bert -

You certainly have my sympathy, and if you have no confidence in Windows, then it's certainly your option to try another operating system.

If files were saved to disk, there is no likely way they could have "disappeared," but it's certainly possible to open a new document without saving the previous one. Almost everyone has done it at least once. In that case, everything that has not been saved would be lost.

If Windows is crashing frequently, there is a reason for it, and it can be "fixed." Unfortunately, as with any operating system, the "fixing" may require more than you feel like doing now. That's fine - it's your choice to make.

Having worked with systems from CP/M and DOS 2.0 through UNIX, LINUX, Apollo, a few miscellaneous proprietary OS's, and Windows 1.4, 2.0, 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, and 2000, my personal opinion is that Windows (98 and later) is - usually - the most productive operating system to come along for none-wonk users. Others certainly disagree.

It is necessary to get it set up right, on a computer with appropriate resources, and to learn the limitations of what you can do with your setup. (Sort of like courting - marriage - and hope for happy ever after, it's not necessarily a slam-dunk.)

Condolences again - and good luck.

John