Organizing Your Computer: How to Use Files & Folders Cyberspace Explorations November 17, 2004

Overview Computer data are organized essentially as in the pre-computer era. Documents are placed into folders which are stored in file drawers. File drawers are part of a file cabinet or file room. Working documents are typically not in file storage but reside on a “desktop”.

Physical File Organization

Computer File Organization D: C: A: Photos Documents Databases A folder (i.e., directory)

Windows Explorer

Starting Windows Explorer Right mouse click “Start” button to display the popup menu. Left mouse click on “Explore”.

Using Windows Explorer Click on “Desktop” – lists the folders and files on your computer desktop in the right hand panel. Click on “My Documents” – displays the contents of a special folder which usually contains all of your personal folders & files. Click on “My Computer” – identifies all connected storage devices. Click on “Local Disk (C:) – shows all “top level” folders on your hard drive.

Experiment by clicking on the small “+” and “-” symbols to the left of the folder icons. Click “View” on the menu bar and experiment with the following selections: Icons Icons Details Details Arrange by … Arrange by … Each folder can be organized in a different way and the system will remember your setting. Click on different folders until you locate a folder with a variety of files (see next slide). Using Windows Explorer (cont’d)

Details View

Using Windows Explorer (cont’d) Icon View

Using Windows Explorer (cont’d) Thumbnail View

What Else Can I Do With Explorer? Identify important details about a file Rename files Create new folders Move files and/or folders Redefine which programs are associated with which file extensions (advanced users only)

What’s in a (File) Name? File names have a specific format comprised of two parts separated by “.” Basic name Basic name File extension File extension The name can be any length up to 256 characters but must not include special characters such as: /, *, #, ?, \. The extension is typically three characters and identifies the file type and determines which program(s) will work with the file. Important: the file extension is often not shown.

How to Display File Extensions In Exlorer, click on “Tools”, “Folder Options” Click on “View”, then uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types. Click “OK”

Common File Extensions.doc – Microsoft Word.xls – Microsoft Excel.ppt – Microsoft PowerPoint.pdf – Adobe Portable Document Format.jpg,.jpeg – Photographic Image.psd – Photoshop Data File.tif,.tiff – Scanned Image (tagged image file format).bmp – Bitmapped Picture File (screen savers).mp3, mpeg – Audio File.mpg,.mpeg – Video File.htm,.html – Web Page.txt – Plain Text File.zip – Compressed Data File

Common File Extensions (cont’d) Go to: for a complete definition of file extensions. – Visual Basic Script File (can be used to carry viruses.cab – Microsoft Windows “Cabinet” File (contains parts of operating system).exe – Executable Program File.dll – Extension to an Executable Program File.ini – Program Initialization File

Using Shortcuts Definition: short·cut – A more direct route than the customary one. A means of saving time or effort. Definition: file shortcut – A very small data file which contains the location of an actual folder, program, or data file. Shortcuts are used to place references to your computer’s resources in convenient locations. Many shortcuts can be used for a single resource.

Creating Shortcuts Using Windows Explorer, locate the “target” object (i.e., folder, program, or data file) to which you want to create a shortcut. Right click the “target” and left click “create shortcut” to create the desired shortcut. Move the new shortcut to its desired location using “drag & drop” (see next slide). Shortcuts can be deleted without affecting the “target” object.

Drag & Drop All graphical objects (icons, windows, toolbars, etc.) can be moved from one location to another by clicking the object with the mouse and moving it elsewhere. Files (and shortcuts) can be moved from one folder to another by clicking the folder or program icon in Explorer and dragging it to another folder location. Shortcuts are usually dragged to the Windows “desktop”

Shortcuts on Len’s Desktop