File Storage

The Home Directory

Save your files your home folder, which is also known as My Documents or as the H: drive⁹. Files you save in your Windows home folder will appear in your Linux home folder. Your home folder is backed up regularly. Never save anything to the C: drive. The C: drive is never backed up, and we frequently erase the C: drive during upgrades.

The Work Directory

Save reproducible data to your work folder, which is also known as the X: drive. Files you save in your Windows work folder will appear in your Linux work folder. The work folder is backed up regularly.

The Data Directory

On request, we will make a Data directory, which is also known as the Y: drive. Files you save in your Windows data folder will appear in your Linux data folder. The data folder has no storage limits, but it is never backed up. The Data Directory is best used as a temporary storage space for large data sets generated by you or downloaded from the Internet.

Backups and Disk Quotas

Disk usage in the H: drive is limited by a quota system. A work drive, called the X: drive, is usually provided as a place to store additional files. The X: drive is best used to store easily-reproducible data, as it is not backed-up as often as the H: drive. To view the disk space usage in your home drive or your work drive, right-click on the H: drive or the X: drive and select Properties. SNS Computing will provide more disk space in the X: drive on request. See the disk quotas page¹⁰ for a full explanation.

Restoring Files

You can restore changes to files and folders in your home folder for up to two weeks. To restore a file or folder:

1. Right-click on the file or folder containing the item you need to restore.
2. Click the Previous Versions tab.
3. In the next window, you can view, copy, or restore the older versions.

For changes to files and folders older than two weeks, you must contact the computing staff for assistance.