# Facilitator guide: Will I lose this file? Why is it slow?

45 minutes · New help-desk staff, small-office helpers, and anyone who looks after a family computer.

**Goal:** Learners explain why sync is not the same as backup, and find the slowest link before deciding what to upgrade.

## Lessons used

- Is sync a backup? Try restoring a pretend deleted file: https://noobquestions.com/sync-vs-backup-restore-a-deleted-file/
- Wi-Fi or internet? Find the slowest link in a download: https://noobquestions.com/wifi-vs-internet-speed-find-the-bottleneck/

## Before you start

- Open both lessons. All files and speeds in them are pretend.
- Do not use real important files, or anyone else’s device, for a demonstration.
- Print one worksheet per learner, or share the download.

## Run of show

- **0–5 min · Warm-up:** Ask: “Your files sync to the cloud. You delete one by accident. Is it safe?” Learners write a guess (question 1).
- **5–18 min · Delete a pretend file:** In the sync lesson, delete the pretend original, then sync the mirror. Predict first: where is the photo now? Then restore the earlier snapshot. Discuss the difference between a mirror and a copy with history.
- **18–25 min · Write a recovery note:** Learners fill in the recovery note on the worksheet (question 3) for a pretend or a sanitised real setup. Don’t collect it.
- **25–38 min · Upgrade the wrong link:** In the speed lesson, start at 100 Mb/s Wi-Fi, 50 Mb/s internet and a 200 Mb/s remote service. Raise the Wi-Fi to 300 first, then the internet link above 200. Predict the ceiling each time, then cover bits vs bytes.
- **38–45 min · Explain it back:** Learners write one better question to ask before buying an upgrade (question 6).

## Answer guidance

1. **Before the lesson: files sync to the cloud and one is deleted by accident. Is it safe?**
   Any answer is fine. Come back to it after question 2.

2. **A mirror faithfully syncs deletions and keeps no history. Will it undo an accidental deletion? Why?**
   No. Deleting is a change too, and a mirror copies it. You need a copy with history (versions or a separate backup) to go back in time.

3. **Recovery note — what is protected, where the copy lives, how often it runs, and the date of the last test restore.**
   A useful note names the files, where the copy is kept, how often it runs, and when a restore was last tested. A backup nobody has restored from is untested.

4. **Wi-Fi is 300 Mb/s and the internet link is 50 Mb/s. What is the download ceiling in this model?**
   50 Mb/s. The slowest link sets the ceiling, so faster Wi-Fi alone won’t raise it.

5. **A plan says 100 Mb/s. Roughly how many megabytes per second is that, at best?**
   About 12.5 MB/s at best (8 bits per byte). Real transfers are a little lower because of overhead.

6. **Exit question: before upgrading anything for a slow download, what one question would you ask?**
   Accept any question that isolates one link, e.g. “Is it slow on a wired connection too?” or “Which link is slowest?” Change one condition at a time.

## Common misconceptions

- “Sync is a backup.” Sync copies deletions and mistakes too.
- “A faster router fixes everything.” Only if the Wi-Fi is the slowest link.
- “Mb and MB are the same.” Megabits vs megabytes differ by a factor of 8.

## Sources to check

- Microsoft: Backup and restore with File History: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/backup-recovery/backup-and-restore-with-file-history
- iPerf: network throughput testing tool (ESnet): https://software.es.net/iperf/

## Notes

- The lessons are simplified teaching models. Check the sources before changing a real system.
- Don’t collect learner data you don’t need. Never ask anyone to enter a real password, code or workplace detail.
- These plans haven’t been evaluated in a classroom.
- No reuse licence has been set. Please ask before republishing or redistributing.