IRCC - Landscape CAD course - ETD2568C by: Bill Schell (e-mail: wschell@ircc.net) date: Wednesday, 03 January 2007 - version 1e learning the 'ins and outs' of Microsoft Windows copying files... ================================================================= You require this 'skill' in more than one area and what you learn here will benefit you any time you work with on / using Microsoft's Windows Operating System - and the skill-set is useful on other computer operating system(s) as well. In this class (Landscape CAD) you will be required to copy files every single class period, in order to backup your work files / classroom exercises and projects. Please NOTE HERE: Microsoft Windows (XP) Computers - such as the ones supplied to you, in this classroom, by IRCC WILL CRASH and you WILL lose 'some' work - this is reality and neither I, nor IRCC will re-do your work for you.. IT is not a question of IF - it is a question of WHEN. I will NOT give you credit for "I had this and the computer crashed" - I will only give you credit for a file that I can see.... YOUR LESSON: _ Backup your work-files FREQUENTLY! You will need to copy files to 'deliver for grading' those files you want to be graded into / onto my USB-grading-disk - there will be a folder on that USB-disk called "Student_Files_for_Grading" and in that folder there will be a folder for each student in the class. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY is to place your files that you want graded in that folder - at least twice a month (15th and 30th (or the class date closest to those dates).. I will not - as an instructor, 'assist' you with this task except for about 1/2 hour on class-evening 2 (Thursday, 15 March, 2007) This is the ONLY time I will help you copy files - and if you do not copy the files to my USB-grading-disk at least once every other class period then you will NOT receive a GRADE for this class. So you - the student - have a 'responsibility' here to make certain that you can do this successfully... I will expect you to know this process / procedure 'cold' and your grade, in this class will depend on your ability to copy files, successfully to my "USB-grading disk". So - here's a 'brief tutorial' in how to copy files (using the Microsoft Windows (XP) Operating System (using other operating systems is very similar)): ==================================================== HOW to Copy Files from 'place "A" to place "B"' - typically: place "A" is your computer's hard disk typically: place "B" is your 'USB-disk' or other removable media When using the Microsoft Windows Operating System, there are (as in most computer operating system(S)) more than one way to copy files. The method I will outline here is only one way - if you know another way, and it works - then that is FINE. You do not need to learn 'my way' - it is only ONE WAY that achieves the desired goal... so - here's the tutorial: let's assume you have a file in a directory or folder on your computer and it's path and name is as follows: c:/Documents and Settings/JoeUser/LandscapeCAD/myProject1.dwg and - let's 'assume' for the sake of argument you want to put that file on a USB-disk that has been inserted into the computer and shows up as: USBdisk(F:) <==== that is your name for the disk is "USBdisk" and Microsoft Windows has loaded it as disk "F:/" again - there are a number of different ways to do this - this is only one.. Step 1: find: on the computer's desktop the 'icon' for "My Computer" Step 2: double-click: on that icon and it will open, and it will 'show' several disks (both fixed and removeable) the one at the top will, typically, be the "C:/" disk... Step 3: you should see: your "USBdisk" (or some other name) loaded as E:/, F:/, or G:/ and this 'listing' should show-up about '1/2 way down' the listing of all the drives / media that the computer's operating system 'senses' - and there may be some drives there that you don't know about and/or they may have name(s) that don't make sense to YOU, but probably make sense to the operating system. Step 4: double-click: on the icon for C:/ (My Computer); Step 5: re-size: the window for C:/ until it is less than 1/4 of the screen-area and move the window to the upper-left corner of the screen Step 6: double-click: on the icon for "My Computer" again - getting the window to open Step 7: double-click: on the icon for the USBdisk(F:) (or your name for your USB disk) to get it to open in another window Step 8: re-size: the windows for USBdisk(F:) (or your name) so that the window is less than 1/4 of he screen-area and move the window to the lower-right portion of the screen Step 9: navigate: through the folders on the C:/ disk to get to the folder that contains the file you want to copy FROM Step 10: navigate: through the folders on the USBdisk (or your disk-name) to get to the folder that contains the folder where you want to copy the file(s) TO: Step 11: select-click-drag: the file(s) you want to copy FROM in the C:/ window and drag them to the open "To:" (most probably to the window with USBdisk(F:) at the top) Step 12: 'clean-up': close both windows (the "C:/" window and the "F:/" window) Step 13: close; unmount; remove the USB disk by this procedure: in the 'menu-bar' (at the bottom (right) of the screen) there should be a tiny icon that looks like a removable USB-disk - and a left-pointing green arrow. if you 'hover' your mouse-cursor over this icon it will create a black-text on a white background box that displays this text: "Safely Remove Hardware" NOW if you 'left-click' on this icon the text in the box will change to: "Safely remove Mass Storage Device Drive F:" NOW if you left-click on the text-box you will notice that the computer has turned-off the light on your USBdisk and it will be safe to remove it from the computer and your file-copying task(s) are complete...