Faculty & Staff

Backing up Files to Your Mercury Folder from a campus PC (Windows)

Why should I backup my files?

Regularly making backups is one of your best defenses against lost files caused by viruses, worms, and software or hardware failure.

How often should I backup my files?

It is recommended that you perform backups on a regular schedule. How often you do backups depends on how much your files change, but once a week or once every other week is a good interval for many people.

If you are getting a new computer, it is requested that you backup your important files to the Mercury file server, before Information Technologies  configures and sets up your new computer, Your files will then be accessible from your new computer.

Where do I backup my files?

UWB Faculty and staff can backup their files on the Mercury server, which is the most secure location for their files. Information Technologies automatically gives faculty and staff 500MB of space.

How do faculty and staff access their Mercury folders?

1. Click Start on your task bar, and then click Run.

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2.  In the "Run" window, type \\mercury, then click OK.

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Creating a desktop shortcut to your Mercury folder

A desktop shortcut makes it simpler to access and save files directly to your Mercury folder.

  1. Open your department's folder, locate your folder, click once on your folder to highlight it, then click on File on the menu bar, then click Create Shortcut.
  2. A window will pop up that says, "Windows cannot create a shortcut here. Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the desktop instead?" Click Yes.
  3. An icon with your name will appear on your desktop that will look similar to this:

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  1. You may want to create a shortcut to your department's public folder so that you can share files with other people in your department. Just follow steps 1 and 2 and highlight the public folder instead.

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Which files do I backup?

  1. My Documents: Microsoft Office programs will save in your "My Documents " folder as a default. Many times, people will inadvertently save files here. To check your "My Documents" folder for files, go to your desktop and double-click on the My Documents icon.

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Note: Just dragging "the My Documents" icon from the desktop to  Mercury will just create a shortcut. To copy your files over:

  • Double-click the My Documents icon, on the desktop.
  • Click Edit, which is on the toolbar, and click Select All.
  • Click on Edit and click Copy.
  • Open your Mercury folder.
  • Click on Edit and click Paste.
  1. My Pictures: Remember to check your my pictures folder. It is located in the My Documents folder.

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  1. Bookmarks and Favorites: Backup any Netscape bookmarks and Internet Explorer favorites. See our documentation on Backing up bookmarks and favorites.
  2. Email: It is not necessary to backup your Homer, Dante, or Outlook 2000 email. If you are using Outlook Express, email or call the Helpdesk at 2-3456 for assistance with backing up email files.
  3. .pst, .pab, .oab files: Most people do not have .pst, .pab, and .oab files. If you DO have these, you are probably aware of them. If you want to be sure, you can search your hard disk for them:
  • In the Start menu, select Search, then Files or Folders
  • Type *.pst, then press Enter
  • If no files are found, you do not have PST files
  • If files ARE found, call the Helpdesk at 425-352-3456 and we'll help you determine the best way to back them up.
  • Follow the same steps for each kind of file, searching for *.pab, and then *.oab.
  1. Outlook Signature File: If you have a signature file in Outlook, you can recreate always recreate it. However, if you have a complicated signature, you may choose to go through the following steps and save your signature in word.
  • Launch Outlook. On the menu bar, select Tools, then Options.
  • Click on the Mail format tab.
  • Near the bottom of the page, click on Signatures button at the bottom of the window.
  • In the "Create Signature" window, select the signature file you want to save, and then click Edit.
  • In the signature text box:
    • Press the Ctrl and A keys on your keyboard. (This will select all of the text.)
    • Press the Ctrl and C keys on your keyboard. (This will copy the text.)
    • Launch Word:
      • With a new document, press the Ctrl and V keys on your keyboard. (This will paste the text in Word.)
      • Save the Word document in your Mercury folder.
      • Close Word
  • In Outlook, you should still have the "Edit Signature" window open, click OK.
  • In the "Create Signature" window, click OK.
  • In the "Options" window, click OK.
  • Close Outlook.
  1. Files: Locate your files on your computer and drag them to your Mercury folder. Remember to save any files that you have created in the following programs:
  • MS Office: Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint
  • Adobe Software: PageMaker, Illustrator, Acrobat Distiller
  • HTML Software: Dreamweaver, FrontPage
  • Mathematical and Statistical Tools: Maple, Matlab, SPSS
  • Other Microsoft Software: Project, Publisher, Visio 2002
  1. Additional licensed software: For faculty and staff who will be receiving new computers, the new computer will include the software found at http://www.uwb.edu/computing/policy/standards.xhtml. If you have additional licensed software that will need to be installed, contact the Helpdesk at (425) 352-3456.

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Suggested steps for saving new files as you create them

Saving files directly to your Mercury shortcut, as you create them, is the best method for ensuring that your files will be safe. Some people feel more comfortable saving their files on their PC hard drive and then backing up to Mercury periodically. If you choose to save files to your hard drive, it is best to save all of your files in one desktop folder, so that you can easily backup your files in one step. You can choose either method:

Saving files directly to your Mercury shortcut

  1. You must first follow Creating a Desktop Shortcut to Your Mercury Folder directions.
  2. When you are in an application and you want to save a file:
  • While in the application, click File on the menu bar, then Save As.
  • In the Save As window, click on the Desktop button on the left hand side of the window.
  • This will bring up your desktop items, scroll until you find your shortcut to Mercury (For example: "Shortcut to CBradley" ) and then double-click on it.
  • The contents of your personal folder on Mercury will now be displayed. Click Save.

Creating a desktop folder and then periodically backing up to Mercury

  1. You must first follow Creating a Desktop Shortcut to Your Mercury Folder directions.
  2. To create a folder on your desktop, right click on an area of your desktop where there are no icons.
  3. In the menu that appears, go to New and then click on Folder.
  4. A folder will appear on your desktop, press the Backspace key and type "Files on my PC", or any name that you want to give this folder.
  5. When you are in an application and you want to save a file:
  • While in the application, click File on the menu bar, then Save As.
  • In the Save As window, click on the Desktop button on the left hand side of the window.
  • This will bring up your desktop items, scroll until you find the folder "Files on my PC" and then double-click on it.
  • The contents of this folder will now be displayed. Click Save.
  1. Once a day, you can backup this folder to your Mercury folder:
  • Click and drag the "Files on my PC" to your shortcut to Mercury on the desktop.
  • You will see a window that says "copying files."

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