How can I copy files to and from my local desktop to my Virtual Computer Lab machine?

To work on your files in the Virtual Computer Lab environment you can copy them from your local machine by using OneDrive or, if using a Windows computer, directly from your local drive by taking the following steps:
 

OneDrive Instructions

Local Drive instructions

 

OneDrive

OneDrive is the Microsoft cloud service that connects you to all your files. It lets you store and protect your files, share them with others, and get to them from anywhere on all your devices.  On your local machine, you may be able to reach OneDrive via your system tray/Explorer on a PC or by going to http://onedrive.uic.edu and logging in using your UIC email address/common password and then clicking on the following icon to upload files or folders to the cloud:
 
NOTE: On a PC, the files to upload are likely found in C:\users\<username>\Desktop or C:\users\<username>\Documents
 
example office 365 screen highlighting the one drive icon
 
Once OneDrive has loaded, click on Upload to select the files or folders to upload to the cloud.
 
One drive initial screen highlighting the upload button in the navigation bar
 
Next, On a PC, select the file or folder to upload to OneDrive and click "open". 
 
NOTE: Your files may be in a different location and the picture below may not accurately represent what you're seeing depending on the OS your machine is running.
 
File upload screen highlighting the file location field and the file name in the listing
 
Now that your local copy of your file is in OneDrive, you can access it in your Virtual Computer Lab by connecting to a resource using the remote desktop client or by navigating to desktop.uic.edu and clicking on the UIC OneDrive icon on the desktop as pictured below.
 
example desktop screen with the U I C one drive icon visible
NOTE:  Remember that the files saved to OneDrive are likely different than the ones that are stored on your local machine so, if you wish to continue your work on your own machine, be sure to edit or download the copy you uploaded to OneDrive and not the original version we copied out of c:\users\<username>\Desktop, for example, at the beginning of this document.

Local Drive from your PC

NOTE:  Only available when connecting to the Virtual Computer Lab using the remote desktop client on a PC.
 
First, connect to a Virtual Computer Lab resource using your Remote Desktop client on a PC and click on the Explorer icon on the Taskbar.
 
example screen showing the explorer icon in the task bar
 
Next, click on the icon representing the mapped drive where your files are stored on your local machine as shown below.  The version you see will mention the drive letter and name of your machine.  Select the one that corresponds to the location where your files are stored on your local machine.
 
explorer screen highlighting redirected drives and folders with the icon to select
 
From there, your files can be copied to the Virtual Computer Lab resource you are currently connected to in a location of your choosing (e.g. c:\users\<netID>\Desktop) for editing.  Remember to copy your work back to this redirected drive so that it is accessible from your local machine.
 
NOTE:  Be sure to regularly backup any files that are kept within the virtual environment. Inactive profiles will be removed after 4 months of inactivity.  Should something unexpected happen with the Virtual Computer Lab environment, your files may be lost and/or unrecoverable.
 
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