- Thinking About Getting Organized
- Getting to Know Windows Explorer's Filing Headquarters
- Creating a New Folder
- Good File Naming Techniques: Another Organizational Aid
- Once You Create It, Know Where to Store It
- Relocating Files on Your Machine
- Using the Search Companion to Find Files on Your Computer
- Summary
- Workshop
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Creating a New Folder
Perform the following steps to create high-level folders (also known as parent folders). Family member names are a good example of a type of parent folder you might want to create on your hard drive.
Launch Windows Explorer by clicking the Start button, hovering the mouse over the bright green Programs arrow, and then selecting Accessories, Windows Explorer. Doing this launches a window similar to the one shown in Figure 3.1.
Click the icon corresponding to your hard drive. (You may need to start with My Computer and drill your way down.) You will find it near the top of the Folders pane; it is typically labeled (C:).
From the Windows Explorer menu bar, click File and then point to New, Folder. A New Folder icon and label highlighted in dark blue appears in the main viewing window (that is, the window pane to the far right of the screen).
Type in the name you want for your new folder in the highlighted area.
After you finish, press Enter to save the folder.
Adding a Subfolder to the Hierarchy
The steps needed to create a subfolder mirror the steps you followed to create a parent folder but with one small exception. Rather than clicking the hard drive icon like you did in step 2, you click the folder under which you want to place the new folder.
To follow up with the example I have referred to throughout this hour, you would click on the Jill folder and then continue with the preceding outlined steps to create a subfolder called Computer Basics to hold the files related to this book.
Renaming a Folder on Your Computer
If your filing needs change or you simply think of a better name for some of the folders later on, you will want to know how to rename them.
Renaming a folder is as simple as following these brief steps:
Launch Windows Explorer as you normally do.
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Right-click the icon of the folder you want to rename. The shortcut menu shown in Figure 3.2 appears.
Choose Rename from the shortcut menu. The selected folder's name will appear highlighted in dark blue.
Simply type in the new name for the folder.
Press Enter to save your edit.
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Figure 3.2 You and this Windows Explorer shortcut menu will become old friends.
Deleting a Folder from Your System
There may come a day when you decide to delete a folder from your computer. Perhaps you finish your master's degree and want to archive the documents rather than take up space on your hard drive, or maybe one of your clients moves on. Either way, you will want to know how to delete a folder. Just follow these steps to perform the deletion:
Start the Windows Explorer utility, as directed earlier.
Right-click the icon of the folder you want to remove from your computer and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
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A dialog box like the one shown in Figure 3.3 opens, asking you to verify the fact that you really want to delete the selected folder and all of its contents. Click Yes or No as appropriate.
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Figure 3.3 Look closely at the name of the folder about to be deleted before you make a final selection.
CAUTION
Look before you delete! Remember that the Delete command will not only erase the selected folder, but also all the files within it. As a result, I strongly suggest that you click the folder to examine the files before you perform the deletion.
CAUTION
Stay alive, archive! In the next hour, Health Care for PCs, I will show you how to back up files on a floppy disk or CD; that way, you can perform a little spring cleaning on your PC without having to worry about losing anything important.
And once the files are safely stored in another location, you can go ahead with any necessary deletions. I would, however, verify that the documents on your disk are not corrupt or otherwise damaged first. To do this, launch the application in which the document(s) was created and choose File, Open. Next, click your way to your floppy drive and try to open the file(s) stored there.