Arrange with your college Webmaster to have remote access to your own folders where you can place any kind of file you want, but web pages for instruction should be the only permanent residents.

If you use the URL below, you can download your own, legal, free copy of Ipswitch company's WSFTP, a Windows 95 (and 98) compatible software that will save you from typing a lot of long path names from memory and prevent learning a few arcane (DOS) commands. With the software you can download, you just point and click to move a file between directories on two different computers.

As is often the case with free stuff, there's a form to fill out on the page listed below, but this one is briefer than most. The compressed file that you're downloading (you have made a "download" directory on your hard drive, right?) is about half a megabyte, so if you blink or yawn at your college computer you might not even see it arrive.

1. Go to the page listed above (using your favorite browser, of course).

2. Complete the form, and click "Finish." You'll be offered three sites from which to download (I used Georgia because I'm in Virginia, although there was no appreciable delay when a colleague clicked on one of the Colorado sites) and two formats (click on Windows 95/NT, and not on 3.1). If you are asked for a credit card, backtrack to the selection page and make sure you pick the FREE ftp software (currently version 4.xx, not 5.0, not "Pro"). 

3. You should be asked into which directory you want to put the download file. Click to one and remember where you're putting it. The file is named "WS_FTPLE.exe" and it's the easy-installation kind.

4. Close your browser (and anything else you have open); then open your directory (with Explorer, right?), find that file you downloaded, and click on it.

5. An installation wizard will open. Please follow the directions on screen (usually accepting the defaults offered).

6. (Optional) I suggest dragging the WSFTP icon to your desktop to make the software easy to open.

The following screen shot shows the kind of information that you need to type into your copy of WSFTP after you install it and open it for the first time. Please enter YOUR information, so that you will go to YOUR area. These codes won't work if your college Webmaster hasn't already listed you on the server.

Since the password is supposed to be secret, get it from your college Webmaster.

If you are the only user of your computer, you can check the "Save Pwd" box to have your password always in place when you are moving files to or from your web folder.

If you hear a train horn, you are in (if your speakers are on). You should see something like this two column arrangement but for your information. That is, the default departure site from your computer appears in the left window; the default arrival site--your folder, your web area--is shown in the right window.

When you are in this WSFTP screen, it's like using your Windows directory in that you click to the directory you want to use (I like using the green up arrows rather than the "ChgDir" button) and you click on the file you want to move in order to highlight it.

At first, your right window may contain only the files have been placed in your folder to display your college web page with background and attached graphics, but after you have moved a few files there (or before) you will be wise to set up likely folders. Since this is still really a DOS-based system of file management, the folder names ought to be 8 characters or less with no spaces (at least, I've always assumed so).

The key to the whole deal is that pair of directional arrows in the middle between the windows. After you highlight a file on one side and open a folder to put it on the other side, click the arrow that will move the file or files to the destination you want. If you click the wrong direction (it's a 50-50 chance), a message will tell you that you can't send the files to the place they already are.

This should get you started. When you have questions, call or email me.