One of the most common difficulties I have come across in schools, in relation to computer usage, is that of transferring data and files between computers. Less common, thankfully, but closely related, is that of hard disk failure, an occurrence usually accompanied by large doses of weeping and teeth-gnashing.
Those new to computing, in fact, often find the whole area of data storage and the various types of disks that go with it, quite confusing, a difficulty accentuated by the rapid increase of new storage technologies in recent times. This article, therefore, will attempt to demystify the more common school-related tasks and functions in relation to the storage and transfer of data, and to clarify for teachers how best to deal with these simply and effectively.
In any school where computers are used regularly, it is essential to have a cache of floppy disks. The most common format of floppy disk these days is the 3.5in 1.44Mbyte disk. Although they have a relatively low storage capacity, they are extremely convenient as they are removable and portable. As they are standard on all modern computers — and have been for many years — they are an ideal way to transfer and back up files.
As sure as nits are nits
Care, of course, must be taken with these disks. If pupils are allowed bring them home and/or into school, it is as inevitable that one of the discs will be infected with a virus.
In my school, no floppy disks are allowed in from any source, unless they come straight out of a shrink-wrapped box. Viruses cause so much trouble and additional work that it is simply the most effective way of protecting the school’s computers from attack.
Few schools that I know of have direct Internet connections into classrooms. Usually, files that are to be published on the school Website or e-mailed have to be saved to local hard disk and from there on to a floppy disk before publication on the Web or dispatch by e-mail from a computer with Internet access. A group of pupils in my own school recently prepared a simple Powerpoint presentation for a group of students in Adelaide, Australia. Due to the flexibility of the floppy, they could work away in their classroom, save their presentation to disk and then have the contents emailed Down Under. Similarly, a presentation from Adelaide arrived on the connected PC, was transferred on to a floppy and then explored at leisure by an unconnected PC in the pupils’ classroom.
Repeat instructions
Another advantage of the floppy is that disks can be reused. It is a quick and simple matter to delete unwanted files or to reformat the disk for repeat use. If you have made copies of important files on floppies that you don’t want deleted, remember to prevent this by opening the sliding cover at the rear of the disk. This simple process is often overlooked, but performs the essential task of write-protecting the disk so that data cannot be written to it.
It is important to remember that, like hard disks, floppies store data magnetically, so they need to be stored well away from any devices that emit magnetic fields. These include radios, televisions, CD players — and computers!
Hard teacher
Hard disks, of course, just like teachers, are not infallible! No matter how well you look after your computer, there is always the possibility of a hard disk failure. Therefore, any important data on the hard disk, which cannot be replaced, should be backed up on to another storage device.
It is also a very good idea — and I’m speaking from bitter experience here — to keep all set-up disks and manuals which come with the computer in a safe place. Otherwise disks containing drivers for items such as graphic cards, sound cards and CD ROM drives can often take up an inordinate amount of time to track down. It’s a simple matter, of course, to duplicate important files on to floppy disk ? that is, of course, if they are less than 1.44 Mbyte in size.
The big boys
So what do you do if you wish to duplicate (for back up or transfer) the school Website, or a large multimedia presentation? Until the advent of CD writers, most people used high-capacity removable disks, such as Zip disks, for this purpose.
An external zip drive, costing about £100, can be plugged in to the parallel port on the back of the computer, enabling the transfer of up to 240Mbyte of data on to a Zip disk (costing about £14). The drive can then be connected to another computer, if required, and the data transferred on to the second computer.
Once installed and the computer re-booted, the zip drive appears in the My Computer window as just another disk drive with its own associated letter.
Education CD
More recently, however, the increased storage capacity and versatility of CD R and CD RW disks has made this option for data storage more popular. Indeed, most new computers on sale today offer the option of either a DVD drive or CD RW drive instead of the standard CD ROM. Before discussing the advantages of this type of storage, however, it is worth pausing momentarily to clarify exactly what these acronyms actually mean:
* A CD ROM can store up to 650Mbyte of data, but its contents cannot be changed. A computer CD ROM is pretty much the same as the player used for music CDs.
* A DVD ROM drive (Digital Versatile Disk, Read Only Memory drive) will play both conventional CD ROMs and the newer DVD disks, which look just the same but which can hold huge amounts of data, including full length movies. At the moment, the contents of these disks cannot be altered or rewriten, so they serve no useful storage / backup function.
* The letters CD R stand for compact disk recordable. These are blank CDs onto which information, including computer data and music, can be recorded, but only once. Once a recording session is finished, the contents can no longer be altered. These disks are playable on most CD ROM drives (except a few older ones) and CD players. In order to store files on to such a disk you need a CD R drive. The drives cost about £130, with blank disks available for as little as a pound each. CD R disks can store up to 650Mbyte of data and are an ideal way to store important system files or documents in case of hard disk failure. They also offer a speedy and reliable method of transferring large files and programs (such as Websites) from one computer to another.
* CD-RW (compact disk rewritable format) disk is slightly more expensive, but it offers greater flexibility than a CD R disk, as you can record data on it repeatedly.
Both CD R and CD RW formats store data optically and are read using a laser in the CD drive, so it’s not necessary to take the same storage precautions, re magnetic interference, as are necessary with floppy disks. However, all CD’s should be handled carefully to avoid scratching their surface.
The process of backing up files to CD ROM is as painless and intuitive as using Windows Explorer. You simply drag and drop the selected files from one drive to another. If you are thinking of buying a new computer for yourself — or, indeed, considering investing in some new hardware for your school — it’s well worth while, I suggest, going for a DVD drive accompanied by a CD RW on at least one machine. In addition to making compilations of your favourite music tracks, the capacity to make copies of large amounts of data for storage, backup or transfer purposes is extremely valuable.
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