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Technology meltdowns? Over the years, I've lived through plenty of world-class ones. I'd love to blame 'em all on the products in question. But as we were brainstorming the July issue's cover story, "How to Survive the Worst PC Disasters," I was grappling with a truly inconvenient truth: Many of the worst fates that have befallen me and that have involved computers or other gadgets were utterly avoidable. And the majority of these disasters were mostly or entirely my own damn fault.

I'm not the only one who's been known to create PC disasters from scratch--or to take minor incidents and turn them into full-tilt fiascos. "The general advice I give people is, don't panic and don't jump to the nuclear option as your first move," says Christopher Null, author of "Disasters" and a frequent PCW contributor. "People tell me, 'I had this problem, I reformatted my hard drive, now what do I do?' By that time, it's too late. Stop and think about the problem before you take any action."

Good advice--and a mantra I will do my best to follow going forward. Herewith, a few other sensible steps that can help make your life as a tech user at least slightly less disastrous than mine has often been....

Don't act like a know-it-all. I tend to bristle at the notion that it might be logical to read instructions before performing a PC task. That's partly a reaction to all the lousy documentation I've encountered over the years, but there's probably a Freudian component, as well: It feels like stopping to ask for driving directions. (Yep, I have a problem with that, too.) Note to self: Checking out the manual can't hurt, and it might even help.

Treat delicate electronic equipment like...delicate electronic equipment. Sure, we all have tales of gadgets that turn out to be miraculously sturdy, like thumb drives that survive trips through the washing machine. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't err on the side of handling stuff gingerly. (I once blithely leaned over a running bath with a Sony Clie PDA in my shirt pocket; you know what happened next.)

Remember: Upgrades are a form of surgery. Once you crack open a PC's case, your machine is a patient in your care. Goal one should be to do no harm, which means proceeding slowly and carefully. Not that you'd know it from things I've done, like trying to force RAM cards into their slots backwards. Did I mention the time I set fire to a motherboard while attempting to install a sound card?

Be prepared. When I find myself needing to swap out a drive, reinstall software, or rescue data, I usually waste time rustling through all the detritus in my office to find the required tools, be they original software disks or something like a TORX screwdriver. It's my own fault for not keeping vital items neatly stored away for use in case of emergency. (Okay, I do blame software companies for the fact that license codes are so often printed on CD-ROM cases or registration cards that don't mention the name of the product In question--separate the disc from its packaging, and you may have trouble reinstalling an application you paid for.)

Always be pessimistic. When tech disasters strike, I often turn sunny optimist and assume that a backup I think I made or Windows' notoriously unreliable System Restore feature will save my bacon. Sometimes they do. But it's smarter to gird yourself for worst-case scenarios. And even before anything goes wrong, it's worth giving some thought to how you'd recover from common glitches.

Which is why how-to articles like "How to Survive the Worst PC Disasters" are so central to our mission. Got any stories of tech calamities--self-inflicted or otherwise--and how you bounced back? Drop me a line at harry_mccracken@pcworld.com, or head to our forums to share your hard-earned wisdom with the PCW community.

Harry McCracken is editor in chief of PC World. Read his blog at PC World's Techlog.