How scary is this nightmare?  Pierce Brosnan (not scary)  Pierced eyebrows (somewhat scary)  Mildred Pierce (very scary)    View results

Want to know the scariest thing about tech support? Sometimes they make matters worse by nuking all of your data in the process. For example, although Microsoft requires PC makers to support copies of Windows installed on their machines, the hardware vendors do so grudgingly. If you've run through the level-one tech's short list of tricks and your problem hasn't been fixed, the techie may insist that the only solution is to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows--thus sending all of your data to the great beyond. To quote Scooby-Doo, "Zoinks!"

1. Back it up. Your best protection against data-eating zombies is to stash another copy of your files somewhere safe so that you can restore them if needed. Flash drives are the easiest way to do this--just plug one into a USB port and copy folders over to it using Windows Explorer--though if you have a lot of data, you may need to burn it to CDs.

2. Set your settings in stone. Don't forget to back up your application settings (XP users will find them in their Documents And Settings folder on their root drive). If you've downloaded any installation files for software, you'll want to copy those as well. Finally, your contacts and e-mail messages will also be lost when you reformat. Consider getting a utility that makes it easy to select files and schedule automatic backups so that you don't ever have to think about it. You'll find several at CNET's download site, Download.com.

3. Go back to the future. See if you can fix the problem by restoring an earlier version of the Windows Registry. The Microsoft knowledge base offers detailed instructions on how Windows XP users can do this. The downside? You may have to reinstall some software or lose some settings.

4. Just live with it. Before you drive a stake through your data, decide whether a reformat is worth the hassle. If the problem you're trying to solve is a major impediment that keeps you from using your system or getting on the Net, you may have no choice. If it's a minor annoyance, consider ways to work around the problem or simply live with it--at least until you've backed up everything you can't afford to lose.