Yahoo doesn't want you to back up your mail. How do I know this? Yahoo disables POP3 access to its free users--in order to use the POP3 feature, you must be a Yahoo Mail Plus member, which costs $20 a year. Unless you're a Yahoo Mail Plus member, utilities such as MailStore Home won't work.

If you're cheap (as I am), here's how to back up your Yahoo Mail without dropping that $20.

1. Download and install , which is a free desktop mail client that works with Yahoo Mail, Gmail, and Hotmail.

2. Open Zimbra Desktop and click Add New Account. Select Yahoo from the drop-down menu and fill in the form (e-mail address, password, and so on). You can also choose to synchronize calendars, contacts, and groups.