Quote from: Nicnicy on April 13, 2017, 05:40:02 PM

every newbie is told to go to blockchain or xapo to get a wallet

Serious question/request:
OK please tell me - I setup a wallet on my windows laptop, next happens:
the harddisk crashes and no way to repair; how do I get my retirement money back ?

What steps do I need to take and what to do ?

I would tell every newbie to set up a hardware wallet like Electrum or Multibit or Core if you don't mind waiting half an hour every day while it synchronizes.
Hardware wallets keep your addresses in the cloud and allow you to access them with a password made of randomly generated phrases. You keep those phrases on a piece of paper and you're safe.

If your HD crashes, you'll need your phrases or if you're using a core client a wallet backup file. You install a new client, enter the phrases, or load the backup file, and you have it all back under control.

It takes less than 15 min to get it all set up on a new computer.