Cron is now broken so you can't scehedule reliable backups.

This got broken in SL 6.9 worked in SL 6.5.
The reason is that it is looking for files from yum.  Whot does yum have
to do with cron I heav yet to figure it out.

Disk like - we date code our disks and when they are over 5000 hr.  We
swap them out and give toss them.  We have had replaced a bunch of disk
at one time and 3 years later they all died within a month.  They are
typically on 24 / 7.  We stagger the start up dates by 6 mo.

My advise if you don't want to be forever the support team - buy a MAC.

The people I have helped get on to a Linux system are not OS smart and I
spend a lot of time helping them out.  It also looks like it may be a
cradel to grave problem.

I money is problem there are a lot free Gov. computers available.  They
are not free its just that you and I have to pay for them with our
taxes.

I set my wife up with a Linux box and support is seconds away 24/7.  She
is smart & industrious and just uses mail, OpenOffice, and a photo
archive for the grand kids pictures.  That is if I expect dinner on
time.
Have friends and relatives buy a MAC.
Then you can plead - ignorance.

Regards
Larry Linder