Deadman

A periodic backup should always be a thing.  Laptops die, get stolen (I’ve had that happen to me), hard drives die (common for ages), or you delete the wrong folder and windows asks “are you sure” and you click “yes” before you realize what you’ve done.   I’m using Linux for my desktop, thus the file-deletion command doesn’t even prompt, it’ll happily delete as ordered.  Deletions are unrecoverable on a SSD because that drive will wipe the deleted data in preparation for the next write; old spinning hard drives didn’t do that, so you had a window of opportunity.
My primary backup is a cronjob (scheduled task) that runs every six hours, mirrors my data to a backup hard-drive on the computer.  This very much tackles the accidental deletion, botched edits, drive failures which are the more common scenarios.  Secondary backup for my stories is subversion on my (personal) network drive, this is what programmers use for source control of their code development files, also works nicely for how I write my stories.

What is the type?

I have one that’s been having similar problems. What I’ve had to do is get a USB Wifi upgrade. It’s basically a USB that you plug in and it gives you better access… usually.

Also, on Microsoft machines, they allow you to do a reset without deleting any files. However it’s still a good idea to back it up just in case.

Hi, @Deadman.
The new or new-to- @kagome26isawsome USB WiFi adapter might be just what the doctor ordered.
“Factory reset” could be a cold-boot, or wiping out the disk and applying the ‘factory image’ of the computer as of when it was manufactured.  She never said what kind of laptop she’s using. 
Though, mentioning a ‘factory reset’ does imply that her laptop is a consumer Windows or Google machine.  While some ‘gamer’ Windows machines also come with ‘factory-reset’ media, it’s usually assumed that a gamer or corporate IT department has its own ideas on how to load an operating system and such, so they don’t typically bother.  Linux and MacOS computers are their own unique animals, too.
Cheers!

What is the type?

I have one that’s been having similar problems. What I’ve had to do is get a USB Wifi upgrade. It’s basically a USB that you plug in and it gives you better access… usually.

Also, on Microsoft machines, they allow you to do a reset without deleting any files. However it’s still a good idea to back it up just in case.

@manta2g ok ill poke at you next. lol
@Desiderius Price NO MORE STORY IDEAS! i am still working on the last one!
 

For over $10 per bottle, it would have to be very good, even if those are two liter bottles.  We all have our own pleasures that others don’t appreciate, though.

Next up, a Kinder smuggling ring organized via AFF?   Sounds like a story idea…

Next time you want something uniquely Canadian , poke at me. We can work something out. Though don't ask for kinder eggs, they won't pass US customs. 

Well, if we’re ‘fessing up to silliness here, I do have a set of empty Star Fleet Reserve wine bottles, as well as one from Chateau Picard, and an empty flask of bloodwine.
(The wine was overpriced but the bottles are worth it!)

$43 is reasonable … if those were 10 gallon bottles.  But yeah, that’s serious money.  (Don’t look at my collection of diet coke two-liter bottles….)

@Deadman no not burning man. there are people out there who are willing to pay for the mountain dew out of the country! It was only two bottles of the honeydew mountain dew. the other two are purple thunder. the shipping is what did me in cuz the seller is from Indiana. 
@BronxWench it is not real sugar but its good
 

Where are people buying that for this amount? Burning Man or something?

Well it’s not just one soft drink supposedly. It’s 4 of them. But even still, that’s a lot. Personally, I can get more for 5 dollars.

Where are people buying that for this amount? Burning Man or something?

Well it’s not just one soft drink supposedly. It’s 4 of them. But even still, that’s a lot. Personally, I can get more for 5 dollars.

Seriously! That’s crazy money for a soft drink! Is it at least real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup?  

Where are people buying that for this amount? Burning Man or something?

Good to know. Apparently you have to restart your browser after installing it. So I will have to wait to do it until later.

Glad I could help. Like I said, I don’t watch the show myself, but I did sorta recently write something which involved a character getting work at a gentleman’s club. Works fairly well as a plot device.

yes yes it is. but if it gets me back into writing then its not your fault.

@BronxWench “Money attracts lawyers” is my more succinct way of putting it.  If @Deadman wants to pay a copyright lawyer to sit in their conference room learning the finer points of copyright law to research a theoretical loophole … I’m guessing there’s better ways to spend time & money.
Me personally… I don’t seek money in my writing, so exploring into copyright & fair use is more of an academic brain teaser for me.  I do keep my fanfic and original pen-names distinct, so there’s less to muddy if I were to setup a Patreon for under my original writing pen-name.  BUT… I do have a good day job with vacation/insurance benefits so monetizing writing isn’t a necessity.

We don’t allow Patreon here, exactly because there’s no way for us to be sure that members are only receiving donations for original work.
It is a clear and distinct violation of copyright law for anyone to profit from copyrighted material without written permission from the copyright owner. So, a toy company can make a Harry Potter game, as long as they receive permission from JK Rowling, but if someone sells Harry Potter merchandise without having obtained that permission, the lawyers will swoop in, and generally the person violating copyright law gets to pay their lawyer and the copyright owner’s lawyer, substantial fines, and possibly could receive a jail sentence based on how much they earned.
The same thing applies to fan fiction. If someone sets up a Patreon on a fiction archive, and publishes both fan fiction and original work on the archive, there’s no way to tell what the patrons are donating for. The patrons might think they’re doing the author a huge favor by donating, so the author can work on that fan fiction they love so much, and if they mention in a review that they donated for that reason, well. I would not want to be in that author’s shoes when the copyright owner finds out.

@Deadman Channeling Mad Eye Moody’s rant about keeping constant vigilance, stay out of trouble! 

@Desiderius Price Yes, that’s essentially what I was suggesting. It gives you the option to put individual things out for free. So each piece of fanfiction will be free and available to anyone without paying. But there is a patreon type option for people. You can put everything out for free but if people want to pay you, can do so.

@Deadman  Even if the platform offers the option to monetize, definitely don’t enable it on fanfiction.  That’s my advice to avoid a lot of hot water over very little gain.  Consider the fanfiction a free loss-leader, a teaser to entice readers to cross over to your (monetized) original fiction.  Anything stronger, like a Patreon or similar, talk to a lawyer on how to word it such that there’s no money being exchanged for fanfiction.