Waaah!

I left computer alone whilst I went off to watch HIGNFY, and it clearly felt neglected, because it left the relatively innocuous site I was perusing* and when I came back it had apparently acquired new hardware and was looking for a driver for something called a PCI-PCI interface (or something). I told it I didn't want it to do this, gently, and then more forcefully, and it then decided to reboot very very slowly...in Windows 98. I applied IT cliche number 1, and it now seems OK, apart from the usual niggles caused by McAfee not appreciating Demon and vice versa, but I am very scared, and thinking things about back-ups, and my lack thereof.
Does anybody have any ideas that do not relate to telling me to get a proper backup routine going?

*oh alright it was the Strictly Come Dancing fora on Digital Spy - are you happy now