Anyone using a computer in the UMPI computer labs has had to use either a 3.5 inch floppy diskette or a **zip disk to store data files (e.g., word docs, PowerPoint, email, etc.) Floppies (3.5 inch) hold only 1.44 **megs of data and can easily be damaged. Zip disks save 100 to 250 megs of data and are a bit more reliable, (however, not all personal home computers have a zip drive).
Computer Services has worked hard over the past few months to offer a convenient storage alternative. As a result, students using the computer labs have access to 25 megs of storage (in comparison to other colleges, this is a lot). It is important to keep in mind that the files saved on the H: drive is only available in the computer labs unelss you save the files to a zip or 3.5 inch floppy diskette.
In order to have access to this storage area, students need to get an **NDS account at the UMPI Library Computer Lab office. An UMPI ID (usually this is a SS#) and last name will be required. Students must then authenticate with the NDS account in the computer labs. Once authenticated, they can save data and email on the H: drive.
One last thing concerning the NDS account is that students can use it to authenticate. This account will work in the event that the Student ID or maine.edu accounts are not working due to problems at UNET.
Does all of this sound a bit overwhelming? Well, CS has taken steps to test the new storage area, as well as to thoroughly train all the Computer Lab Consultants. Consultants will be able to provide assistance with each of the following:
- Getting the account and changing the password
- Authenticating with NDS account
- Saving data files to the H: drive
- Setting email preferences to save attachments to the H: drive
- Formatting backup diskettes/managing files
This all adds up to a more efficient technology environment for students using the UMPI computer labs.
