It's all about the OS and settings. But your post makes me think you don't backup your files. Hard drives have this sensor that when they find you didn't backup, they stop spinning. It's true!

Why not try setting Explorer to show all files, hidden files, system files and more? Link about.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windowsxp/ht/showhiddenfiles.htm

"Difficulty: Easy"

Bob