Linux and data storage?

[Karen Lewellen]

Hi all,
This is an odd one, so I hope I ask it in such a way to make sense.
I do not have a Linux machine.  I have been trying to get this, and 
thought I had one in the he works but it seems that party either made up the 
machines they were offering, or  for some other reason is not coming 
through.
In any case, I do use a Linux shell service extensively.  I fear almost 
too extensively, as you will understand in a moment.
The OS on the system i use mostly is dos, and I use nettamer to telnet to 
my Linux shell.
In the workspace of my shell service i have a great deal of irreplaceable 
files and programs.  I eave them up here, for ease, but I just was 
reminded that this may be a venerable state of affairs.
Fortunately when the server went down nothing was lost or so it seems, but 
I have a serious factor to consider.
  My question has two parts.
first, is there a way to move large amounts of data stored in the 
workspace of a Linux shell service to another location in tact, with 
relative ease,  and without taking all of the data on the entire system?
second, if my machine was also a Linux one, would this kind of storage be 
easy to do?
As I said before I do not have such a machine, but this has shaken me up 
enough that if a full Linux or Linux/dos or Linux/windows machine would 
give me some firm safe backup, I will have to start advertising for 
someone to build this for me and encurl the expense.
  I have too busy a professional life to do this myself, and would rather 
pay someone with the skills than lose valuable time trying to re-invent the 
wheel.
Thanks,
Karen