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Blackblood
I am using Windows xp atm and I thought of changing my OS. So I am going for Windows 8. But my question is: will I lose all my files when I re-install the operating system? Or can I choose a specific partition for installing and the other partitions will remain untouched? My windows files are all in Local Disk :C and all my documents, photos, movies, games are in Local Disk :E . So if I install windows 8 on Local Disk C, then I will keep my files from E, right?
Answer
That all depends on how you are installing it.
The best way as always with all Windows is to install it from fresh, don't attempt to "upgrade" as Windows is a bit messy and tends to leave loads of redundant files lying around from the old system.
To install fresh
Firstly open up "My Computer" and take a look at the two partitions - they should have names as well as letters (e.g System (C:) Data (E:) ) if they haven't give them a name - and remember the names - especially the one with the data on!
reset computer with Windows 8 disc in drive and get the BIOS to boot first from the optical drive rather than the hard drive (some BIOS you can do this by pressing F12 for the boot menu, others you need to go in the BIOS and change the boot priority to make the optical drive higher priority than the hard drive, you may even be lucky and already have the optical drive set as highest priority - all depends on how the machine was set up).
Before you start booting ensure you've removed any extra drives, such as usb flash drives portable hard drives, etc...
When you start booting from the disc it will give a message "Press any key to boot from CD" (I know it's a DVD but I don't think MS ever really bothered updating the wording to DVD!)
Press a key to start booting off the DVD.
You get to a point where it will show your hard drive partitions and ask you where you want to install it. Now at this point BE VERY VERY CAREFUL!!! If your not sure get someone who is into IT to watch over you as getting this wrong could wipe out the E drive as well (or just backup your E drive before beginning which is always the recommended and safest way!).
Go into the Drive Options... (Advanced) section of the partition manager and you should see a number of partitions (if you've left any USB sticks/portable hard drives plugged in you will also see these as well as the hard drive).
For example the screen should look something like this
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/17/2011/09/windows8partition.jpg
if it looks like this image....
http://www.noteburner.com/images-new/guide/install-windows8/new-partition.jpg
then you need to click Drive Options... (Advanced) in the bottom right
NB the drives wont be shown as C:. or E: etc all you'll see is the drive name so you might have
Drive 0 Partition 1: RECOVERY
Drive 0 Partition 2 : System
Drive 0 Partition 3: Data
(System and Data may be different names depending on what you called your drives, and drive/partition numbers may be different depending on your computer set up - you did remember from the beginning what you called them didn't you?)
Delete the partition that contains Windows (in this example it would be System), but leave Data alone.
If you have a recovery partition you may also want to delete that too - as that contains recovery to re-install XP, and as you've upgraded to Windows 8 you won't be needing that anymore - unless you want to go back to XP at any time and you didn't create the recovery discs, if that is the case leave it where it is.
Now you should have a large section at the bottom that reads
Drive 0 Unallocated Space (again drive 0 may be different number depending on how your computer is set up).
Select that and click Next.
Proceed with installation of Windows 8.
Once in Windows 8 you should see that the data drive is still in tact, although really for full peace of mind I would highly recommend backing all data up rather than attempting this method.
Also any programs/games you have installed on Drive E will not work (unless they were standalone - some emulators are like that) - they will need to be re-installed - this is due to DLL and settings files, and registry entries which are created by the installers. (This is also why computers go slower over time - because all this junk gets left behind every time you uninstall something!)
Do the western ESL teachers in China face the threat of their lesson plan and handouts being stolen?
All Chines
like the western companies in China that face the threat of their intellectual properties stolen.
Answer
Prince Charles, you are oh, so wrong! "Foreign ESL teachers rarely write their own lesson plans, in fact I have never heard of such a thing." Allow me to correct you.
In Beijing, I wrote the entire curriculum for my classes. There was no book.
Here in the Northwest, we were given books that had NO teacher's edition and definitely, no lesson plans. This past year, the books were changed three days before the semester began. (This is our fourth year here and we are on our third book. The books change based on which publishing company gives the biggest kickback to the school. The teachers are never consulted about which books are best. This year's choice of books is dismal in that they don't teach anything . . . they are merely a collection of poorly organized and poorly constructed exercises.)
My PhD classes? I was provided a book for an audio visual course . . . but a classroom without multi-media equipment. I finally got a classroom with a computer this semester, but yesterday, found that the disk drive portion of the computer was sealed off, thus requiring me to transfer files to a portable hard drive in order for me to use the book.
I am hired by our graduate department. The Foreign Language Department has hired three other teachers to teach the English majors. THERE ARE NO BOOKS! The teachers have to come up with their own curriculum, lesson plans, etc.
My elementary school classes? No book. I'm teaching a phonics based approach to reading (as opposed to mere memorization of words) so I've written my own curriculum based on a collection of other materials.
When I attend ESL conferences (furthering my own education), I find that the majority of the foreign teachers in China are NOT provided books and that they MUST write their own curriculum. Those using school-provided materials are definitely a minority.
As far as my lesson plans and handouts "being stolen" . . . I expect my materials to be copied. I put my name and my (c) 2011 (or whatever year it is) on each document, but I am not surprised if/when they pop up elsewhere.
Education is about teaching and learning. If I were in it for the money, I most certainly wouldn't be here.
"Frankly, Chinese school administrators would never trust foreign ESL teachers to write their own lesson plans. Most foreign ESL teachers are recent college grads with beer on their breath, so they have limited experience and beer-constrained intellect."
While this may be true in some parts of China, it is not true for all parts. To tar all the true ESL professionals with the same brush is a grave disservice. Please don't try to speak for a profession that you are not a part of and of one that you know little about.
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