Data Backup Instructions

Everything in your My Documents folder may already be saved on your network folder.

How to copy the contents of My Documents to your network folder:
1.  Double left click on My Documents
2.  At the top of the window you should see a row of options labeled File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools, Help
3.  Left click on Edit and left click on "Select All"
4.  If you are prompted with a message saying "This contains X hidden files...." left click OK
5.  If you have a large media collection in My Music, My Videos, or another folder please unselect those folders.  If not you can skip to step 7.
6.  To unselect folders hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and single left click the folders.  The folders you click should no longer be highlighted.
7.  With all of your files selected left click Edit at the top of the window and left click Copy
8.  Close the My Documents window
9.  Double left click on My Computer
10.  Locate and double left click on the drive with the letter (V:) (the drive's name should start with your username) ( your username is generally your last name and first initial)
11.  At the top of the window left click on File > Highlight New > and left click on Folder
12.  A new folder should appear and be highlighted waiting for a name.  Name this folder My Documents followed by the date in this format, MM-DD-YY, ex:  My Documents 06-03-08
13.  Double left click on the folder you just created
14. At the top of the window left click on Edit and left click Paste, this process may take quite some time depending on how many files were in the My Documents folder.  Do not close any windows until the copy is finished.

How to copy Internet Explorer Favorites to your network folder:
1.  Double left click on My Computer
2.  Double left click on the (C:) drive, it is normally called "Local Disk (C:)"
3.  Double left click on "Documents and Settings"
4.  Locate and double left click on your username
5.  You should see a folder called Favorites, left click it once to highlight it
6.  At the top of the window left click Edit and left click Copy
7.  Close the window
8.  Double left click on My Computer
9.  Locate and double left click on the drive with the letter (V:) (the drive's name should start with your username)
10.  At the top of the window left click Edit and left click Paste
11.  We advise renaming the folder to include the current date for future reference.  To do so left click the folder once to highlight it, at the top of the window left click File and left click Rename
12.  The folder's name should now be highlighted waiting for a new name.  Name this folder Favorites followed by the date in this format, MM-DD-YY, ex:  Favorites 06-03-08

How to copy files on your Desktop to your network folder:
1.  Double left click on My Computer
2.  Double left click on the (C:) drive, it is normally called "Local Disk (C:)"
3.  Double left click on "Documents and Settings"
4.  Locate and double left click on your username
5.  Double left click on Desktop
6.  Lots of items on the desktop do not need to be backed up, like shortcuts.  To choose only the things you want to save hold down CTRL and single left click on each of the files/folders you want.  Please do not select large media folders containing music or videos.
7.  At the top of the window left click Edit and left click Copy
8.  Close the Window
9.  Double left click on My Computer
10.  Locate and double left click on the drive with the letter (V:) (the drive's name should start with your username)
11.  At the top of the window left click on File > Highlight New > and left click on Folder
12.  A new folder should appear and be highlighted waiting for a name.  Name this folder Desktop followed by the date in this format, MM-DD-YY, ex:  Desktop 06-03-08
13.  Double left click on the folder you just created
14.  At the top of the window left click on Edit and click Paste, this process may take quite some time depending on how many files you selected.  Do not close any windows until the copy is finished.

Please check your Desktop and My Documents and delete any old and/or unneeded files. Our servers have limited disk space so minimizing the size of your backup will ensure that everyone can backup their important documents. If you have a large music or other media collection please do not copy those files to your network folder. Media collections are typically very large and will consume storage space quickly. We recommend utilizing one of our alternate backup options for those files. All files in network folders are located on a redundant hard disk array on a physically secure server. Each of the servers holding staff network folders is routinely backed up to a separate file server in our office.

Alternate Backup Options:

USB Drive:
Using the above instructions substitute your network drive (V:) for an inserted USB Flash or Hard Disk drive.  The amount of documents and media you can store to one of these devices is only limited to the size purchased.  USB Flash drives in the 2GB to 4GB capacity are readily available for very low prices.  USB Hard Disk drives are a little more expensive but can hold considerably more data.  The 2.5" form factor models can hold up to 320GB while the 3.5" form factor models can hold up to 1024GB.  Any of these devices will appear under My Computer a "Removable Disk Drive".

Burning a CD or DVD:
If your computer contains a CD Burner or DVD burner you can backup document or media files to black CD-R or DVD-R discs.  There are two ways to determine whether or not your computer contains one of these drives:
1.  Double left click on My Computer.  In most cases a CD-ROM drive will appear as "CD Drive", a CD Burner will appear as "CD RW Drive", a DVD-ROM drive will appear as "DVD Drive" and a DVD Burner will appear as "DVD RW Drive".
2.  Look at the front bezel of the optical drive.  If it has logos like "CD-RW' or "Disc ReWriteable" the drive is definitely a CD Burner.  If it has "DVD-R", "DVD-RW" or "Multi Recorder" it is a DVD Burner.
3.  If you are unable to determine if you have a CD or DVD Burner using those methods please give us a call x342 and we'd be happy to take a look.

DVD Burners are capable of writing to both blank CD-R and DVD-R discs.  CD Burners are only capable of writing to blank CD-R discs.  There are quite a few drives in the district that say DVD-ROM and "ReWriteable" on them.  These are known as DVD Combo Drives.  They can read DVD discs but can only write to blank CD-R media.  A normal blank CD-R disc can hold 700MB (~0.7GB) of data and a normal blank DVD-R disc can hold 4.7GB of data.

To write to a blank CD or DVD disc in Windows XP:
1.  Insert a blank CD or DVD into your CD or DVD Burner
2.  If prompted with a message reading "Windows can perform the same action each time you insert a disk or connect a device with this kind of file:" left click cancel
3.  Locate the files/folders you wish to write to disc.  Note that a single blank CD may not be large enough to hold everything so you may have to select small groups of files/folders and write to multiple discs.
4.  Once the files/folders have been selected left click Edit at the top of the page and left click Copy.
5.  Double left click on My Computer
6.  Double left click on your "CD RW Drive" or "DVD RW Drive"
7.  At the top of the screen left click Edit and left click Paste
8.  Once all of the files appear in the window find the "Write files to disc" link in the right hand tasks area and left click on it.
9.  You will be prompted with the "CD Writing Wizard".  Enter a name for your disc in the "CD Name" field and left click next.  The CD will start writing.
10.  When the writing is done the disc will be ejected and you will be prompted with "Completing the CD Writing Wizard".  Click Finish.