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File
Maintenance Tips
As the school year draws to a close, it becomes necessary
to assess the status of your personal files on the computer.
When individual PC’s are worked on, the SST’s
often find it faster and more effective to simply copy an
image of the operating system and software to the computer
rather than to spend a lot of time trying to figure out the
problem. In these circumstances, anything saved to the local
hard drive will be lost. This is why you are always
encouraged to save your work to a drive which resides on the
server and is much safer. Unless the server actually goes
down, your work is protected. It is never a bad idea to have
backup copies of vital forms, IEP’s, and report card
data. Backups can be saved on floppy diskettes or on e-mail.
If you are changing schools, you may have a number of files
you wish to transfer to your new location. In many cases, it
is comforting to simply have a backup in your possession as
a hedge against computer failure. Your files listed on your
personal Panel on a Mac, or on drive H: on a PC are stored
on the server and should be safe unless work is done on the
server itself. If, however, you need to move them, they can
be transferred to a floppy diskette, or by e-mail.
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Windows
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Macintosh
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Backing
up to a Floppy Diskette
When you do this, break down and use a new
floppy diskette, which should be much more reliable
than one you have been using for the last two
years. If the files are important, it's not a bad
idea to save to two different floppies, just to
protect yourself.
- Insert a new floppy in the drive.
Locate the file you wish to move. Anything on
the desktop is an easy place to start. Right
click on the file.
When the menu appears, click on Copy.
Double click on the My Computer icon.
Right click on the 3 1/2” Floppy A:
icon.
When the menu appears, click on Paste.
You should now have an exact copy of the file
on your floppy.
If you want a second copy for safety, insert
a new floppy, right click and paste
again.
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Backing
up to a Floppy Diskette
- All Mac schools have a minimum of four
floppy drives that can be plugged into the USB
port on your iMacs. You can use either Mac or PC
formatted floppies.
Plug in the floppy drive in the USB port on
the right side of the iMac, and insert a floppy
diskette.
Click on your personal panel to make sure it
is the active panel.
Click on File.
Click on Copy. All of the files in your panel
will be listed. You can select one file at a
time, or hold down the Command key and click on
several files.
After your selections, click on the triangles
at the end of the To: line and select Other.
The floppy disk should be listed here. Click
on it to highlight it, then click on Choose.
Your file(s) will be transferred.
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Windows
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Macintosh
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Backing
up to E-Mail
E-mail has several advantages over using a
floppy. First, it can hold more data, as you have 6
MB of space, where a floppy can only hold 1.4 MB.
When it is on e-mail, you can retrieve it at home,
or at your new school. All e-mail is backed up at
night so it provides an extra level of protection.
There is an automated expiry on your personal
mailbox, so you need to move it somehere within 180
days, or set it to never expire. E-mail is a better
short term storage device, as with eTeacher tab
files.
- Open a new message in First Class.
Attach a file by any of the three methods:
clicking on the paper and paper clip icon, use
the Command T short cut, or go to File - Attach
File.
When the Upload File window appears, it
defaults to the First Class folder. Click on the
triangles at the end of the line and locate your
file.
Click on your file and click on Open.
(Unfortunately, you can only select one item
at a time.)
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Backing
up to E-Mail
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E-mail has several advantages over using a
floppy. First, it can hold more data, as you
have 6 MB of space, where a floppy can only hold
1.4 MB. When it is on e-mail, you can retrieve
it at home, or at your new school. All e-mail is
backed up at night so it provides an extra level
of protection. There is an automated expiry on
your personal mailbox, so you need to move it
somewhere within 180 days, or set it to never
expire. E-mail is a better short term storage
device, as with eTeacher tab files.
Open a new message in First Class.
Attach a file by any of the three methods:
clicking on the paper and paper clip icon, use
the Command T short cut, or go to File - Attach
File.
When the Choose Object window appears, it
defaults to the Download folder. Click on the
triangles at the end of the line and locate your
login name.
Click on your name and click on Choose.
Select the file you wish to attach to the
e-mail and click on Choose. (Unfortunately, you
can only select one item at a time.)
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Cleaning
Up Your Files
At the end of the year, it is a good idea to
clean up your files. You probably have a long list
of never to be used again letters, assignments,
pictures etc. They take up space that can be used
for other purposes. This is especially true in
schools, where we have so many people storing vast
quantities of work. Deleting files is done much the
same as saving to a Floppy in both operating
systems. On the Mac, instead of File - Copy it is
File - Delete. On the PC's it is Right Click and
instead of Copy, it is Delete.
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