do, you blow your whole leg off.

 -- Bjarne Stroustrup

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