We know, this is another gimme, but seriously (and not for the last time): Do you have a regular backup regimen? So many of us have grand intentions of setting up an elaborate, Myslewskian, nine-drive backup solution, but such good intentions only pave the road to lost data - like your entire iTunes library and all the photos from your digital camera. Just open your wallet and protect your memories with one of the backup-specific hard drives listed here.

Maxtor One Touch III 500GB FireWire 400/USB 2.0 Drive ($329.95). It doesn’t get any easier than this: Turn on the drive, and your whole system and/or whatever you specify is automatically backed up.

CMS 500GB FireWire ABSplus for Mac ($479). Like Maxtor’s drive, the ABSplus comes with software that you can configure for automatic backups. And yes, if disaster strikes, both the ABSplus and the One Touch III create bootable backups, so you can get back to work without breaking a sweat.

Of course, you can always MacGyver it. For budget backups, pick up a bare SATA drive from OWC or WiebeTech and mount it in your Mac Pro or Power Mac G5, G4, or G3. Download one of the many fine free backup utilities available online, such as LaCie’s SilverKeeper, or roll up your sleeves and do it the granola way: rsync in the Terminal. Use this command for no-frills, incremental backups, and study up on the rsync manual (in the Terminal, type “man rsync” and then press Return).