Back up your PC for $2.99 (after rebates)
Norton Save & Restore 2.0, currently on sale from Buy.com, will set you back just $2.99 after a pair of mail-in rebates, and you don't even have to pay for shipping.
Are you making regular backups of your PC? Please, don't lie--it just embarrasses both of us. Don't tell me it's because you don't know how or you can't afford pricey backup software. Excuses don't pay the rent (or restore your data).
Buy.com has Norton Save & Restore 2.0, by all accounts a solid backup utility, for a mere $2.99(shipped!) after a pair of mail-in rebates. Granted, one of them is a competitive upgrade, but just about any utility software qualifies: antivirus, antispam, firewall. You supply the proof of purchase (confirmation e-mail, a page from the manual, or even the CD itself), and Norton supplies the $20.
Save & Restore 2.0 can back up your entire hard drive or selected files and folders. It can also round up specific file types, like digital photos and MP3s. Computer Shopper rated it 7.0 (out of 10), the biggest knock being the price. That's hardly an issue now, right? Do yourself a favor and make regular backups, because hard-drive disaster isn't a matter of if, but when.