Floppy disks are the easiest method of storing files, or an image to, (photos / drawings etc) as they can be transported to many computers and used as necessary.
Most public access computers, such as TOPAP have a virus protection program running in the background to protect the computer from being infected.
The use of private floppy disks in public access computers is restricted and it is advisable to check with the staff if it is possible to use your floppy disks in their machines. Even if you do not have a computer at home, work can be still saved to a floppy disk to use at the next appointment.
The size of the floppy disk storage is 1.44Mb. This is capable of storing around 150, 1 page letters or 50 small pictures. Further information of file sizes will be discussed in file handling procedures in another section of the user guide.
Before using floppy disks, it is advisable to
understand how to use them and care for them correctly. The storage disk is
encapsulated inside the plastic cover. There is a metal or plastic protective
cover folded over one end of the disk.
This end is inserted into the drive first. The label must be facing up, or the circular disk, as shown in the previous picture, must be facing down, for the disk to be inserted correctly in the disk drive.
Most computers have a disk drive mounted horizontally. To use
a floppy disk, it first must be placed into the computer floppy drive in the
correct manner. You will notice the picture on the left shows the correct
position for the floppy disk before insertion.
To insert the disk into the drive, move the disk into the slot provided, then push the disk until you hear a slight click sound.
If the disk fails to completely enter the drive bay, then the
disk is being inserted incorrectly, remove it and retry.
Make sure the disk is facing the right way up and the folded protective cover is toward the disk drive.
To have correctly inserted the disk it will be inside the drive bay. If force is needed to insert the disk further, it is still not being inserted correctly, remove it and retry.
The disk can be ejected by pressing firmly on the little eject button on the front of the drive. This will move the disk out of the drive, with about a 10mm part of the disk sticking out. Simply grab the disk and pull gently.
Diskettes are a sure and reliable method of storing information. Proper care of these disks is important, as if the information is damaged in some way; there is no easy means of retrieving it.
· Do not leave them on the dashboard or seat of the car, as sunlight will distort the plastic case and they will not be able to be inserted successfully in to the drive. Excessive heat will also damage the disk inside the case.
· Do not store them near electrical fields. These include some old telephones, speaker enclosures or fridge magnets which emit magnetic fields that will erase the data contained on the disks.
· Do not immerse them in any liquid, or spill liquid onto them, this will damage the disk inside the case.
· Do not touch the disk surface behind the protective cover. The acid in the body’s perspiration will damage the disk surface.
The information stored on these disks is irretrievable if the disk is damaged. So look after them!
The use floppy disks to store files and pictures onto requires some understanding. Windows products, default to storing files onto the hard drive in the folder called "My Documents". This is OK if the computer belongs to the operator, but not at TOPAP as the files will be erased when the person logs off.
So to resolve this, we suggest you acquire some floppy diskettes from a newsagent or department store for your own personal use. You can then bring them to TOPAP to save your files and pictures on.
OK how do you use them? The previous sections dealt with the basics of handling diskettes and how they work, this section explains how to use them to store your precious files and photos.
Say you decide to write a letter to a friend and wish to save the letter. You will need a floppy diskette to store the letter onto. Firstly start the Word program, write your letter then you will want to save to the floppy diskette.
Place the floppy diskette into the drive as previously described, then you click on "file" from the menu, and select "save as", this will open a separate window as shown below.
The window that opens defaults to "My Documents" this is not where you wish to save your letter, instead you will tell the system where to save to. Next you move the mouse cursor to the down pointing arrow on the right of the words "My Documents".
Click on the arrow and a drop down list will
appear as shown on the left. You will notice the highlight is still on
"My Documents", so move the mouse cursor up to "3˝ Floppy
(A:)".
Double click and the "Save In" box will show 3˝ Floppy (A:), this has now set the current default save location to the floppy diskette.
All that is needed now is to designate a file name for the letter and select "Save" on the bottom right of the window, and the letter will be saved to the floppy diskette.
Word will then return you to the letter for further input. If you wish to add to the letter you can, when you wish to save to the diskette, selecting "Save" from the file menu will again save to the floppy.
When you have finished with word and your letter, simply close word and remove your floppy diskette.
This procedure is common in all window based products, the default location is "My Documents" and only can be changed in the manner described above.
Ok you have your letter saved to the floppy diskette, How do you retrieve the letter?
Simple, there are two ways of retrieving the letter. Firstly you can open the letter from the floppy diskette. Select the "Start" button, choose "My computer", double click on the "3˝ Floppy A:"
This will open a window simular to the picture below.
You
will notice the title bar is labelled "3˝ Floppy (A:) and includes a list
of files stored on the floppy.
This window is divided into two sections giving you information about the floppy contents.
In the left window a graphical representation of the amount of space used and free is displayed.
This is handy to enable you to see how much free space is available to save more files.
On the right the names of your files are displayed.
To select a specified file simply move the mouse cursor over the file name you wish to open and double click on the file
The word program will open with your letter displayed in the work area.
Seeing as you opened word with your file all save actions will default to the floppy diskette.
When finished with your letter close word and remove your floppy diskette.
The second method has a few more steps. You open "Word" in the normal manner then, from the "file" menu select "open". This defaults to "My Documents" choose "3˝ Floppy (A:)" as previously described from the drop down list.
A window will open simular to the one shown above, for you to select your letter from.
Double click on your letter and it will be displayed in the work area of "Word". Saving any changes made to the letter will default to the 3˝ Floppy diskette as the default was set by opening the file from the floppy diskette.
Using photos saved on a floppy diskette the method of simply double click will only result in displaying the photo on the screen. If you wish to place a photo into a letter you will have to insert it into your letter whilst using "Word".
This
can be achieved by selecting "Insert" from the menu, choosing
"picture", "from file" this will open a window, to select
where the picture is stored as shown on the left.
Again Windows defaults to a sub directory in "My Documents", called "My Pictures", change to 3˝ Floppy (A:) as described previously, then select the photo you wish to use.
Select "Insert" and the photo will be inserted into the document
Formatting photos or picture files within documents will not be discussed here but will be included in another section of this user guide.
Remember any photo or document stored on a floppy diskette can be lost if care is not taken in using or storing them. So treat them with care.