User files on G.R.I.D. lab computer hard drives will be erased October 8, 2010
Last revision September 22, 2010
Once per year, we erase all user files from the computer hard drives in the Mitchell A59 G.R.I.D. computer lab. This provides disk space for the new year's projects and helps keep the computers running well.
This hard disk cleanup will take place on October 8, 2010.
Earth Sciences grad students, faculty, and staff who use the lab in the normal manner are only minimally affected. They all have a home share on the School's network file server, sesfs.stanford.edu. As described on the lab web site, if a user has a home share on sesfs, any files he/she saves to the Desktop or to their Documents (Mac OS X) or My Documents (Windows) folders are actually saved on the user's home share on sesfs. Those files will not be erased.
However, all user files in other locations (not on the Desktop or in the user's Documents folders), including application preference settings, browser cache files, bookmarks, and history, etc., are saved on the computer's local hard drive and will be erased.
Any files saved on the local SCRATCH disk partition will be erased.
Some students from non-Earth Sciences departments have been given special permission to use the G.R.I.D. lab because they are working on a project with an Earth Sciences faculty member. They do not have a home share on sesfs. Their Desktop and Documents files are saved on the local hard drive and will be erased. This also applies to undergraduates in Earth Sciences who have not requested a home share.
If you think you made needed files on the local hard drive of a G.R.I.D. lab computer, copy them to your home share on sesfs or a flash memory drive before October 8.
Any questions or concerns? Contact the G.R.I.D. lab manager.