Macintosh

Saving Files

It is important to know how to properly save your files when you are working in a general access computer lab. You need to use a 3.5 inch high density formatted diskette to save your data. We recommend that along with your separate Eudora and Netscape diskettes, you carry a third diskette for storing your word processing and other files. Most often, you will save your work directly to your diskette. Occasionally, you may want to save to the Student Temporary folder that exists on the hard drive (e.g. to create a backup file). When you save to the hard drive, be sure to copy those files to your diskette and delete them from the hard drive before you leave the computer. Anything that you save to the hard drive is not guaranteed to be there when you return. Remember that it is important to save frequently to avoid losing data.

The Save As dialog box will be used for determining the file name and the location to which the file will be saved. The graphic below is an example of the Microsoft Word Save As dialog box. The dialog box may look slightly different in other programs, but the main elements are usually consistent.

save as dialog box

Saving a File
Copying a File
File Naming Conventions: Macintosh

Saving a File

To save a file to a diskette for the first time

This procedure is also used when you want to save a copy of the active file to a second location or create a copy of the file with a different name.

From the File menu, select Save As...
Make sure that the name of your diskette appears next to the disk icon in the small rectangle at the top of the dialog box
If it does not:
1. Click DESKTOP
2. Double click on the name of your diskette
In the Save Current Document as: box, type the filename
(Refer to File Naming Conventions)
Click SAVE

To save a file that has already been saved

From the File menu, select Save
The diskette will be updated to reflect the current version of the file.

To save to the Student Temporary folder on the hard drive

From the File menu, select Save As...
Move to the Student Temporary folder
1. Click DESKTOP
2. Double click on the hard drive
3. Double click on Student Temporary
In the Save Current Document as: box, type the filename
(Refer to File Naming Conventions)
Click SAVE

Copying a File

Copying a file from your diskette to the Student Temporary folder

To display your diskette contents, double click the disk icon on the Desktop
To display the contents of the hard drive, double click the hard drive icon on the Desktop
It may be necessary to move or resize the windows in order to view the contents of both the disk and your hard drive simultaneously.
On the hard drive, double click the Student Temporary folder to view its contents
Click and hold the file you wish to copy and drag it from the diskette window to the Student Temporary window
A copy of the disk file will be created in the Student Temporary folder. The original file will remain on your disk.

Copying a file from the Student Temporary folder to your diskette

To display the contents of the hard drive, double click the hard drive icon on the Desktop
On the hard drive, double click on the Student Temporary folder to view its contents
Click and hold the file to be copied and drag it to the disk icon on the Desktop
A copy of the disk file will be created on your disk. The original file will remain in the Student Temporary folder.
To delete the original file from the Student Temporary folder:
1. Click and hold the file to be deleted and drag it to the trash can in the lower right hand corner of the screen
2. From the Special menu, select Empty Trash

File Naming Conventions: Macintosh

Macintosh allows you to name your files with up to 32 characters, including spaces and punctuation.

It is often helpful to choose a filename that is representative of the file's contents. As a student, you will write several reports, so the filename "Report" may not be descriptive enough. However, if you are saving a report for PSYCH 100, the filename "Psych 100 Report1" will be more meaningful. In addition to naming the file, you may want to add notes to the diskette label to further describe the diskette contents.