Let me introduce you to the Anybodys.

Mr and Mrs Anybody are just that : anybody.
They live in a random so-called modern country, have a decent monthly revenue but not more, and they pass through life influenced mostly by media and assimilated.
(And they are not to be confused with my mother).
Of course, Mr. Anybody has a computer (unfortunately, it’s a Windows machine, but he’s wondering what’s all that noise coming from Cupertino…).
Actually, it’s his third one, in some ways, he is a technology-aware guy.
He has an internet connection (probably a brand new DSL, finally taking the plunge), he manages mails and surfs a little. His son recently bought him a digital camera. He thinks it’s a wonder.
His computer is slowly but surely becoming the center piece of his life.
He will soon watch his movies with it, he already has ten mp3 albums (five encoded with his son, to learn; two of them bought online; and three he doesn’t even know how they got there), and he manage his pictures with great care, because he knows how valuable pictures are. He knows that in a few years, pictures will be the only memories he will have left of his daughter’s wedding day.
Of course, Mr. Anybody never does any backup of all this because the industrial consortium that sold him his hardware/software never cared to explain that computers were still in a testing phase - for the last 20 years - and had every chances to crash any minute, thus wasting 5 years of his precious memories. Too bad.
So:If you are Mr Anybody, run to a hardware store, buy a spare hard drive and copy everything from your computer on it.
If you are Mr Anybody’s little geeky nephew (more on you later), make him do it.
If you’re part of the industrial consortium that sold him his machine: shame on you - you’re a jerk / Bravo for that wonderful scam.