SAVING FILES TO THE HARD DISK - Windows 98/ME/XP

I. To Save Files to the Hard Disk (the C: Drive):

A) The first time you save a file (and to give it a title):

1) Click on File, and then on Save As.

2) Click on the downward-pointing arrow next to "Save in: ".

3) Find and double-click on the folder you want to save this document in (e.g., My Documents).

4) Double-click on the sub-folder (if any) that you want to save this file in.

5) Type the file name (e.g., Letter to Phil) into the file name box.

6) Click on the Save button at the upper right.

7) If this is the second or third time (or more) that you’ve clicked on Save As, either intentionally or by accident, the computer will ask if you want to "Replace the existing file?" Click on Yes, but only if you are sure that the document you are saving under the same name as the existing file is NOT blank—instead it should be the same document, with additional, new data or changes that you’ve just added to it. Otherwise, click on No.

If you replace a file with important data in it with a blank file, you will wipe out all of your data and will have to start over from scratch, unless you have saved a copy of your file to some other folder on your hard disk, to a tape backup drive, or to a floppy disk. (See below.)

B) The second, third, etc., time you save a file and any changes made to it:

1) Click on File and then on Save (instead of Save As).

Tip: You should get in the habit of doing this every 20 minutes or so.

II. To Save a File to a Floppy Disk (the A: Drive):

1) Click on File, then on Save As.

2) Click on the Down Arrow button next to Save in: .

3) Click on 3½ Floppy (A:).

4) Leave the file name as it is, or type in a different name. (You can add a character or characters to the existing file name to indicate that this version of the file is the one saved to the floppy disk, such as Letter to Phil-fd .)

5) Click on the Save button at the upper right.

6) Because it takes less time to save a file to the hard drive than to the floppy disk drive, repeat steps 1 and 2 above, and then follow steps 3 and 4 below to change the "Default Drive" that the computer saves to back to the hard disk:

3) Click on the "C: drive" and then double-click below on the folder where you want to save the file in (My Documents). Change the file name back to the way it originally was (i.e., Letter to Phil).

4) Click on the Save button. This ensures that you will be saving your file and any changes you make to it to the hard drive instead of the floppy drive each time you click on File and Save.