In order to avoid this when catastrophe strikes (and unfortunately, it is often a case of when rather than if) you need to backup your computer on a regular basis. There are several ways of doing this. For instance, it is possible to buy an external USB hard drive for about £50 upwards -- plug it in and it will automatically backup things. Or, a USB memory stick for about £10 will be sufficient for holding copies of your most important stuff.
There is a totally free way of doing backups, too. And it's not just a case of the cost -- in many ways it is a better solution altogether. And that is to use the Cloud. Cloud computing still means different things to different people, but in this case it refers to the storage that you get with free services such as Microsoft SkyDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox. Think of these as being like a USB drive somewhere in the sky; a USB drive that can never be lost or stolen. Having signed up with one of them (other services are available but these are Big Three), you download a small program onto your computer that creates a folder. This folder is then automatically 'mirrored' to the Cloud; anything you place in the folder is quickly uploaded to your private storage area. So, backing up a file or folder consists of nothing more than dragging a copy to your SkyDrive/Google/Dropbox folder. Or, you could choose to keep your most important documents in that folder to begin with. If, say, your laptop had to be wiped and reinstalled, you simply download SkyDrive/Google/Dropbox again and it will automatically repopulate it from the Cloud copy!
Another bonus is that these services are also available for most Smartphones and tablets. So, keep your photographs in your (say) Dropbox and you can also view them from your iPhone and iPad. You can also access them from any computer by logging on to a special website with your user ID and password.
Choosing between SkyDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox isn't difficult as they are much of a muchness. Dropbox has been around the longest, is well regarded and has the benefit (to some people) of NOT being Microsoft or Google. You only get 2GB of storage space to begin with, although each time you refer someone else you get another 500MB, up to a total of 18GB. Google gives 15GB; its integration with other services such as Google Mail and Picasa makes it a good choice for those with a GMail address. Microsoft's SkyDrive gives 7GB of free storage; one very powerful feature is that it includes web-based versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint so you can view and edit documents from the website even if you don't have those applications on your computer. In all cases, it is possible to purchase more storage space on a monthly or annual basis. However, keep in mind that even the 2GB of Dropbox is typically enough to hold 1,000 or photographs. Plus, of course, you could sign up for all 3 services, which would give you 24GB (15+7+2) of storage.
It is worthwhile checking these free services. Even if you already have a backup solution in place, they can provide a useful second tier or 'backup to the backup' for key documents and photos.
If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy http://ctacs.weebly.com/1/post/2012/04/every-cloud-has-a-silver-lining.html and http://ctacs.weebly.com/1/post/2012/10/private-cloud-vs-public-cloud.html