Here's my 2 cents' worth: 1) I use NTFS. The security options and cluster sizes alone make it worth it to me. 2) You can boot from your Windows CD if push comes to shove and you need to go in and grab stuff manually. 3) What about data loss? I have a comprehensive setup that has seen through every conceivable disaster (HD failures, a virus, upgrades, etc.). It is as follows: Two physical hard drives, with HD2 about 2/3 of HD1 in size. Partition HD 1 into 2 partitions. When you load up Windows, you'll typically see the following: C: (partition 1 on HD1) D: (HD2) E: (partition 2 on HD1) Then, be careful to use your drives as follows: C = CENTRAL - This is where you install the OS and apps. NO DATA, except for email, etc. (and Poser content) D = DON'T - Aside from creating a couple folders (see below), don't touch this drive unless you need to recover something E = EVERYTHING ELSE - Recipes, docs, MP3s, etc. This rigid adherence to organization is itself a huge factor in helping prevent accidental data loss due to any reason (including human error if, say you forget about some textures when you trash your C:Program FilesAdobePhotoShop 6 folder!) On the D drive, create 2 folders: Book & Apps Backup, and Data Backup. On the C drive, install bnackup software like NovaDISK+ (www.novastor.com). Set it to back up your data every morning at like 4AM to the D:Data directory. Then set it to backup your boot and app files say twice a week at 5AM to the D:Boot and Apps folder. If you have a second computer on a LAN, set up a designated partition on that computer to receive data backups and store all your data on the one shared data partition (E:) Leave your machines on 24/7. If something goes wrong, you install the OS, install NovaDISK+, unpack your backup, reboot, adjust a few things, and you're back in business. I've tried all kinds of systems and, since using this one, I have yet to lose a single byte of data. :-) Anthony