Hey There chem 2 and 5 guys and gals!

Since we will be collecting data directly onto a computer this week, it seems like a shame to have to write it down by hand afterward. The computers are not networked, so a floppy is about the only easy way to transfer the data once collected.

The computers are all Macs (sorry PC users), so a Macintosh preformatted 3.25" floppy would save you the trouble of having to write down the collected data and then retype it into your favorite program (Mac or PC) for graphing, etc. The data can be saved as a simple text file, which should be readable by about any program for graphing, etc.

NOTES:

1. It is possible to reformat a PC disk on a Mac, but you should do this prior to coming to lab, since it is a rather slow process.

2. Some of the computers in the lab are REALLY old, (kinda like the faculty), and they only read the old low density (750K) format.
You can convert a new high density disk into a low density disk by just covering the left hole with a piece of tape. (It is the hole without the little slider, which is used to lock and unlock the disk). You will then need to finish reformatting it by inserting it into a Mac in one of the CLC's which will prompt you to name it, etc., automatically.

3. The newer Mac superdrives can read either Mac or PC formatted disks as is, so data could be transferred directly to a PC disk without reformatting on these, but I think many of the hard drives on the Macs in the labs are too old to do this.

Additionally, if you press the * and keys simultaneously on any of the power Macs in a CLC, it will take you to the PC side of the computer, where you can work in a Windows operating system (Windows95 on a Pentium) that is possibly more familiar to you. Cutting and pasting from Mac to PC or vice versa should work with no problem (in theory). I'm not sure that the dual platform nature of the CLC power Macs is a widely known fact. Shhhh...don't tell anybody.

*The key is on either side of the spacebar and has a cloverleaf-like and apple icons on it.

These handy tips brought to you by T Bone, 11/4/98
(please send comments, suggestions for improvement, etc. to tbone@umr.edu )