Well, the backup program built into Windows Vista will make you nostalgic for XP-based backup. If you want to back up data in Windows Vista, you'll be looking for a third-party program.

We won't go into all the gory details, but here's the ugly synopsis: You can't back up individual files...or individual folders''or even individual file types with Backup and Restore Center. If you want to back up, say, 40 or 50 megabytes of .doc files, .jpg files, and .zip files, you can't do that. Instead, you have to back up every single data file, every single graphics file, and every single compressed file on your entire hard disk -- and that includes the files that make up Windows. So you'll have to back up several hundred megabytes of files you will never use and never want to back up.

Windows Movie Maker and Windows DVD Maker

Remember the anemic Windows Movie Maker built into Windows XP? Forget about it -- the one that ships with Windows Vista may share that application's name, but it's a surprisingly useful multimedia tool that makes it easy for anyone to create videos, and then burn them to DVD. You can import media directly from digital video cameras, digital cameras or other devices, or instead from a hard disk. Creating a video is as simple as dragging and dropping clips onto a timeline, then adding effects and transitions, soundtracks, and so on.

You can then use Windows DVD Maker to burn them to DVDs that can be played on any DVD player. It may not turn you into Martin Scorsese, but if you've ever wanted to create videos to post to YouTube, you've just found a free tool of choice.