File Storage FAQ
- Two Facts About Files and Documents Stored on Your Computer
- What is USM doing to address these two facts?
- What about the Common Drive (N:)?
- Should I keep the same files on both my hard drive and on the User Drive?
- How do I move files and folders to my User Drive?
- How do I save files directly to the User Drive?
- Can I change the default Save and Open location in my programs?
- How can I tell how much space is being used on my User Drive?
- Can I get more space allocated to my User Drive?
- Can I access my User Drive when I’m not on campus?
- What if I need to share confidential documents with some people in my department?
Two Facts About Files and Documents Stored on Your Computer
- They are not secure. Any USM employee can log onto your computer and open, change, print or delete your document files.
- They are not automatically backed up. The hard drive on your computer (and any computer disk) is subject to failure. Computer disks can become unreadable and unusable at any time, causing the documents on that disk to become unreadable and useless.
What is USM doing to address these two facts?
The Division of Information & Technology and the IT Network Services department has increased network storage space 10-fold for each USM staff or faculty member. Each computer user can now store up to 500 Megabytes of important and sensitive USM documents on their User Drive (U: drive). Your User Drive is available to only you with your Novell username and password and is automatically backed up every night in case disaster recovery is needed. The User Drive has the same name as your Novell username and is referred to as the U: Drive for Windows users. For Mac users, it will often appear on the computer’s desktop as a folder or document icon with your Novell username in italics. Mac OS X users should not confuse the User Drive with their Home Folder, which may have the same name, but is identified with a “house” icon.
What about the Common Drive (N:)?
Each department still has their Common N: drive. The purpose of this drive is to store documents that are shared with others in your department. Sensitive documents should not be stored on this drive as every computer user in your department (possibly student workers too) has full access (read, write, delete) to all of the documents on this drive. This drive is also automatically backed up nightly.
Should I keep the same files on both my hard drive and on the User Drive?
Generally, no. You should move important USM documents to your User Drive. Having the same files in two places can cause the problem and possible confusion of having two versions of the same document in different places. Remember also that documents on your hard drive are not secure.
How do I move files and folders to my User Drive?
On a PC, use Windows Explorer. (Right-click Start and choose Explore). Right-click a file or folder on your C: drive and choose Cut. Right-click on your User Drive (or folder within your User Drive) and choose Paste.
Mac users may want to simply backup their local documents to the User Drive and still keep their working documents on their computer. This will avoid some possible issues with older Mac systems and network drives. Dragging and dropping files or folders to the User Drive will automatically copy them.
How do I save files directly to the User Drive?
When you save a file, navigate to the User Drive within the save dialog box before completing the save. In both Windows and on a Mac, there is a drop down list for disk locations to save to. Click this dropdown list to choose a different disk. If needed, double-click on a specific folder to save directly to that folder. You can also create a shortcut or alias to ease the navigation to a network drive.
Can I change the default Save and Open location in my programs?
Yes – most programs allow you to change this. In a Microsoft Office program, click the Tools menu and choose Options. Then click File Locations and Modify to navigate and change the default setting. In WordPerfect, click the Tools menu and choose Settings. Double-click Files and then change the default document location. In Microsoft Office on a Macintosh, the file locations settings are kept in the Preferences submenu.
How can I tell how much space is being used on my User Drive?
On a Windows computer, go to Start > All Programs > USM Apps > Utilities and choose Disk Quota. Type the letter for the drive (U:) and click OK. A listing will show you how much space each folder is using, totaling this list and showing the amount of free space remaining. Mac user can select the actual User Drive icon (not the alias on the Desktop) and choose Get Info from the File menu to find the total space used.
Can I get more space allocated to my User Drive?
Yes. Increased space for the User Drive may be purchased from IT Network Services, based on a monthly charging system.
Can I access my User Drive when I'm not on campus?
Yes. Go to https://myfiles.usm.maine.edu and enter your Novell username and password. You will have download and upload access to all network drives that you have rights to.
What if I need to share confidential documents with some people in my department?
Contact the HelpDesk and IT Networking Services can setup specific folders which only requested personnel have access to.
