1. Save to your "Z" drive before any other kind of "save" or before printing. Because of problems with the interface of the ASU web, LAN or WLAN (local area network or wide area local network), and computers in the computer lab, you should NOT even attempt to save files (including word-processed documents) to disk, CD-R, CD-RW, or even USB flash drives until AFTER saving the file (including word-processed document) to your "Z" drive. When getting ready to save a document, go to "File" (Upper right corner of the screen), then "Save as," and then by clicking on the drop-down arrow that gives choices of where to save the file or document, find the line that has a capital "Z" in it (plus some indication of your name or initials or ASU computer-network initials). Be sure not to save to "my computer," since the file may then just get saved only to one computer, not the computer network, which may be accessed from any computer lab or computer bank on campus, and even from your home computer that has Internet access. (Information about how to download files from your "Z" drive will be found on my Engl. 1101 webpage.)

2. Use control-key plus S (or the "timed backup" choice for many programs). Remember to periodically use the ctrl + S (control key plus "S") key to periodically save your file or document, since even the briefest power loss (which could happen from a suicidally-deluded squirrel jumping onto a main transformer at the electrical station on campus or across from the Water Department on Monte Sano) will cause loss of whatever hasn't been saved up to that point.

3. Kinds of storage media, and handling storage media. (a) Storage media, besides your campus "Z" drive, include (a1) floppy disks, (a2) zip disks, (a3) CD-R or CD-RW cd's, and (a4) USB flash drives (sometimes called "travel" or "thumb" or "jump" drives).  If you use a floppy disk (see #1, above, about always using your "Z" drive first), be sure your name is written, with a soft felt-tipped pen (pen or pencil can actually dent the media under the plastic case and cause trouble down the line) on the disk or label.  Many floppy disks get left at computer labs, and having your name on the disk will make retrieval easier. Don't confuse a regular floppy disk drive and zip disk drive on the computer when trying to insert a disk. Two different kinds of disks look similar but have important differences and take different kinds of disk drives: (1) 3.5" floppy (holds 1.5M [megabytes]), and is inexpensive, and  (2) Zip disk (somewhat larger, and definitely more expensive than the 3.5" floppy, and holding either 100M or 250M or even 750 M; it takes a special Zip drive, which is actually labeled "ZIP" on the faceplate of the drive). Keep floppy disks and zip disks away from excessive heat, excessive cold, or strong magnetic fields (e.g., the top of a stereo, TV, or computer monitor). Small holders are available for floppy disks which may make losing such disks less likely. Do not attempt to put a regular 3.5" disk in the Zip drive, since the disk will get stuck; do not attempt to put a Zip disk  into a regular 3.5" disk drive. CD computer media, as with music CD's, can be scratched or can be smudged with finger prints; either of these mishandlings will cause problems with a CD disk.

4. Finding MS Word on a campus computer. Most computers already have a "shortcut" for MS Word on the computer screen desktop. Placing the pointer (the little arrow) controlled by the computer mouse over the various shortcuts on the desktop will reveal what they are, in addition to the words inside the icons or pictures. If your computer doesn't have such a shortcut, you can access MS Word in two other ways. First, you can go to the start button at the bottom left of the screen, then programs, then MS Office or "Word Processing Programs." Second, you can go to the start button at the bottom left of the screen, and then  on the screen that appears, "New Office Document."

5. Fighting Bill Gates and Microsoft: proper margins in MLA format (and saving paper on your own printer or a campus printer).  (a) The default left and right margins on MS Word waste paper, and are incorrect for MLA format. (But Bill Gates doesn't care, since he can buy and sell the entire faculty and student body at ASU; he knows what's best for us, whether we like it or not.)  Go to File in the upper left corner of MS Word, then Page Setup, then Margins. Use the little arrows to change the margins to 1" on all sides. Be sure to press the default key after changing the margins to one inch; then answer "yes" to the question about making this margin setting the default for all your documents. (b) Also, you will need to disable (uncheck) the Widow/Orphan box. Go to Format, then Paragraph, then Line and Page Breaks. Then click "OK."

6. Using Courier New font to save ink (ink on your own printer, ink on a campus printer). The default font of Times Roman New, size 12, is very professional looking, and could very well be used for an important business document, like a resume given to an employer. However, for most campus papers, as shown in the model papers in the Engl. 1101 composition handbook, Courier New (size 10, since Courier New is itself a large font) is satisfactory, plus having the advantage of saving ink (expensive in inkjet or laser printers). Go to Format (upper menu bar), then Font (from the dropdown menu); now scroll up or down to find Courier New.  On the right side of the menu that lists the fonts you will find Size, and you should select size 10 (since Courier New is itself a large font).  Now press the Default key, and answer Yes that you want all future documents to adhere to this choice.

7. Single-spacing while writing, and then double-spacing before saving and printing the document; or double-spacing at the beginning. Some writers might prefer leaving everything in single-spacing (the default spacing) while composing a paper or essay, since more of the paper can be viewed on the screen at one time. Such writers should strictly adhere to single spacing (no extra spacing above or below the essay title), so that after finishing the essay and proofreading, the whole document can be "selected" (highlighted), using ctrl + a, and then double-spaced, and then printed. Or double-spacing can be done at the beginning. When double spacing is to be done, select Format (from the upper menu bar), then Paragraph; now find the words "Line spacing," and click on the arrow under line spacing, and then select double. Now close the Paragraph box by selecting OK (bottom right corner of the box).

8. Doing a "header": your name and page number on every page of your paper or document. As per the model papers in MLA format in the English composition handbook, the surname and page number should appear as a "header" on every page of an MLA-format paper or essay. (a) First, select View (from the upper menu bar), then Header and Footer. (b) Now type in your surname (last name), capitalizing only the first letter; then press the space bar once. (c) Do NOT type in a number by hand; if you do, every page in your paper or document will be that number. Instead, go to the menu bar that has appeared in the middle of the screen and find the page-number icon: the # symbol (the larger number symbol, which is usually the first one on the bar).  (d) Now use the Home key to get the cursor to the beginning of the line (this device works for most programs and Internet situations). (e) Now at the menu bar just underneath the top menu bar on the top of the screen, find the symbols for alignment. Left alignment is the icon with a straight edge on the left side; center alignment is aligned accordingly; and right alignment is the picture or icon with a straight edge only on the right side. (On some screens, the right alignment symbol may not be visible. In such cases,  go to the far right of the menu bar and find the icon or picture of two small arrows. Put your mouse pointer on the two arrows and you will see "Toolbar Options," which you can click on and find the right-alignment icon or picture.) Click on the right-alignment icon (or "button"). Now select Close on the menu bar in the middle of the screen, and you will be taken back to the main document, with your header showing in a faded-out display in the upper right of the document.
 

9. The appropriate MLA heading form in the upper lefthand corner is as follows (note that the date is in military or European style), and can be found in the model MLA paper(s) in your English composition handbook:

Hal Toliver

Professor Prinsky

English 1101 (plus your section letter)

28 February 2001
 

10. What belongs in the essay title and first paragraph of reading-response essays.  (a) As explained in "Norm's Notes on the Reading-Response Essay" (my Engl. 1101 webpage), four items of information belong in the essay title and first paragraph of reading-response essays: (a) full name of the author of the literary work (first-time mentioned in essay title, and in paragraph 1; thereafter, just surname), (b) genre of the literary work, (c) title of the literary work, (d) main idea or assigned topic. You must know your grammar (review the chapter on grammar in the English composition handbook, or "Dr. Prinsky's Snake-Oil Grammar" [my Engl. 1101 webpage]) in order to know how to capitalize within your title, since all words should be capitalized (as explained in the English composition handbook) except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. Unless you know what articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are, and can identify them, you may be erring in the capitalization in your essay or paper title. (b) Five items of information belong in the first paragraph of the reading-response essay: (a) full name of the author of the required reading (first time used, thereafter just the surname), (b) title of the required reading, (c) genre of the required reading, (d) main idea or assigned topic, and (e) a one-sentence overview of the content of the required reading (just one sentence, no more, for the overview).

11. Centering Your Essay Title.  (a) Type out your entire title, beginning at the left margin; if your title takes more than one line, keep typing, after having started at the left margin with the beginning of your title. (b) After typing out your entire title, "select" or highlight it.  Two main techniques are useful for "selecting" material on the screen. (b1) Use  the computer mouse, holding down the left button. (b2) Another way of selecting or highlighting text is to place your cursor (the blinking light) at the beginning of the material to be highlighted, and then use your mouse to bring your pointer (the arrow or short vertical line, not the same as the cursor) to the end of the material to be selected or highlighted. Now press the shift key and the left mouse button.  This second method of highlighting is usually more accurate, avoiding the problem of under-shooting or over-shooting the precise material to be selected  or highlighted. (As with all such tricks, this trick works with most programs and in most Internet situations.) (c) Now click on the center-alignment icon or "button" in the second menu bar at the top of the screen. (d) If the cursor does not return to the left margin for your first paragraph, after center-aligning your title, press the Backspace key. Your cursor should now be left aligned.

Hal Toliver

Professor Prinsky

English 1102-ZZZ

28 February 2001

        Why I Agree with the Assertions about the Political and Societal Implications of Americans' Not Complaining in William F. Buckley's Essay "Why Don't We Complain?"

12.  Pay attention to the word processor's wavy red lines, indicating a question about spelling. The word processor won't know most personal names, and it won't catch the difference between "to" and "too" (both are spelled correctly, but one could be used wrongly), but it will catch many other problems that should be considered and possibly corrected.

13.  Printing out -- only AFTER saving the file to your "Z" drive. Only after you save your completed essay or paper or file to your "Z" drive, giving the file a good name to indicate its content, are you ready to print. Either click on the printer button or picture on the menu bar just under the top menu bar at the top of the screen, or go to "File" in the upper left corner of the screen, then "Print," and then "OK." Give the printer in the Computer Lab some time to work. Immediate printing also may not happen at computer labs on campus. If your document does not print the first time, check to see if the printer needs paper. Otherwise, seek assistance and do not keep selecting print.  Also, please recycle paper by throwing it in the blue bin for recycling.

14. Exiting a. Select File, then Exit. b. Always click yes when asked if you want to save changes. c. Do not remove a diskette from the drive until the light on the drive goes out. Failure to follow this precaution could result in your work being permanently lost on the diskette, though work should have been saved to your "Z" drive first.

15. Log Out at Computer Labs on campus. Please double click the Log Off icon when you are done at your computer. Do not shut down the computer completely unless the instructor tells you to: just Log Off.

16.  Check to make sure you haven't left anything behind in the Computer Lab. Left-behind diskettes pile up on the front white-board holder of computer labs; sometimes people forget wallets or USB flash drives or other expensive items.

17.  For any computer problems, remember extension 1676 (or 737-1676), which connects to the student-help desk at Information and Technology Services (ITS).

18. Special notes for a Works Cited page (for papers in English 1102).  (a) After setting up your paper, including your header, and completing the last paragraph of your essay, press the "Enter" or "Return" key twice.  (b) Now you should go to Insert (at the top of the screen), then Break, and then Page Break. Click "OK." (c) At the top of the new blank page, type your appropriate title for the works cited page (note how this title for the works cited page should be capitalized as per MLA format, as explained and illustrated in the English composition handbook ). (c)  Now, starting at the left margin, type out the entire works cited entry (or the works cited entries).  (d) Next, highlight or "select" your works cited entry (or entries). (e) To get your works cited entry (or entries) in appropriate "hanging indent" or "hanging paragraph" form, bring your pointer to the top of the screen and click on Format, then Paragraph, then Indents and Spacing, then Special: ; now click on the dropdown arrow by "Special:" (to be found among the middle boxes on the "Indents and Spacing" screen), and you will see the choices "none," "First line," and "Hanging." Select "Hanging." (f)  (Other word processors -- more than just Microsoft Word -- are available and used by offices and individuals. These word processors often work differently to implement the same features; for example, activating the "hanging indent" or "hanging paragraph" in WordPerfect can be done by selecting/highlighting, and then simply pressing the CTRL key and F7 key. Consequently knowing the technical terminology for something in word processing is important -- e.g., "hanging indent" or "hanging paragraph" -- because a user can then click on the "Help" key for the word processor and type in the feature or aspect that needs to be implemented, like "hanging indent" or "hanging paragraph.")