Is Your Setup Virtual-Enabled?
One of the smartest things I've done in my home PC setup was to install Virtual PC (also a version for Mac).
Why?
Simple: Test with no regret
I love testing out new software. But, we all know what it can do to your system (just slow it down to outright virus).
The beauty of Virtual PC is that it's an entirely separate machine sitting right there on your desktop where you can test and play with impunity.
Don't like a piece of software? You can roll back the settings to a time and place before you installed it.
Just so easy to have a "safe place" to play around with things before you install them on your main machine.
(You will need a 2nd copy of Windows for legal install).