Office of Information Technology at Ohio University

Office of Information Technology at Ohio University

Oak Storage Frequently Asked Questions

How much storage space do I have?

Is e-mail storage included in this limit?

Is this storage space protected by backups?

Can you restore a file that I accidentally deleted from Network Storage?

Do I have to use my own computer to access my Oak home directory?

Can I use Oak to share files with colleagues?

I'm looking at my Oak home directory for the first time. What are all of these strange files and folders?

I get a "Page Not Found" error when I try to access my files!

I don't have an "Open as Web Folder" option!

I have Internet Explorer installed on my Mac. Can I use IE to access my Oak storage space?

Problems deleting folders

I get an error when uploading a file to my network storage.

How much space do I need to download a file from my network storage?

How to Use Network Storage

What are some popular uses for Network Storage?

How much storage space do I have?
Faculty/Staff - 500 MB
Students - 200 MB

Is e-mail storage included in this limit?
No, your e-mail quota is calculated separately.

Is this storage space protected by backups?
Yes. All data on the Oak system is backed up nightly.

Can you restore a file that I accidentally deleted from Network Storage?
We keep daily backups of all Network Storage data. If you accidentally delete a file and a copy exists in one of our backups, we can attempt to restore it for you. It normally takes 3 business days to handle a file restoration request.

Do I have to use my own computer to access my Oak home directory?
No. Any computer that supports web folders can be used to access your Oak storage. Just remember to close all browser windows when you are done. If you leave your browser open, the next person to use that computer may gain access to your files.

Can I use Oak to share files with colleagues?
Not yet, but we actively are working on making file sharing via Oak a reality.

I'm looking at my Oak home directory for the first time. What are all of these strange files and folders?
All Oak home directories include the following system folders:

.wastebasket

MSH

Mail

We do not recommend trying to delete or modify these items.

If you have your personal web page enabled, you also may see the following folders:

public_html - your personal web folder

public_shtml - your secure personal web folder

Finally, depending on how long your Oak account has been active and which services you used in the past, you may have a number of now-obsolete files and folders on your account. Most of these files are connected either with the old PINE e-mail interface or with past system maintenance tasks. You can ignore these files or delete them as you see fit.

I get a "Page Not Found" error when I try to access my files!

This message can be encountered for a few reasons:

You probably either typed the URL directly into your browser's address bar, or you forgot to check the "Open as Web Folder" box after choosing File:Open

Someone at some point has selected to work in the off-line mode in the browser. You can correct this by closing the browser and reopening it. The default setting is NOT the off line mode.

You may have mistyped your Oak ID in the "open as a Web Folder" box

If you continue to experience problems, please call the Support Desk at 740-593-1222.

I don't have an "Open as Web Folder" option!
With Internet Explorer version 5, web folder access is an optional component. You may need to reinstall or upgrade Internet Explorer to enable this feature. The Support Desk can help you determine what steps are necessary.

Internet Explorer version 6 supports web folders only under Windows XP Professional. If you are using IE 6 on any other version of Windows (including XP Home), you must have Office 2000 or later installed on your system for web folders to work.

I have Internet Explorer installed on my Mac. Can I use IE to access my Oak storage space?
No, the Mac version of Internet Explorer does not support web folders. You'll need to use Goliath instead.

Problems deleting folders
If you are using Internet Explorer 5.x to access your network storage, you may have problems deleting folders unless you first delete their contents.

I get an error when uploading a file to my network storage
When you are uploading a file to your network storage you may go over your quota, but not get an error message regarding quota problems. To check your quota, click here.

How much space do I need to download a file from my network storage?
When downloading a file from your network storage to your machine, you will need free disk space on your machine that equals twice the size of the file that you are trying to download. This is because a temp file is created when downloading.

How to Use Network Storage
Using network storage is as easy as dragging and dropping files:

First, log into your network storage. [Click for instructions]
To copy a file to your network storage, drag the file into your browser (Windows) or Goliath (Mac) window.
To copy a file from your network storage to your computer, drag the file from your browser or Goliath window to a drive window or the desktop.
To delete a file from network storage, drag it to the Recycle Bin/Trash.
To move a file to or from network storage using Windows, right click and drag the file to the appropriate window. Then release the mouse and choose Move Here.
If you are using Windows, Microsoft Office documents can be opened and edited directly by double-clicking them in your network storage window. Other documents will need to be copied or moved to your computer before opening or editing them.

Files copied to your network storage space will remain there until you delete them. To access those files from another computer, simply log into your network storage space from that computer.

What are some popular uses for Network Storage

Class Presentations: Work on a PowerPoint presentation in your office or room, then drag the finished file into your network storage window. Go to your classroom, log into your network storage from the classroom's computer, drag the file onto the room computer's desktop, and you're ready to go.

Computer Labs: Need to save a file you created in a computer lab? Log into your network storage, and drag the file from the lab computer into your network storage window. Need to bring a file from your office or room to a lab? It's the same process: just log in, drag and drop!

Backups: Drag and drop copies of important files into your network storage space. Network storage is secure, private, and backed up nightly.

Personal Web Pages: Want to maintain a personal web page on Oak? After enabling your web page, log into your network storage to drag and drop files to and from your public_html folder.