The following are common problems in using the MINITAB computer program for statistics.

Can't find the students data set.
You have to enter the students data set on the P: drive or the A: drive, or both.
Since you typed the data with your own hands, you should know where you put it.
(Some variable names in the students data set resemble variable names in MINITAB data sets.)

Can't find any data files.
This can be caused by opening a project instead of a worksheet.
This error is the result of choosing File>Project or clicking on the File Open icon.  Choose File>Worksheet.
=In MINITAB, worksheets and projects are different kinds of file.  A worksheet is just a table holding a data set; but a project includes both a worksheet and a session window with some output from previous Minitab activity.
=If you try to open a project, there may not be any, say among the prepared Minitab worksheets on the H: drive.  Therefore you won't find any files at all.

Can't find data sets prepared by Minitab.
With Minitab open, choose file > open worksheet  .  Find the icon (at the bottom of the dialog box) marked "Look in Minitab Sample Data folder".

Can't find data sets used in Mclave's book.
They may be on the disc that comes with McClave's book.  Otherwise, type them in a worksheet yourself.

Can't find variables in a data set I typed myself.
= Numerical operations in MINITAB, like Display Descriptive Statistics, can't be done on variables with words or text as levels.  Such variables appear in a worksheet with the letter T after the column name.  Thus the variable sex in the students data set is in column C1-T.  If you try to do most descriptive statistics, you will see a list of varibles which does NOT include any variables which MINITAB has labeled as text.
= Now if you accidentally type a letter anywhere in a column (except the gray label), MINITAB will immediately label that column text, even if all the other levels are numbers, and changing the letter to a number does not fix the problem.  Clearly such a column will not be available to any numerical operation.
= The fix is to click on the column and then choose Data > Code > Text to Numeric.  Then double click on the column and say OK.  The column will be changed from text to numeric, and any letter scores will be declared "missing" by a *.

How do I find out what the columns and levels in a data set mean?
Get a verbal description of the data set!  [Chapter One §2.1].  Did you do Exercise 3 in Chapter Two?

Bad results with Display Descriptive Statistics.
Be sure to UNcheck the box for "by variable"

Numerical Error with Graphical Data Summary
Save the Minitab prepared data set to P:\MTBfiles  and use that copy instead of the one on H:

Minitab Error Window appears
Close the window and see if the graph or other output you need is, in fact, there and good.

How do I put a name on a graph or picture?
Click on  Graph > Histogram / Dotplot / Boxplot / Bar Chart ; double click on the column name.
Double click on one type of display.
Click in the Graph variables window, and then double click on each variable of interest.
Choose Labels