Saving Documents in the Classroom

The computers in all HCC classrooms restart themselves every night and are programmed to erase all changes (and documents) to the system. Students CANNOT use 'My Documents' or 'Desktop' to permanently save documents, but can use them to save/work on a document during class.

What are the options for saving a document in the classroom?

1. Floppy Disk. The computers do have floppy drives and students are welcome to bring disks and use them. However, this is an increasingly less viable option because of the small capacity, slow speed, and unreliability of floppies.

2. USB Flash Drive. A flash drive plugs into the USB port of any computer and shows up as a new lettered drive in 'My Computer'. You can save, open, and move files just like you would off of a floppy disk. Flash drives have 100x - 1000x the capacity of a floppy and are MUCH faster. 128MB models can be bought for $15 - $20 at the store (including the HCC Bookstore)

3. Email. Emailing files to oneself as an attachment is a good option for portability, as a backup, or when no other option exists. It is not the easiest way to store large numbers of files as each one (or few) will be attached to a separate email and must be downloaded to a machine every time for editing.

4. Network Storage (aka the 'W' drive or StudentWeb folder). Network storage is space maintained by the college for students and faculty to store files. This storage can be accessed in the classroom or at home - see instructions below:

Accessing the 'W' drive from home - setting up a permanent shortcut

Accessing the 'W' drive in the classroom

Student access to network storage