A. How is the Information Organized?

. Each item of information (letters, lists, documents, financial

information, spreadsheets, databases, etc. as well as components of the
operating system and of the programs on your computer) is stored as a
FILE
A. Files are organized into FOLDERS
B. Folders can contain SUBFOLDERS
C. It is useful to think of the hard drive (C:) as a file cabinet.
0. The file cabinet has drawers which are the equivalent of folders
(it can hold as many folders as its physical size can
accommodate)
1. Inside the drawers (folders) are a number of subfolders
2. Inside the subfolders are the files (or additional subfolders -
think of them as sub-subfolders
3. Open the My Town folder to see how this works
B. Naming Files
. Most Windows files have names with two distinct parts separated by a
period: MYFILE . EXE
A. The stuff before the period or dot (.) is the name of the file assigned
either by you (in the case of files you create) or by the programmer or
supplier (in the case of the operating system, programs and applications)
B. The stuff after the period or dot (.) is called the "file extension"
C. File extensions are usually, but not necessarily, three characters long
D. Extensions define the type of file and are very important because they
are what Windows uses to determine what kind of file it is and how to
process it. At http://filext.com/ you can look up file extensions to see
what each means
E. Windows should be configured to always display the file extensions.
However, as delivered, Windows does NOT display these extensions,
(probably because Bill Gates thought you too stupid to learn what we'll
discuss for the rest of the course.)
F. A note about "full file addresses"
0. Devices such as disk drives, CD and DVD drives, USB storage
devices, etc. are assigned letters with a colon such as A: and C:
1. The full address of a file contains all the information needed to
locate the file on your computer. It would look something like

C:\Folder\Subfolder\Sub-Subfolder\FileName.Extension

2. The part of the full address preceding the file name is called the
"path"
C. Saving Files
. Whenever you create a file containing information you want to keep, it
is important to save it properly.
A. File Save vs. File Save As
0. When you SAVE a file, the latest version replaces the previous
one
 1. When you SAVE AS, you are asked for a new file name and the
latest version is saved in addition to the previous one
B. There are three characteristics of files that you must specify when
saving a file:
0. The file location
1. The file name
2. The file extension (file type)
C. The procedure for saving a file is as follows:
0. On the File menu, choose Save (or Save As)
1. If you have previously saved a version of the file and you
choose Save, the new version is saved, replacing the previous
version
2. If you have not previously saved a version of the file the
procedure for Save or Save As is identical. In the dialog box
that opens
a. Near the top you'll see a section labeled Save In. Use the
drop-down arrow at the right end of the box to select the
FILE LOCATION (folder, subfolder, sub-subfolder, etc.)
where you want to save the file
b. Just below the window displaying the locations, you'll
see a section labeled File name. Type in the FILE
NAME you want to give this file
c. Just below that you'll see a section labeled Save As Type.
It is likely that something is already filled in here and
you can just use it as the default. Or ... you can click on
the drop-down arrow to choose a different FILE
EXTENSION
D. But suppose you want to create a new folder in which to save the file
0. After you have chosen Save (or Save As) on the File menu and
the dialog box has opened
1. To the right of the Save In section you'll see a number of small
icons.
2. The one that looks like a file folder that is about to explode (the
one WITHOUT the crooked arrow in it is the Create New
Folder tool
3. Click on it. A dialog box will open and you'll see a section titled
Name.
4. Type the name of the folder you want to create there and then
proceed to save the file into it as described above.

A. Viewing Files and Folders

A. There are two basic formats for the interface used to display the
contents of the computer
B. The single-pane view - used for most folders and in My Computer
1. Shows one folder with its sub-folders and files
2. The contents can be viewed in several different ways according
to your needs and/or tastes
 a. Thumbnails - Displays a picture of the contents of the
file or folder when possible
b. Tiles - Displays large icons along with the file name
(and extension if you have enabled them)
c. Icons - Displays small icons along with the file name
(and extension if you have enabled them)
d. List - Displays just a list of the file names (and
extensions if you have enabled them)
e. Details - Displays file name, type, size, date created and
other options information about each file
3. You can choose the view you want by clicking on the "bingo
card" icon on the tool bar

C. The double-pane or Windows Explorer view

1. A tree-like view which can show the entire contents of the
computer
2. As in the "My Computer" view, contents can be viewed in
several different ways
B. File and Folder Operations
A. Left vs. Right Click
1. Left clicks ALWAYS perform an action
a. A left single-click when done on a button in a dialog
box causes an action to take place.
b. A left single-click on a folder or file name selects the
folder or file for further action (as yet unspecified)
c. A left double-click causes the default action for a given
file type.
2. Right clicks ALWAYS display a menu
3. A right single-click opens a menu (context sensitive) displaying
a list of possible actions and other information
4. A right double-click does nothing
B. The Power of Right-Click
1. Right-click menus are context-sensitive. That means that what
you see on the right-click menu depends upon what object you
right-click on.
2. A "Generic" Right-Click menu contains commands for
a. Software Operations (Open, Print, Edit, etc.)
 b. Basic File Management Functions (Cut, Copy, Paste)
c. Send To (Move or Copy a File, Open Software
Applications, Create Desktop Shortcuts, Initiate E-mail,
etc.)
d. Properties (Displays information about the item clicked)
i. File or Folder
ii. Type of File
iii. Opens With
iv. Location
v. Size
vi. Date Created, Modified, Accessed
vii. Attributes (Archive, Read-Only, Hidden, System)
viii. Hard or Removable Disk

Type

File System Used

Used Space

Free Space

Capacity
ix. Special Objects

Desktop

Start | Programs

Taskbar

My Computer
C. Copying Files or Folders
1. You can copy files, folders, subfolders, sub-subfolders, etc.
2. Copying creates a duplicate of the original
a. In the same folder with a different name
b. In a different folder with the same name
c. In a different folder with a different name (but the same
content)
3. The original remains in the same location unchanged
4. There are (as is usually the case in Windows) several ways to
do this:
a. Right-click menu
i. Right-click on the file or folder you want to copy
ii. Choose Copy from the context-sensitive menu
iii. Right-click on the folder to which you want to
copy the chosen items
iv. Chose Paste from the context-sensitive menu
b. The Task Pane (in Windows XP)
i. Left-click on the file or folder you want to copy
to highlight it
ii. In the Task Pane on the left, choose Copy This
File
iii. In the dialog box that opens, left-click on the
folder to which you want to copy the chosen
items
iv. Click on the Copy button at the bottom of the
dialog box
c. The Edit menu in My Computer or Windows Explorer
 i. Left-click on the file or folder you want to copy
to highlight it
ii. Left-click on the Edit menu, then left-click on
Copy
iii. Left-click on the folder to which you want to
copy the chosen items
iv. Left-click on the Edit menu, then left-click on
Paste

Drag and Drop

v. Position the mouse pointer over the file or folder

you want to copy and depress and hold down the
right mouse button
vi. Drag the pointer to the folder to which you want
to copy the chosen items
vii. Release the right mouse button and on the
context-sensitive menu choose Copy Here
5. Note, if you want to copy more than one file (or folder) at the
same time, you can select multiple files (or folders) as follows:
a. To select multiple files or folders that are listed
contiguously, left-click on the first one, then shift-left-
click on the last one. They will all be selected
b. To select multiple files or folders that are not listed
contiguously, hold down the CTRL key and left-click on
each one you want one at a time.
D. Moving Files or Folders
1. You can move files, folders, subfolders, sub-subfolders, etc.
2. Moving is similar to Copying in that it creates a duplicate of the
original
a. In the same folder with a different name
b. In a different folder with the same name
c. In a different folder with a different name (but the same
content)
3. But the action also deletes the original file from its former
location
4. There are (as is usually the case in Windows) several ways to
do this
a. Right-click menu
i. Right-click on the file or folder you want to
move
ii. Choose Cut from the context-sensitive menu
iii. Right-click on the folder to which you want to
move the chosen items
iv. Chose Paste from the context-sensitive menu
b. The Task Pane (in Windows XP)
i. Left-click on the file or folder you want to move
to highlight it
ii. In the Task Pane on the left, choose Move This
File
 iii. In the dialog box that opens, left-click on the
folder to which you want to move the chosen
items
iv. Left-click on the Move button at the bottom of
the dialog box
c. The Edit menu in My Computer or Windows Explorer
i. Left-click on the file or folder you want to move
to highlight it
ii. Left-click on the Edit menu, then left-click on
Cut
iii. Left-click on the folder to which you want to
move the chosen items
iv. Left-click on the Edit menu, then left-click on
Paste
d. Drag and Drop
1. Position the mouse pointer over the file or folder
you want to move and depress and hold down
the right mouse button
2. Drag the pointer to the folder to which you want
to move the chosen items
3. Release the right mouse button and on the
context-sensitive menu choose Move Here
5. Note, if you want to move more than one file (or folder) at the
same time, you can select multiple files (or folders) as follows:
a. To select multiple files or folders that are listed
contiguously, left-click on the first one, then shift-left-
click on the last one. They will all be selected
b. To select multiple files or folders that are not listed
contiguously, hold down the CTRL key and left-click on
each one you want one at a time.
E. Renaming Files or Folders
1. You can change the name of a file or folder at any time
2. But you must be careful NOT TO CHANGE THE FILE
EXTENSION
3. There are (as is usually the case in Windows) several ways to
do this
a. Right-click menu
0. Right-click on the file or folder you want to
rename
1. Chose Rename from the context-sensitive menu
2. The name of the file will be highlighted in blue
with a box around it
3. Type in the new name for the file or folder (be
sure to include the extension for the file)
4. Press ENTER to complete the process
b. Use the F2 key
. Left-click on the file or folder you want to
rename
i. Press the F2 key
 ii. The name of the file will be highlighted in blue
with a box around it
iii. Type in the new name for the file or folder (be
sure to include the extension for the file)
iv. Press ENTER to complete the process
4. NOTE: File names may not contain any of the following
characters: / \ : * ? " < > or |
F. Deleting Files or Folders
1. You can delete a file or folder at any time
2. There are (as is usually the case in Windows) several ways to
do this
a. Right-click menu
. Right-click on the file or folder you want to
delete
i. Choose Delete from the context-sensitive menu
b. The Task Pane in Windows XP
. Left-click on the file or folder you want to delete
to highlight it
i. In the Task Pane on the left, choose Delete This
File
c. Edit Menu in My Computer or Windows Explorer
. Left-click on the file or folder you want to delete
to highlight it
i. Left-click on the Edit menu, then left-click on
Delete
d. The Delete Key
. Left-click on the file or folder you want to delete
to highlight it
i. Press the DELETE key
3. Normally, deleted files or folders are sent to the Recycle Bin
4. If you delete a file by mistake, you can restore it from the
Recycle Bin
C. How Windows Manages Files
A. File Extensions
1. Each application program (Notepad, Word, Quicken, Turbo Tax,
etc.) creates binary files (0's and 1's) in a particular format
2. Typically only the program that created the file can read it
3. Windows uses FILE EXTENSIONS to associate the data files
created by a program with the program that create them
4. Most Windows files have names with two distinct parts
separated by a period: MYFILE . EXE
5. The stuff before the period or dot (.) is the name of the file
assigned either by you (in the case of files you create) or by the
programmer or supplier (in the case of the operating system,
programs and applications)
6. The stuff after the period or dot (.) is called the "file extension"
7. File extensions are usually, but not necessarily, three characters
long
 8. Extensions define the type of file and are very important
because they are what Windows uses to determine what kind of
file it is and how to process it.
9. Some Examples of Extensions

Extension Description Opened By

jpg, gif Graphics, Pictures Default browser or graphics program
bmp (Bulky) graphics Microsoft Paint or graphics progam
doc Word Processing file Microsoft Word or WordPad
xls Excel Spreadsheet file Microsoft Excel
txt Text file Notepad, text editor, Microsoft Word, etc.
pdf Portable Document file Adobe software (Reader or Acrobat)
htm, html Hypertext Mark file Default browser (edited in text editor)
wav, mp3 Audio Clip Windows Media Player
avi, wmv Video Clib Windows Media Player
rm Video Clip Real Player
dll Dynamic Link Library Used by software in a variety of functions
exe Executable file File that actually runs software
zip Compressed file Opened by WinZip, PKZip, etc.

Exercise

10. Different programs are typically not able to read each others
files. To demonstrate this, try these exercises:
a. First:
b.
. Create a small plain text (ASCII) file, using
Notepad
i. Save it three times, using .TXT, .DOC, and .JPG
extensions
ii. Double click on each to open and view
c. Next:
. Create a small plain text (ASCII) file, using
Microsoft Word
i. Save it three times, using .TXT, .DOC, and .JPG
extensions
ii. Double click on each to open and view
d. Finally:
0. Open a picture (graphic) file
1. Save a picture files three times using .TXT, .DOC
and .JPG extensions
2. Double click on each to open and view
11. The File Extensions tell Windows what type the file is (or is
supposed to be)
12. A list of file types is kept in the Registry, defining
 a. what actions are possible for each file type (Open, Edit,
Print, etc.)
b. which software to use for each action
c. where that software is stored

A.
A.
B. File Associations
1. Software that is assigned to do something with or to a particular
type of file is said to be "associated"
2. All file types will have at least one possible actions called the
Default Action. This is (almost) always "Open"
3. he Default action is the one that double left-clicking brings
about.
a. When a user invokes a particular file by double-clicking,
the operating system consults the Registry
b. From the list path for the Default action, it calls up the
appropriate executable software file to carry out the
desired action
4. In general, actions other than the Default are invoked from the
right-click context menu.
5. Right-clicking a file once will bring up a list of things (called
the context menu ).
 6. The top portion of the menu shows all the
possible actions for the file, including the
Default, which will be in boldface.

The graphic to the left shows the menu displayed

on my system when I right-click on a graphic
(picture) file

7. In this case "Open" is the default operation

8. Many file types may have several possible
actions, often using different software. For
example, on my system, if I right-click on a
graphics file I have a choice of:
a. Opening (viewing) the graphic using the
default browser
b. Editing the graphic using Adobe
Photoshop Elements
c. Re-sizing the graphic using a free utility
called PixResizer
d. Printing the graphic using the default
browser
9. I've also added other commands to the Right-
Click menu
a. Convert the graphic from one format to
another
b. Add or edit a note describing the graphic
on the Details view
c. Scan for viruses
d. Etc. (we'll discuss the "Open With"
section of the menu later)

10. A list of all the file types registered on a particular

computer together with their associated actions and
software can be seen by going to My
Computer|Tools|Folder Options|File Types
B. Managing File Associations
10. Many of us have had the experience of installing some new
software only to find that, without asking, the installation has
changed our file associations so that some of our favorite
programs no longer work. Knowing how to manage file
associations will allow you to take back control of your
computer.
11. There is a simple procedure to change the default action or to
occasionally use a different program to open a file using the
"Open With..." command
 f. Right-
click on a file of the type whose
associations you wish to edit.
g. Selecting
this entry will bring up a list of
programs from which a selection can
be made to open the file. An example
of the pertinent section of a context
menu is illustrated in the picture
shown nearby. Generally, this list
contains any programs previously used
to open the particular file type
involved. The example shown in the
picture is a text file, and for this file
type there are a number of commonly
used programs.
h. If the list
does not contain the desired program,
select the entry Choose Program.
i. This will
open the dialog box "Open With" and
in it you can look for an appropriate
executable from all the files on the
computer. In the lower part of the
dialog box is an entry, " Always use
the selected program to open this kind
of file". Place a check there if you
want this program to be the default for
opening the type of file in question. If
you only want to use the program at
this time, make sure to leave the box
unchecked.

B. Finding Lost or Misplaced Files.

A. It is (too) often the case that after you've saved a file, you can't
remember where you saved it or even (sometimes) what you named it.
B. Windows has a solution for you. It's called "Search"
C. Windows Search can be accessed in several different ways
3. From the Desktop click on Start, then on Search
4. From the My Computer window, first click on the Search Tool
on the toolbar then click on "Search for Files or Folders" in the
Systems Tasks section of the Task Pane
D. When the Search dialog box opens, it looks like this:
 E. You can search for:
0. (Just) Pictures, Music or Video files
1. (Just) Documents (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) files
2. All Files and Folders (anywhere on your computer)
3. Computers or People (computers on your network or people in
your Outlook or Outlook Express address book
4. Information in the Help and Support Center (help and
information on how to use or fix your computer
5. The Internet
F. Let's look at how to search All Files and Folders (since we are
assuming that you want to know about searching because you
sometimes lose or misplace a file somewhere in your computer's
storage space)
G. When you click on All Files and Folders, the search window that opens
looks like this:
A. You can specify:
1. All or Part of the File Name (if you can remember it)
2. A Word or Phrase in the File
3. Look In (what storage space to search)
4. When the File was Last Modified (if you can remember)
a. Within the Last Week
b. Within the Past Month
c. Within the Last Year
d. Or you can specify a range of dates
5. What Size is It
a. Small (less than 100 KB)
b. Medium (less than 1 MB)
c. Large (more than 1 MB)
d. Or you can specify a maximum or minimum size in KB
B. Here are some examples:
1. To find a file named Suzie's Picture which you saved as a .jpg
file but you can't remember where, In the "All or Part of the File
Name" you'd type Suzie's Picture .jpg. This would find the
specific individual file.
2. To find a missing word processing file the name of which you
can't remember, In the "All or Part of the File Name" you'd type
*.doc" (the .doc extension is the one that Windows uses for
Microsoft Word word processing files and the asterisk ( * ) is a
"wild card" character that stands for "anything at all"). This
would find all the word processing files stored on your
computer.
3. To find a missing spreadsheet the name of which escapes you
except that you know it begins with an "H", In the "All or Part
of the File Name" you'd type h*.xls (the .xls extension is the
one that Windows uses for Microsoft Word word processing
files and the asterisk ( * ) is a "wild card" character that stands
for "anything at all", so it would search for a filename
beginning with H and having "anything at all" after it. This
would find all the spreadsheet files on your computer whose
names begin with "H".
4. To find a file about which you can't remember anything (neither
the name nor the type), but you do know that you saved it
within the last week, In the "All or Part of the File Name" you'd
type *.* (both the file name and the file extension can be
"anything at all" and in the ":When Was It Modified" section
you'd choose "Within the Last Week". This would find all the
files that where created on your computer during the last week..
C. In addition to Windows Search, within the last few months, several
vendors have made available for free download what they are calling
"Desktop Search Engines". These have many more advanced search
features than does Windows Search and, if you have a large number of
files saved on your computer, they are worth trying. However, a
discussion of them is beyond the scope of this course. The Desktop
Search Engines currently available include:
1. Google Desktop Search
2. Yahoo Desktop Search
3. Microsoft MSN Toolbar Suite
4. Copernic Desktop Search