To connect to VSS, right-click on "My Computer" on your desktop. Select "Map Network Drive" and then select "G:" if it's available (if not, select a letter close to it, but not J:). Make sure "Reconnect at logon" is selected. Type in "\\devweb\vss" and click "Finish". It may prompt you for your username and password.
Upon connecting to VSS, change your password by going to "Tools" and "Change Password." Do NOT continue to use the default password.
Make a shortcut to VSS on your Toolbar by going to "Start", "Programs", "Microsoft Visual Studio", "Microsoft Visual SourceSafe", and then while mousing over "Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 6.0", hold down the Ctrl key, left-click on "Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 6.0" and while still holding down the Ctrl key and the right mouse button, drag down to the Toolbar.
To specify the location where you will work on files, select "Set Working Folder". Then on the bottom left-hand side of the window that pops up, select the drive where you have connected to devweb/webroot (usually the J: drive). Next create any new subfolders needed to replicate the directory structure of VSS (i.e. secure\store\cob) in your working folder. NOTE: Always build the same directory structure as VSS into your working folder.
The easiest way to get the newest versions of folders and files is to right-click on the folder and select "Get Latest Version". In the menu that pops up select "Recursive" and "Build tree (override working folders)", and unselect "Make writable". Selecting "Recursive" will get all the subfolders and files that you don't currently have in your working folder. This will only give you read-only copies of the files. If you wish to edit files, you must check them out.
To check out files so that you can edit them, right-click on the folders/files and select "Check Out". If you'd like to get all the files within a folder, select "Recursive" and "Build tree (override working folders)". If you have not set a working folder, VSS will prompt you to do so.
Edit the files using the appropriate application. For example, Dreamweaver for .html files, Visual Studio for .asp files, a text editor for .js files, Photoshop for .psd files, etc.
When you have finished editing the files, save and close them. Then, within VSS, highlight the files, right-click and select "Check in". Always be sure to check in files once you've finished working on them. Each time you check files back into VSS, it will make a version that you can later revert to, so use that to your advantage. NOTE: check all files in at the end of each work day.
"Project" refers to a folder in VSS. Thus to create a new folder in VSS you must right-click and select "Create Project".
For additional questions about using VSS, open VSS, click on "Help" and then "Contents". An introductory overview of VSS is available at the top right-hand corner of the "Contents" window called "Getting Started with Visual SourceSafe 6.0".
Other useful tools of VSS to read about in the "Help" section include viewing file history, visually viewing differences in files, and cloaking.
