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Man using computer AEE 526 - Information Technologies in
Agricultural and Extension Education
Module B:
Icon of filing cabinet drawer 		File Management
Introduction:
Magnifying glass image
 		Several years the instructor of this class was conducting a computer workshop for the administrators at Cary High School. One of the concepts taught was how to use Windows Explorers. A look of amazement appeared on the face of one of the administrators after learning how to use Windows Explorer. This administrator had over 2,000 files saved in a folder titled "My Documents." She didn't know how to create folders. She went home that night, created a bunch of folders, and moved files to the appropriate folders.  After this she was able to find files more quickly and was much more efficient in using her computer. In this lesson we will examine how to manage computer files. If you already know how to do this a little review will not hurt.

Learning Objectives:
Icon of a signpost 		bullet Create a www directory on your server space
bullet Manage your file space on the university server
bullet Use Windows Explorer effectively
bullet Transfer files to the university server using a FTP progrm
bullet Identify types of file according to the file extension
bullet Zip and Unzip computer files.
bullet Install a virus detection program on your computer.
Instructional
Activities:
Icon of a computer 		bullet Read and Do this.

As a student at NCSU you have storage space on the NCSU server. This is where you will save many of the assignments for this class. So whenever assignments are due, you should post them to your university web space. This way there will be no question about any lost or misplaced assignments. If the assignment is not on your web space, it does not exist. At first it may be a little tricky to post your assignments, but after you get used to doing it, it will become routine.
  1. Go to the WWW Setup Tool Web site (https://sysnews.ncsu.edu/tools-bin/www-setup).
  2. Type your Unity password in the space provided.
  3. Click the Set up my web space button.
  4. You will see a window that shows your Web address and the path to your www directory, where all your assignments must be stored. PLEASE WRITE THIS DOWN as we will need to know this in order to find your assignments. It should look something like this: www4.ncsu.edu/~gemoore
The process above creates a directory(folder) called www in your web space and then gives people like me permission to look at the files you place there. You will save all of your assignments to this directory (folder). I will tell you specifically what name to give each assignment. YOU MUST FOLLOW THE NAMING PROCEDURE EXACTLY OR WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIND YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. I do not have the authority to go into this directory and look around for files. I can only open files if I know their exact name.

bullet Read and Do this.

As a NCSU student, you have 350 MB of file storage space on the university server. However, when this is initially generated, it is possible that some of this space is not allocated to you. So you need to go in and check that the amount of space you are supposed to have is what you actually have. To check this you need to go http://sysnews.ncsu.edu/ and login in the User Information box.

Screen shot of a web site

After you log in, you should then click on Quota Manager in the User Information box.

image of screen shot

When the quota manager opens up, you will see that your server space is allocated in three different "pots" of space (see the image below). As a distance education student you need a minimal amount of space in the Novell pot (this is used by on-campus students in computer labs). In the New Quota box, you should set the Novell space to 50 (this is as low as you can get). Depending upon how much e-mail you get, you should set the e-mail space to 50 or more. Since I get a lot of e-mail, I have this set to 200. The final amount of space (AFS) is for file storage. Since some of the assignments you create for this class may be hefty, you should allocate a good bit of space here. You space allocations should add up to 350.  Then click on the Submit Change Request button. After you make adjustments, it will take an hour or more for these changes to take effect.
 
scren shot of sysnews.edu

bullet Read and Do this.

How does one get files into the www directory you created earlier? The answer is simple--use a software program that is designed to transfer files from one computer to another. There is a class of software that goes by the classification of FTP software (FTP stands for File Tranfer Protocol). The NCSU computing center recommends that you download and use WinSCP. This program can be downloaded at  http://winscp.net/ for free (this site may look a little confusing--you will probably see something like
WinSCP 4.1.8 released. Click on the download button below this.

After you download the program, you have to install it. If you don't know how to install a computer program, you may need to ask a colleague for help. When you are installing the program specify that you want a Norton type of interface.

When you run the program, the first screen will ask you to log in. The Host Name is ftp.ncsu.edu. User Name is your NCSU Unity ID and password is your password. That is all you need to enter. Click on Log In. You will then have two directories of files on your screen (this is assuming your computer is hooked up to the Internet). The university server is on the right and your computer is on the left. You can simply drag and drop files from your computer (left screen) to the appropriate directory (www) on the right screen. Or you can use the buttons on the bottom of the screen.  This will transfer the files (assignments) from your computer to the university server space that you control. I will view the files from there. The PowerPoint presentation that follows shows how to use the WINSCP program.

It should be noted that Windows, Dreamweaver, Internet Explorer  and several other programs have a FTP module built into them. However, the WinSCP is easy to use and easier for me to explain if someone experiences a problem.

bullet View a PowerPoint presentation on file management -  http://www.ncsu.edu/cals/agexed/aee226/file_management.ppt

bullet Windows Explorer is one of the most valuable tools on your computer. With Explorer you can create new directories, move files, rename files, see how full your hard drive is and a bunch more.    3dMultimedia has Windows Explorer tutorial. If you are not familiar with Windows Explorer, you will want to carefully walk through this tutorial. (Note: Your version of Windows Explorer may look a little different but the basic concepts are the same. In each version of Windows, the Explorer program is a little different.) To find Windows Explorer on your computer go to:

–        Start

•         Programs

–        Accessories

»         Windows Explorer

When I use Explorer I like to use the "detail" view. This provides the most information.

bullet In Windows Explorer you can generally identify the type of file just by looking at it's extension (the two-four letters after the dot in the file name - onions.doc). It is fairly easy for savvy computer uses to differentiate beween sound files, graphic files, word processing, etc. However, because Microsoft thinks you are dumb, they have "turned off" the showing of file extensions in some versions of Windows Explorer. So you may have to turn it back on. If the file extensions are not showing up as part of the file name in Windows Explorers you should go to

–        Tools

•         Folder Options

–        View

»         And uncheck “hide file extensions of known types”

bullet Go to http://www.sharpened.net/helpcenter/extensions.php to learn more about common file extensions. You should be able to identify the following file types:

  • exe, doc, ppt, pot, xls, jpg, gif, wmf, mp3, ra. docx, xlsx, pptx
  • wav, avi, bmp, htm, html, pdf, zip, txt
bulletRead Microsoft's 7 Tips to Manage Your Files Better.

bulletRead the article Managing your Files.

bulletWhen a "friend" sends you a fille attached to an e-mail, should you open it? The answer depends upon a number of factors. It is possible that the attached file can wreck havoc with your computer. It might be ok. Go to howstuffworks to learn more about computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses.

bullet If you want to safeguard your computer from computer viruses, you should use some type of anti-virus software. As a student at North Carolina State, you can download a free version of Symantec Antivirus software and install it on your home computer. Your really show do this if you don't have virus protection!! On January 12, 2009 the university is changing to a different virus protection program. The link above will still work but it will contain a different product.

bulletLearn how file compression (zipping a file) works.
Lagniappe:
Icon of a wrapped gift 		After reading all the materials in this module, you may be ready for a break. So sit back and listen to some funny audio clips at http://www.allowe.com/Humor/audio.htm. The 2nd one, the telmarketer call is very, very funny. What a way to handle telemarketers!! There are some others that are extremely funny but a little risque so I will not direct you to them.
Assignments:
Icon of note pad 		Complete the Module B Worksheet.  
                                                                                                          



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