We will be looking at the Save and Save As commands in this session.

The Save Command

The Save command can be accessed either from the File menu, using the combination of the Ctrl and S keys, or by clicking on the Save icon in the menu bar of most programs.

The first time the file you are working on is saved using the Save command the following screen or one very similar will pop up (usually defaulting to My Documents, My Pictures, etc. depending upon the program you are using):

Normally the File name will default to something with an associated extension, depending upon what kind of program the item is being saved in. In this case, the default was the first line of the Word Document with a doc extension as I am using Microsoft Word 2000 to create this hand out. At this point you should give the file a name, something which makes sense to you and that you will know where to find, so you can work with it later and save it to the appropriate location.

The Save As Command

The Save As command is only accessed from the File menu, and works the same way as the Save command, the only difference being that once a file has been saved and the Save command is used the file will be saved with the original name in the place it was opened from. You must use the Save As command if you want to save the file with a different name, a different format or to a different place with the same name.

Uses of the Save As command include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Different versions of the same file (first draft, second draft, third draft, final draft).

· Different formats of the same file (WordPerfect 5.0, Text only, RTF, etc.; JPEG, GIF, Bitmap, etc.). This is good for sending someone a file that they can read if they have a program that can open a specific format that you can save to, such as someone that has WordPerfect but not Microsoft Word, in which case you can save your file in WordPerfect format and then send it to them. They will be able to open it in WordPerfect and read it, it may not necessarily save the correct formatting, as formatting except for the basics is usually proprietary to the program used, but the text will be available to them.

· Same exact file different locations (hard drive, disk drive, ZIP drive, etc.). You can save an exact duplicate in different locations without leaving the program you are working in, this can work to your favor if you are working on something long and involved and something happens, just use the last exact copy to bring you back to where you started the latest changes.