Laptop Died!

[EllieL]

I've had nothing but bad luck with devices this last weekish. First, my Surface tablet, which I used religiously for EVERYTHING, decided to start having hardware issues. Microsoft said 'not repairable, these things are designed to be throw-away-machines', so I started backing stuff up just in case. Good thing, because it stopped working about a week ago. I work away from home, so fortunately I had an old Toshiba laptop that I had used prior to the tablet, and just happened to have it with me as its my artwork computer. Didn't that start to act up? Still works but I'm nervous that it's going to die on me too, so this week is my weekend home. (Thankfully, I just missed the massive snowstorm Calgary got the day I left!) We have an Acer laptop that really isn't in use, so I've taken it over, but man oh man, does it take time to get programs reinstalled and bookmarks re-organized.
On the upside, this is the only writer's forum I have on this machine, so y'all are stuck with me.

[Erron]

Yep, been there and it's a pain. Good luck with it. Did Microsoft really say that?

[VanessaC]

Oh, no! I hate it when technology fails, mostly because I'm really bad a learning new technology systems and usually end with with Technology Rage.

I also have an old Toshiba laptop that I use for writing and I'm dreading the day it fails for the last time - was really upset to find Toshiba don't make laptops anymore (apparently not for years).  Sometimes you can get them fixed, though, if you have a local repair shop?

[Robin]

Throw-away machines? Yikes.

I hated the thought of starting again with a new laptop, but actually once all the annoying things were sorted out, I realised just how slow and clunky my old one was. I have a Lenovo Ultrabook now and it's light and fast and makes my life a lot easier!

[katc]

I'm so sorry your having tablet & laptop troubles. Can definitely relate. Out of the blue, my husband's and son's computers started acting up this week. I hope your Acer lasts for you.

[Tom Wood]

Sorry you're going through that! Yesterday my 6 year-old laptop decided it had to re-index the C drive. First time ever it's done that. Whenever a computer does something new, I always take it as a bad sign.




And then your post.... Hmmm, maybe I should do a backup.
::backup in progess::

[guest14]

I lost my hard drive earlier in the summer. It's a special type, very thin. Tracking down a supplier was a real 'mare and I still haven't got it fixed. So, I went out and bought a new one identical, I thought, to get it up and running to find it's only got a 20Gb hard drive of which the OS takes up 13Gb.

I didn't lose any data though as I run a cloud drive. If you have your own website and a cPanel you could do the same using the app installation at the bottom. The product is called OwnCloud and is also standalone so you can set it up anywhere. Here's a direct link.

https://owncloud.org/

[Erron]

I lost my hard drive earlier in the summer. It's a special type, very thin. Tracking down a supplier was a real 'mare and I still haven't got it fixed. So, I went out and bought a new one identical, I thought, to get it up and running to find it's only got a 20Gb hard drive of which the OS takes up 13Gb.

I didn't lose any data though as I run a cloud drive. If you have your own website and a cPanel you could do the same using the app installation at the bottom. The product is called OwnCloud and is also standalone so you can set it up anywhere. Here's a direct link.

https://owncloud.org/

Thanks Tobias, I've been looking for something like that!

[Mark Gardner]

I've been migrating my data from machine to machine for over a decade. Not to sound like a mac cultist or anything, but my data has moved to the new machine each time I've upgraded it. It's resulted in like an 40GB photos library (which is larger than my first mac's hard drive.)

Between iCloud, Dropbox, my Time Machine, and just performing regular backups, I'm pretty safe. If anyone is looking for a paid cloud service (especially if you have an apple device), then the 50GB iCloud plan is only a dollar a month. If you feel uncomfortable with Apple having your CC, you can purchase an iTunes gift card, add it to your apple ID, and they charge that instead of a CC.

Of course Dropbox is free for 2GB. If you sign up and install the dropbox app on your computer, then both the referrer and the new signup get a 250MB bonus (I could use another bonus, so if someone needs to sign up, let me know, and i can give you my referral.)

[Eric Thomson]

This is why I use a desktop as my work machine instead of a laptop.  Laptops are more failure prone and harder to fix/upgrade.  For example, when my desktop hard drive began to show signs of senility, I simply bought a new solid state drive and cloned my old drive to it.  Back in business within the hour, no need to reinstall any software, etc.  Compare that to my travel laptop (used mainly for photography/videography - although it has the basic tools for writing, if ever the muse captures me while on vacation) whose battery died.  I found a specific replacement online fairly quickly, but it still took 3 weeks to get it shipped, and a rather delicate twenty minutes performing surgery on the laptop.  When its hard drive starts to die, and it will - they all eventually do, I don't know if I'll be able to find a solid state drive that'll fit.

[guest14]

  When its hard drive starts to die, and it will - they all eventually do, I don't know if I'll be able to find a solid state drive that'll fit.

Yeah! you will. If it happens let me know and I'll source one for you.

As for having a PC. I agree, but I travel all the time and luggage space is at a premium. Otherwise, I'd be sitting here with three screens and massive gaming setups that would make my son cry.

[Eric Thomson]

  When its hard drive starts to die, and it will - they all eventually do, I don't know if I'll be able to find a solid state drive that'll fit.

Yeah! you will. If it happens let me know and I'll source one for you.

As for having a PC. I agree, but I travel all the time and luggage space is at a premium. Otherwise, I'd be sitting here with three screens and massive gaming setups that would make my son cry.

Ah.... yes... I knew I was missing that third screen.  Pardon me while I head for the computer store   
 

[Shoe]

I'm a fan of Chromebooks. If you write in Google Docs there's no reason to bother with PCs or Macs and, if you lose your Chromebook, $150 gets a new one and you don't miss a beat. All your stuff is still there. Graphics capabilities are limited (for now), so I still use a Windows 7 PC for Photoshop (and a Windows 10 PC for back-up, but it's a nightmare).

[Mark Gardner]

I'm a fan of Chromebooks. If you write in Google Docs there's no reason to bother with PCs or Macs and, if you lose your Chromebook, $150 gets a new one and you don't miss a beat. All your stuff is still there. Graphics capabilities are limited (for now), so I still use a Windows 7 PC for Photoshop (and a Windows 10 PC for back-up, but it's a nightmare).

If you're using creative cloud, then even photoshop is handled on the back end, making chromebooks decent for designing in Photoshop.

[Al Macy (aka TromboneAl)]

I've been in the PC/Windows world since the early eighties. I switched to an iMac this August.

When I experienced the difference, I kicked myself for not converting years ago, as soon as I retired from programming. Switching over was easier than switching to a new PC.

[munboy]

Wait. Microsoft Surface are pretty expensive and we're meant to throw them away? 

[EllieL]

Yep, been there and it's a pain. Good luck with it. Did Microsoft really say that?

It's coming along, but it takes time. I did scratch out an hour to write last evening, so that's good. And yes, the tech at the Microsoft store said that specifically. You can't crack open a Surface to replace any of the parts. When they are done, they are done. Ugh.

[EllieL]

As for having a PC. I agree, but I travel all the time and luggage space is at a premium. Otherwise, I'd be sitting here with three screens and massive gaming setups that would make my son cry.

That's it for me too. I work away from home, so I don't have an option. Has to be something I can carry around.

[Post-Crisis D]

I have my writing files stored on an external hard drive which is backed up to a second drive almost daily.  Works-in-progress are also kept on my internal drive, which is also backed up almost daily.

Additionally, I keep my writing files stored on a USB flash drive as well as a SD card, both of which are stored in a metal box I hope will also serve as a quasi-Faraday cage though I really need to use a metal mesh rather than solid.  The files are also copied to another pair of external hard drives which are updated periodically.  Files are also periodically burned to non-magnetic media.

And one of these days I'm going to get around to setting up my Xserve and use that as a private, non-Internet connected server to also store files.

[guest14]

I have my writing files stored on an external hard drive which is backed up to a second drive almost daily.  Works-in-progress are also kept on my internal drive, which is also backed up almost daily.

Additionally, I keep my writing files stored on a USB flash drive as well as a SD card, both of which are stored in a metal box I hope will also serve as a quasi-Faraday cage though I really need to use a metal mesh rather than solid.  The files are also copied to another pair of external hard drives which are updated periodically.  Files are also periodically burned to non-magnetic media.

And one of these days I'm going to get around to setting up my Xserve and use that as a private, non-Internet connected server to also store files.

I have files in my directories going back over ten years and three businesses. I have people's whole websites stored (just in case) and in all cases I've not looked at them in 9.999 years. The British Statutory requirement is seven years for a public company and three years for a private company. An individual I think qualifies for a week, maybe two. #justsaying

[Max]

Sad to read that about the Surface. I have one. I love it. Been hauling it all over creation for the last three years. I guess I can see where they would design it that way. How else can they get someone to buy another. Ofc, if the lifespan's short, no one will ever buy another.

[Post-Crisis D]

I have files in my directories going back over ten years and three businesses. I have people's whole websites stored (just in case) and in all cases I've not looked at them in 9.999 years. The British Statutory requirement is seven years for a public company and three years for a private company. An individual I think qualifies for a week, maybe two. #justsaying

I have files going back to the 1980s.   

[guest14]

I have files in my directories going back over ten years and three businesses. I have people's whole websites stored (just in case) and in all cases I've not looked at them in 9.999 years. The British Statutory requirement is seven years for a public company and three years for a private company. An individual I think qualifies for a week, maybe two. #justsaying

I have files going back to the 1980s.   

5.25 floppies...   

[Mark Gardner]

I have my writing files stored on an external hard drive which is backed up to a second drive almost daily.  Works-in-progress are also kept on my internal drive, which is also backed up almost daily.

Additionally, I keep my writing files stored on a USB flash drive as well as a SD card, both of which are stored in a metal box I hope will also serve as a quasi-Faraday cage though I really need to use a metal mesh rather than solid.  The files are also copied to another pair of external hard drives which are updated periodically.  Files are also periodically burned to non-magnetic media.

And one of these days I'm going to get around to setting up my Xserve and use that as a private, non-Internet connected server to also store files.

xserves are pretty cheap since they’re no longer manufactured, but they do use a lot of power. Many internet appliances will work better for you. It’s a shame you’re not local to me, I have a pair of the tower versions of the Xserve lurking in my shed.

[Mark Gardner]

I've been in the PC/Windows world since the early eighties. I switched to an iMac this August.

When I experienced the difference, I kicked myself for not converting years ago, as soon as I retired from programming. Switching over was easier than switching to a new PC.

i agree 100%. But people tend to not believe this about apple computers, and instead attribute it to the cult of Mac.

[Post-Crisis D]

I have files going back to the 1980s.   

5.25 floppies...   

Yep.  Still have a bunch I need to transfer over.  As well as Zip disks.

Once everything is transferred, I'll be able to just use my Floppy Emu and not have to worry about floppies anymore (unless I want to).

[Guerin]

Here is an earlier post of mine on backing up to the cloud and thumb drives. You don't really need to pay for cloud storage in most cases unless you want to back up everything. I don't pay for cloud storage, and I automatically sync all of my writing stored on iCloud to Google drive.

https://writersanctum.com/index.php?topic=519.msg6840#msg6840

I could explain how to make the transition to a new machine easy by using virtual machines and bore you to death with backup methodology, but as my old college professors used to say, "That is beyond the scope of this course."

[Post-Crisis D]

xserves are pretty cheap since they’re no longer manufactured, but they do use a lot of power. Many internet appliances will work better for you. It’s a shame you’re not local to me, I have a pair of the tower versions of the Xserve lurking in my shed.

They never made a tower version of the Xserve.  All the Xserve models were rack-mountable.

What you might have are Mac Server G4s.  Those were made before the Xserve and had a tower case.  I don't have one of those but I do have a Power Macintosh G4 that's setup as a server, except it doesn't boot, apparently because the clock battery died.  Hopefully the actual Mac Server G4 didn't have that particular design flaw.  LOL.

I still have my original Macintosh server.  A Macintosh Plus.   

[Erron]

Yep, been there and it's a pain. Good luck with it. Did Microsoft really say that?

It's coming along, but it takes time. I did scratch out an hour to write last evening, so that's good. And yes, the tech at the Microsoft store said that specifically. You can't crack open a Surface to replace any of the parts. When they are done, they are done. Ugh.

Jesus Wept, they keep pretty quiet about that in their advertising!

[Mark Gardner]

xserves are pretty cheap since they’re no longer manufactured, but they do use a lot of power. Many internet appliances will work better for you. It’s a shame you’re not local to me, I have a pair of the tower versions of the Xserve lurking in my shed.

They never made a tower version of the Xserve.  All the Xserve models were rack-mountable.

What you might have are Mac Server G4s.  Those were made before the Xserve and had a tower case.  I don't have one of those but I do have a Power Macintosh G4 that's setup as a server, except it doesn't boot, apparently because the clock battery died.  Hopefully the actual Mac Server G4 didn't have that particular design flaw.  LOL.

I still have my original Macintosh server.  A Macintosh Plus.   

Yeah, I've upgraded the [crap] out of my three cheese graters. My main one is running dual 6-core 2.93Ghz Xeons, 64GB RAM, dual GTX680s, and dual PCIe SSDs (one running Sierra and the other running Windows7.) I also upgraded the wireless cards to Mojave-compatable ABGN cards. I'm running a 1TB SSD in my Time Capsule. I don't have platter-based hard drives in anything any more.

[Post-Crisis D]

Yeah, I've upgraded the [crap] out of my three cheese graters. My main one is running dual 6-core 2.93Ghz Xeons, 64GB RAM, dual GTX680s, and dual PCIe SSDs (one running Sierra and the other running Windows7.) I also upgraded the wireless cards to Mojave-compatable ABGN cards. I'm running a 1TB SSD in my Time Capsule. I don't have platter-based hard drives in anything any more.

Tough part is finding parts for the Xserves.

I don't trust SSDs yet.  They are nice for speed, but they haven't really been out long enough to test longevity.  I think the hard drive in my Mac SE is from 1987 or 1989 and it still works.  Others, of course, have failed.  I need to boot up my Quadra periodically to keep the hard drive from sticking.  So while there are definitely issues with platter-based hard drives, I still feel more comfortable with them for longevity than SSD drives.

[Mark Gardner]

Yeah, I've upgraded the [crap] out of my three cheese graters. My main one is running dual 6-core 2.93Ghz Xeons, 64GB RAM, dual GTX680s, and dual PCIe SSDs (one running Sierra and the other running Windows7.) I also upgraded the wireless cards to Mojave-compatable ABGN cards. I'm running a 1TB SSD in my Time Capsule. I don't have platter-based hard drives in anything any more.

Tough part is finding parts for the Xserves.

I don't trust SSDs yet.  They are nice for speed, but they haven't really been out long enough to test longevity.  I think the hard drive in my Mac SE is from 1987 or 1989 and it still works.  Others, of course, have failed.  I need to boot up my Quadra periodically to keep the hard drive from sticking.  So while there are definitely issues with platter-based hard drives, I still feel more comfortable with them for longevity than SSD drives.

I think that your mistrust of SSDs is ill placed. Enterprise SLC is good for over 150k cycles pee cell, and with TRIM and similar algorithms, the charge balancing is superb.

I only run SLC in my server in RAID5. Everything else gets whatever the best ADATA or Samsung is running. TLC NAND is pretty fast, and the MLC chips are getting more and more longevity.

My AHCI Samsung 4x PCIe gets 1750r/750w. I wish that more manufacturers made AHCI, but everyone makes the cheaper NVMe.

[EllieL]

You don't really need to pay for cloud storage in most cases unless you want to back up everything. I don't pay for cloud storage, and I automatically sync all of my writing stored on iCloud to Google drive.

I could explain how to make the transition to a new machine easy by using virtual machines and bore you to death with backup methodology, but as my old college professors used to say, "That is beyond the scope of this course."

I've got this new laptop synced with my One Drive, so almost everything is backed up. Just the odd thing here and there that won't be important if lost.

[EllieL]

Yep, been there and it's a pain. Good luck with it. Did Microsoft really say that?

It's coming along, but it takes time. I did scratch out an hour to write last evening, so that's good. And yes, the tech at the Microsoft store said that specifically. You can't crack open a Surface to replace any of the parts. When they are done, they are done. Ugh.

Jesus Wept, they keep pretty quiet about that in their advertising!

Yep, if I'd known that even a MS tech couldn't make repairs, I would have thought twice. It did last several years, but still...

[guest120]

Did it die a hero or did it live long enough to see itself become the villain? I've had a couple of laptops that were the former, and one that was most definitely the latter. By the end I wanted to 'Office Space' that thing in a field with a bat.

[EllieL]

Did it die a hero or did it live long enough to see itself become the villain? I've had a couple of laptops that were the former, and one that was most definitely the latter. By the end I wanted to 'Office Space' that thing in a field with a bat.

Both. Hero in that it gave me a bit of notice that it was dying, so I was able to save almost everything, but when it went, it went fast, so I wasn't able to remove all my personal info. Right now, it's lounging on a shelf in my bedroom, but eventually I'll take it outside and take a sledgehammer to it. But not just yet. I still hold out hope that it may be resurrected some day.

[elleoco]

I've been in the PC/Windows world since the early eighties. I switched to an iMac this August.

When I experienced the difference, I kicked myself for not converting years ago, as soon as I retired from programming. Switching over was easier than switching to a new PC.

i agree 100%. But people tend to not believe this about apple computers, and instead attribute it to the cult of Mac.

Everyone is different. I got a Macbook Pro because - Vellum. Also thought the Mac version of Scrivener would be a plus, but I don't find it worth getting excited about, maybe because I don't try to compile straight to a usable anything, but only to a printable document in any old form for proofing.

Anyway, the fact is it wasn't an easy transition, and I'm still not completely happy with it. A real mouse helped a lot, but the machine's determination to store files where it wants instead of where I want still aggravates and annoys, and I still return to my PC for a lot of things. I will say the retina screen is oh, my, but then I don't have a very high resolution monitor on my Windows desktop or screen in my Windows laptop, so I don't know how big the difference would be if I did.

It also seems to me there are far more OS upgrades for Mac, and unlike Windows (I'm typing this on a Windows 7 machine), you can't ignore them because all of a sudden, the latest Vellum only runs on the latest OS, ditto Scrivener 3. I run several old Windows programs I'm fond of and determined to keep, and only one of them requires compatibility mode, but it still runs that way. Maybe it wouldn't in 10, but then I'll never see 10. By the time my current machine needs replacing, it will be Windows 15.

On the thread's actual subject, I broke down and got Dropbox not long ago both to have work offsite and to transfer among several machines, which I figure is a backup of sorts to protect against things like drive failure. I've been fortunate to only experience one drive failure ever, and that one gave lots of signs it was on its way out, so I had time to transfer everything I cared about before it finally gave up the ghost.

[Edward M. Grant]

Jesus Wept, they keep pretty quiet about that in their advertising!

It's not much different from many laptops these days. Yes, you can take the cheap ones apart, but you probably don't want to, and good luck figuring out how if there isn't a Youtube video for your particular model.

I knew I wanted to stick a big SSD in my new laptop as soon as I bought it, and it was hard to find one that still had a cover on the bottom to let you change it easily. With my old netbook it required removing the keyboard, motherboard and... well, pretty much everything, really.

[Edward M. Grant]

I don't trust SSDs yet.  They are nice for speed, but they haven't really been out long enough to test longevity.

They're pretty robust these days. We ship a lot of them, and if they don't die in the first couple of months (<1% do), they'll go on for years.

I upgrade my laptop SSD to an SSD of double the size every couple of years, then the old SSD goes into the Windows 7 PC, and the old SSD from the Windows 7 PC goes into the Linux PC. I wouldn't risk doing that with a mechanical hard drive.

Of course, I also back up everything to an external hard drive every week or two, then back that up to another hard drive for off-site backup every few months.

[cecilia_writer]

I decided a few months ago that my trusty old Toshiba laptop was about to give up, so because I had just paid off a mortgage and I knew I would be distraught if I were left with no computer even for a day or two, I bought a new Acer laptop. I decided to invest in Office 365 just after that, and to my surprise using the different version of Word gave my Toshiba a bit of a boost, so now I have a setup where I have one laptop in one room and one in another and I save my files to One Drive automatically so I can easily share them, and also the machines act as backup storage for each other. I wouldn't have thought of doing this, but it is already working very well in the sense that it's now easier to use a computer in different places in the house so I find myself writing quite a bit more than before.

[oganalp]

First of all, I am sorry to hear that your laptop died. Sadly, it happens.

Oh, and SSDs are fine as long as you do some research. Samsung had good SSDs the last time I checked. The manufacturers are important. Back in the day, Seagate was epic, then came Maxtor and WD, ruining quality in their zealous overtake.

I have used Macs, Androids, Windows, Commodore, Amiga, Spectrum... The devices usually perform well unless there is a specific glitch, and you understand how they work.

In the 2000s, Macs were the game in the audio-visual/multimedia industry due to stability and resource allocation problems (looks at Direct X meaningfully). Now, they are mostly expensive devices with their problems. Windows... every system update is a mystery (or misery, depending on the version), especially for audio-visual people due to plug-in compatibility issues. TBH, the most issues I have is with my iPad Pro and its neverending "no internet connection" issue.

Each system comes with its pros and cons. I am a gamer (as in I own thousands of games kinda), so a Windows system is a no-brainer in my case. I own an Asus laptop, one of the ROG series, that I am using 10-15 hours a day for the last 2.5 years. So far, it only had one problem, which I rooted out to be a Win 10 system update glitch that happened due to packet loss, ruining a network driver, causing the system to go BSD.

In all honesty, I believe the only problematic devices are cell phones and tablets (iPads, Galaxies, Surface Pros, etc.), where the companies RELY on their failure in 2-3 years span to sell you a new one.

[EllieL]

In all honesty, I believe the only problematic devices are cell phones and tablets (iPads, Galaxies, Surface Pros, etc.), where the companies RELY on their failure in 2-3 years span to sell you a new one.

Yeah, I totally believe this too, especially since it was confirmed at the Microsoft store.
I'm using the automatic one drive feature that backs up my files constantly, as well as Dropbox. I have a couple spreadsheets that I've moved into google docs, so they're accessible all over the place to me as well. Should I have hardware failure again, it won't be quite so traumatic.

[Rob Martin]

This appears to be going 'round.

[Post-Crisis D]

In all honesty, I believe the only problematic devices are cell phones and tablets (iPads, Galaxies, Surface Pros, etc.), where the companies RELY on their failure in 2-3 years span to sell you a new one.

I had a Galaxy something phone and after a year or so couldn't wait to get rid of it so mechanical failure wasn't a factor there.  I liked my previous Android phone--a minor brand, I think--better.

My seven year old iPod is still good as is my six year old iPad except for the dented corner where I dropped it once.   

[Edward M. Grant]

I had a Galaxy something phone and after a year or so couldn't wait to get rid of it so mechanical failure wasn't a factor there.  I liked my previous Android phone--a minor brand, I think--better.

Yes. Android has planned obsolescence by just not updating the operating system after a short while.

I had a similar experience to yours. My old Galaxy phone got one update after I got it, and then it was just an ever-growing collection of security holes as it never received any more updates after that. My girlfriend's cheapo Android gets updates every month or two.

And Apple updates so often that I get tired of installing them all on five different devices.

[Mark Gardner]

In all honesty, I believe the only problematic devices are cell phones and tablets (iPads, Galaxies, Surface Pros, etc.), where the companies RELY on their failure in 2-3 years span to sell you a new one.

Yeah, I totally believe this too, especially since it was confirmed at the Microsoft store.
I'm using the automatic one drive feature that backs up my files constantly, as well as Dropbox. I have a couple spreadsheets that I've moved into google docs, so they're accessible all over the place to me as well. Should I have hardware failure again, it won't be quite so traumatic.

Apple was recently exposed throttling iPhones with aging batteries. They tried to claim that the throttling was for the consumer, but they were so secretive about it, that no one believed them. (I don't believe them either.) Apple has repeatedly dropped support for older machines that were functionally identical to newer ones (Mac Pro 2009/2010/2012 is the perfect example) SO I know that these companies plan obsolescence.

[Edward M. Grant]

I don't know about Apple PCs, but so far they've supported phones and tablets for as long as the hardware can handle the new operating system. My girlfriend's ancient iPad only stopped getting updates when Apple switched to a 64-bit operating system, for example.

[Mark Gardner]

I don't know about Apple PCs, but so far they've supported phones and tablets for as long as the hardware can handle the new operating system. My girlfriend's ancient iPad only stopped getting updates when Apple switched to a 64-bit operating system, for example.

The update window for iOS is about six years.

The big grumble is the mac pro. I have a 2009, 2010 and 2012. The processors, RAM, video cards, wireless modules, and storage devices are identical. Apple doesn't support the 2009 for Mojave. Apple artificially blocked the installation of Mojave on the 2009, even though the system will support it because they want to sell me a new mac Pro.

[Nathan Haines]

didn't lose any data though as I run a cloud drive. If you have your own website and a cPanel you could do the same using the app installation at the bottom. The product is called OwnCloud and is also standalone so you can set it up anywhere. Here's a direct link.

I do this for my own writing as well (although I set up the server manually), but I do have to caution that instead of ownCloud, you should be using Nextcloud.  This is a split similar to OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice (no one should still be running OpenOffice.org).

The good news is that for anyone technically inclined enough to install Ubuntu desktop or server on an older machine to keep in the closet, opening a terminal and running "sudo snap install nextcloud" will get you a full server in under a minute.  But even if cPanel only offers ownCloud, any backup is better than no backup.  It's quick and easy--your own private DropBox server (with some really amazing other features if you choose to explore them).

[Edward M. Grant]

I used to do backups to a home server.

Until the day it caught fire.

Fortunately I had a RAID, so while one of the drives was dead, I was able to recover everything from the other one.