Saving Files
Where should I store my files?
You should store your important files on your U: drive, which you will find in My Computer. The U: drive is only accessible by you, and it is backed up every night. This means that if you accidentally delete something, or something becomes corrupted, DIDE IT will be able to restore it for you.
For your convenience, the 'My Documents' folder automatically points to your U: drive. As most programs look at the 'My Documents' folder by default when opening or saving files, you will easily and quickly be able to access important files.
Please note that your U: drive has a limited capacity, and therefore you should only save important data onto the U: drive. The default size limit is 15Gb, but this can be increased at the discretion of DIDE IT.
Anything that is not important can be stored on your C: drive. Please note that the contents of your C: drive are not backed up, therefore it is your responsibility to save it to a CD-R, DVD-R, or external disk drive. Please also be aware that someone else that logs onto your computer will be able to access your C: drive data unless it is password protected or encrypted.
How can I share files with other people in DIDE?
If you would like to share files that are too big to be e-mailed, or are not allowed through the e-mail system (such as .exe files), then you can store them on the T: drive. The T: drive, which you will find in My Computer, is a space reserved for the temporary sharing of large files.
Please note that everyone in DIDE has access to the temp drive, and that it is not backed up. You should remove your file(s) from the temp drive when you no longer need to share them.
DIDE IT deletes the contents of the temp drive on regular occasions. As a courtesy we may send out an e-mail notification before hand, but this may not always be possible.
How can I share files with other people outside DIDE?
If you would like to share files with other people in the College or outside of the College, you can send them via e-mail as long as they are under 10Mb in size. Any files over 10Mb in size, or those that would be blocked by the e-mail system (such as .exe files) can be shared using the College's File Exchange service.
This service allows you to upload your file to the File Exchange web page and can generate a web address that you can then send to the person you want to give the file to. They can simply browse to the web page and download the file.
It also allows someone from outside the College to give you access to a large file using a similar method of uploading it to the File Exchange web page.
How can I recover deleted or corrupt files from my U: drive?
Please contact a member of DIDE IT if you wish to recover data from your U: drive, as we can restore the data from our backups.
How do I map a network drive?
If you want to map a folder to a drive letter, do the following:
- Click on Start, right click on My Computer (or Computer in Vista/7), and choose Map Network Drive:
- In the window that appears, choose a drive letter. In the Folder box, type in the path to the shared folder. Then tick the box next to Reconnect at Logon if you want Windows to connect to this drive every time it starts:
- Click on Finish to complete the mapping.
How do I disconnect a mapped network drive?
If you want disconnect from a mapped network drive, make sure you don't have any open files from that drive. Then:
- Click on Start and then My Computer.
- Right click on the drive you want to disconnect from and choose Disconnect:
How do I connect to a shared network folder in Mac OS X?
To connect to a shared network folder in Mac OS X, please follow the guide on this page.
Why is Dropbox causing me to exceed my profile limit?
When you install Dropbox, by default it stores your data in your roaming profile. This will eventually cause you to go over your roaming profile size limit when you start adding data to your Dropbox.
Therefore, to avoid exceeding your profile limit, please move the Dropbox data folder from its default location to another location, such as your C: drive. As your Dropbox data is stored 'in the cloud', you do not need to worry about having to back it up if it is stored on your C: drive.
Here's how to move your Dropbox folder:
1. Click on the Dropbox icon in the system tray (in the lower right hand corner of the screen, by the clock):
2. Click on Preferences:
3. Click on the Advanced button, and then click on the Move button:
4. Browse to a location your C: drive. Click on the Make New Folder button if you want to create a new folder on the C: drive to store the Dropbox data in. Then click on Ok:
5. Click on Ok if the location is correct, or Cancel to go back and change the location:
6. Depending on how much data you have, it may take a while to move.
