If you have this file on hand, you don’t need a working OS to restore your digital life. You just need a USB stick and five minutes. Most of us use Acronis True Image (now known as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office) like a standard app. We install it on Windows, schedule backups, and let it run in the background.

You can’t run your backup software if your operating system is a black screen of despair.

Open Acronis, create the Bootable ISO, and store it on a cheap USB drive in your drawer. You won't need it for years—but the day your hard drive dies, you will thank yourself.