Saving Your Data

It can't be stressed enough how important it is to save your files. All too often, a few wrong keystrokes have erased people's assignments and final projects.

As the semester gets underway, you will most likely start saving many documents. There are various places where you can save your files, including your H: Drive and on various removable mediums.

This page contains information on the topics indicated in the submenu to the left of this paragraph. Or, you may also view tutorials that go over basic tasks relating to Saving Your Data (or, File Management). Please click the icon below to view those tutorials. Otherwise, keep reading!

Link to File Management-related Tutorials

What are my H:\ and S:\ Drives?

H:\ Drive:

This is your personal space on the network, and is also where you would place the files needed for your personal webspace. If you do not have a USB Flash Drive or a floppy disk at the moment, you can save your files to this space and they will be there the next time you log in. Each student is initially allocated 25MB of useable personal storage; this storage space is the equivalent of slightly more than 17 floppy disks.

In Windows, you can access your H:\ drive by clicking on "My Computer". On the Mac, do this by opening up a new Finder window (located in the Dock on the Mac Screen). You are welcome to place documents in your "My Documents" (Windows) or "Documents" (Mac) folder.

S:\ Drive:

Also known as the "Courses" folder or "Shared", this drive is where some of your course's file folders are located. These folders typically contain files needed to complete homework assignments, class notes, or PowerPoint slides, all placed by the instructor.

On a Windows computer, double-click on My Computer, and then double-click on the Courses folder. On a Macintosh, double-click on Gecko.Shared, and then double-click on the Courses folder. Your instructor will provide specific instructions regarding the name of your course folder and how to use the materials included there.

NOTE 1: Not all courses have a course folder. Please contact your instructor for information regarding any course folders.

NOTE 2: If your instructor has placed copies of course documents in a shared folder for the semester, there is no need to copy them permanently to your personal space. You can access them from the course folder easily enough, even from off-campus if you have an ISP. Please see "Working Offsite" for directions. Though, if you really want to save those files, consider using one of the removable mediums discussed in the section called "Saving Data".

NOTE 3: Under normal circumstances, you are not allowed to save to the S:\ Drive at all. Some courses, such as CIS105, will require you to turn in your assignments by saving your documents there. Please talk to your instructor to get instructions on how to save your assignments to your S:\ drive, should that be deemed to be a requirement.

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Where else can I save my files?

Removable Mediums: To safeguard your documents, we suggest that you also store your data on any removable medium: USB Flash Drive, 3.5" floppy disk, or a CD-R. All of these are acceptable, yet we recommend you use a USB flash drive for your data storage needs. Here is a comparison of all these mediums.

USB Flash Drive

Storage Size: 32MB-1GB (that's a minimum of 30 floppies)
Recommended: 128MB
Physical Life: Virtually indestructible under normal, reasonable usage.

3.5" Floppy Disk

Storage Size: 1.44MB
Rewriteable: Yes, until the disk wears out.
Physical Life: Broken if sat on. Melts if left in your car.

CD-R/CD-RW

Storage Size: 650MB or 700MB
Rewriteable: Yes, only if the CD and Drive have CD-RW capability.
Physical Life: Broken if sat on. Can be warped when exposed to high temperatures.

As stated on http://www.usbflashdrive.org: "USB flash drives are compact and easy-to-use devices that are similar in use to your computer hard drive. USB flash drives slip into your pocket, conveniently around your neck or on a keychain for ultimate portable storage. USB flash drives finally fulfill the real promise of the digital age: complete freedom and mobility." For more information on the USB flash drive, please look at USB Flash Drive's Overview for a simple explanation!

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How do I find out how much space I have left?

Windows: Right-click on the My Computer icon on your Desktop. Select 'Properties' from the menu that appears. The pie graph shows you how much space has been allocated to your account, how much is used, and how much is free.

Mac: It's not known how to do so yet.

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I'm close to using up my disk quota. How can I get more storage space?

By default, students have 25MB of 50MB of useable storage space on their H: Drive, the equivalent of about 30 floppy disks. This quota may be increased for specific classes at the request of the instructor, but students may request additional space individually if they require it. If you get close to your quota, you will be notified on login by a message box saying you have a certain amount of space left.

One way to make space in your H: drive would be to copy homework files or completed projects you no longer need to a USB drive or to a CD, and then delete the files from the system. If you don't make more room in your account, your account can become corrupted, and your account may lose some functionality.

Finally, if you still need more space or have any questions, feel free to stop by Technology Research & Implementation (formerly the Innovation Center) during open hours for assistance.

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Help! I deleted files off of H: or S:! How can I recover those files?

Regular backups are performed on each person's server space. If you mistakenly delete a file you had already saved at least once, you can recover it yourself using a salvage capability.

If you can answer "yes" to the first question and answer either of the second or third questions, then your file(s) can be recovered:

Did you delete the file(s) while you were using one of GCC's computers while on campus?
Were you were using a Windows machine at that time?
If you were using a Mac, did you leave the Trash folder on the desktop alone (eg: you didn't empty it)?

PLEASE NOTE!

Backups are done twice daily: 7:00am and 12:00pm. If you create and delete a file between the backup times, then your file cannot be recovered. Please be sure to save your files to a removeable medium.

For Windows users:

Double-click on My Computer and select the location that contained the file (most likely a folder on your H:\ drive).
Right-click on the folder that used to contain your file and select "Properties"; the "Properties" dialog box will appear. For example, if your file is called "Essay1.doc" and if the location is "H:\MyDocuments\Eng101\Essay1.doc", then you must right-click on the folder called Eng101 because Eng101 contains the document you wish to salvage.
Please click on the "Previous Versions" tab to view the files
Select the file to restore. Be careful to compare dates and file sizes in case you had multiple versions of your file.
Click the "Restore" button. If you already have a file by that name, you will be asked to rename the file. Otherwise, you will be asked to confirm your selection.
Click the "OK" button once you're finished.

For Mac users:

If you're trying to restore the file while you're using a Mac, simply go back to the Trash folder on the Mac desktop toolbar and drag the file back to wherever you like. If you deleted the file while using a Mac and are now trying to restore the file while you're using a Windows machine, simply look for the folder labelled ".Trash"

Some important things to keep in mind:

The deleted files are purged occasionally in order to improve the Student Server's boot time, but realistically the files tend to be available for some time after you have actually deleted them.
In order to salvage a deleted file, you MUST have saved it yourself first. Either of the following scenarios result in files you cannot bring back:
- You chose to only open a document attached to an email from any email account, made some changes, never saved your document, and your account froze. -OR-
- You created a new document, typed it, printed it, and then closed the document without saving it.

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How do I keep my server space free?

Save your files to any form of removable medium, such as a CD-R or USB Flash Drive.

If your instructor has placed copies of course documents in a shared folder for the semester, there is no need to copy them to your personal space. You can access them from the course folder easily enough, even from off-site if you have an ISP.

For more information on the different types of removeable mediums, please see the brief section called, "Where else can I save my files?"

Check your desktop!

Make sure that you have placed shortcuts to files and applications there, not the files or applications themselves. Check specifically for files downloaded from the Internet, especially programs and graphics. Navigate to the Desktop folder (from My Computer or using Windows Explorer) and sort files by size by clicking on the label bar at the top of the window. Delete larger files first, after you made sure you no longer need the file.

Check to see that you have actually emptied your Trash

Also, check to see if you have fully deleted unwanted email messages. Read the special instructions about deleting large files in the Student Email Section.