He didn't know who—or what—had helped him. But he knew one thing for certain: he would never skip a backup again.

Leo had exactly $12.00 in his checking account until his teaching assistant stipend arrived next Tuesday.

He downloaded it, his heart hammering. The scan found his files—all of them, ghostly and intact in the digital abyss. But when he hit "Recover," a red banner froze his hope: "To recover files over 2GB, please purchase a Pro License. $69.95."