I zipped all the files and folders that were in a public_html folder and placed them in the folder above the public_html folder. Then I removed everything in public_html.
Later I used Softaculous to create a new WP site.
When I returned to the file manager to retrieve several zip files I had saved above the public_html folder, they were gone.
Question:
Why did Softaculous remove my zipped files above the public_html folder?
I wish I had been given a warning - I would have downloaded them to my PC had known they would disappear.
Softaculous does not remove any zip file inside or outside public_html. If it finds any similar file name from the script you are installing in root document then Softaculous generates a warning either to delete the file first or overwrite the existing files. Softaculous does not delete any file without user consent.
Do let us know if you need any further information.