How to not have to reinstall windows and programs every time?

[N00b31]

I just want to run MS Project and MS Visio on my MacBook, that's it but every time I close and open VMWare fusion, I have to re-install windows, re-download/install MS project, and then begin my work again.  

4 or 5 years ago I had a previous version of this product, and I could open it and my windows desktop was exactly as I had left it when I closed the window, how do I get back to that? 

[N00b31]

It would also be nice if I could save files in the windows environment without them being deleted. 

[RDPetruska]

It sounds like you have inadvertantly set the virtual disk type to be non-persistant.  Change it to a normal, persistant, non-independant disk in the VM settings.