Files and Shared Folders

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FAQs

Sharing Documents

How can I share a document with someone in my office?
  • There are many ways to share a document with a coworker. If the document is not private and your coworker has access to the same shared space as you, the easiest way is to just copy the file to your G drive. Your coworker can then simply open the file on his or her computer.
  • If you do not have access to the same shared space, or if the document is private (but does not contain sensitive data), you can send the document to your coworker as an e-mail attachment.
    • E-mail attachments do have size limits, and you should be aware that attachments will count towards your quota until the message is either deleted of filed away locally.
    • E-mail should never be used for confidential information!
  • If you need to share sensitive data, Penn offers a service called Secure Share. Secure Share is a secure way to share files between Penn faculty and staff members and is accessible via the web from anywhere.
    • Access Secure Share here.
  • For sharing a document that is not too large and contains no confidential information, e-mail can be a good option.
    • Again, e-mail should never be used for confidential information!
  • For sharing a document that is not too large and contains no confidential information, e-mail can be a good option.
    • Once more, e-mail should never be used for confidential information!
  • Sharing large documents with someone outside of Penn presents a larger challenge. If you need to share large files with someone outside of Penn, please contact us at tech@pobox.upenn.edu so that we can work with you to find a solution appropriate for your situation.

Network Drives

What is a network drive?

A network drive is a folder located on a server that you connect to from your PC. This allows you to easily share your files with others in a secure manner. Network drives are also referred to as network shares, or, more commonly, as G or H drives.

Click on the Start menu and go to My Computer, or double-click on My Computer on the desktop. A new window will open and you will see a section called Network Drives. Depending on your level of access, you may see more than one network drive. The most common drives are the Group (G:) and Home (H:) drive. The Group (G:) drive contains all the folders that are shared in your office. The Home (H:) drive is for your personal work files and folders. Only you have access to your H drive.

Right-click on the network drive and select “disconnect.” Logoff and log back on your computer to see if your network drive is available. If the same symptoms persist, please let us know at tech@pobox.upenn.edu.

To request access to a network space, please visit our Account Management site.

Both your H drive and your G drive are network storage spaces that can be used for important work files. Both are located on servers that are backed up nightly. The difference between these two spaces is that your H drive (your Home drive) is accessible only by you. Your G drive (the Group drive) is accessible by everyone in your office and should be used to store important documents that many people need access to.

PDFs

How can I turn a document into a PDF?

Any file that can be printed can be made into a PDF. Unlike other document types, PDFs are “printed” instead of being saved. To create a PDF from a document, just act as if you are going to print it. Instead of choosing a physical printer, however, choose either Adobe PDF or PDF Printer (depending on which is installed on your computer). When you click Print, you should be prompted to save the file. Give it a name, choose a location, and save it. You should now have your PDF.

Office Documents

What is the difference between .doc and .docx files?

When Microsoft released Office 2007, they changed the file format from what was used with Office 2003 and previous versions. The previous default file types for Word, Excel and Powerpoint were .doc, .xls, and .ppt. The new file types are .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.

The older file types can be opened in the newer versions of Office, but the newer types cannot be opened in the older versions of Office without a converter.

If you think that you will be sharing a file with someone who has Office 2003 or older, you may want to save the file using the old format. To do this, click on the Office Button (the equivalent of the File Menu) and choose Save As. From the menu that appears, choose “Word 97-2003 Document.” This should now save the file in the older format, which will be readable in older versions of Office.

All UL Tech Services desktops and nearly all UL Tech Services laptops should now have Office 2007 installed, so you should not need to worry about saving in an older format for files that will only be used within University Life.

Zip Files

What is a .zip file and how is it used?
  • .zip files are a convenient way of turning a folder into a single file. This can be useful for many things, such as when you want to e-mail multiple files to someone. Zipping a file also compresses the files that are stored inside of it.
  • To make a .zip file from a folder:
    • Right-click on the folder and go to the Send To menu that appears.
    • Click on the option for Compressed (Zipped) Folder.
    • You should now have a .zip file with the same name as the folder. The folder will not be impacted by this.
  • To open a .zip file, just double-click on it. When it opens you should see the folder that you originally zipped. You should now be able to drag this folder to your desktop, My Documents, or anywhere else that you would like to put it.
  • While it is possible to open files directly from within a .zip file, this may cause unexpected behavior. It is recommended that you first drag the zipped files or folders out to a different location, such as your Desktop or My Documents folder.