Computing Fundamentals Module Lesson 10 File Management with Windows Explorer

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Computing Fundamentals ModuleLesson 10 File
Management with Windows Explorer

• Computer Literacy BASICS

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Objectives

• Create folders and subfolders.
• Recognize and distinguish between different types
  of icons.
• Understand how to run an application or open a
  document file from Explorer.
• Name and rename files and folders.
• Delete folders and restore (undelete) a deleted
  folder from the Recycle Bin.

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Objectives (cont.)

• Manage the display and organization of files.
• Copy, delete, and move files from one folder to
  another.
• Use Disk Cleanup to clear your disk of
  unnecessary files.
• Run Disk Defragmenter to make your computer
  operate more efficiently.

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Vocabulary

• 8.3 alias
• Application file icons
• Copy
• Destination
• Disk Cleanup
• Disk Defragmenter
• Document file icons

• Extension
• Filename
• Fragmented files
• Move
• Parent folder
• Source
• Subfolder

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Folders and Subfolders

• Folders are used to organize data on your disk.
• Folders are represented by icons that actually
  look like file folders.
• When you want to create a folder to store files,
  you must first decide where you want to place the
  new folder.
• To create a subfolder, your decision is in which
  parent folder the new subfolder will be placed.

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Creating Folders

• To create a folder
• Select the location where you want the new
  folder.
• Click New on the File menu in Explorer and then
  click the Folder option in the submenu.
• A new folder icon will then appear in the display
  area.

New folder icon
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Recognizing Types of Icons
Location icons are graphic images that represent
drives, disks, or locations, such as My Computer.
Folder icons look like manila folders, and some
folders give a clue to their contents.
Application file icons look like a miniature
version of the program icon or a window.
Document file icons are represented by a piece of
paper with a graphic indicating the type of
document.
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Application File Icons

• Double-clicking an application file icon in the
  contents pane of Explorer will start the
  application program.
• Or select the file icon and then click Open on
  the File menu in Explorer to start the
  application.

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Document File Icons

• When you create a document file, you associate
  that file with an application.
• In Windows XP, this means you create a link
  between a document and an application.
• The link lets you open a document file directly
  by double-clicking the document file icon in
  Explorer or on your desktopyou do not need to
  open the application first.

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Naming Folders and Files

• Files and folders use the same file-naming
  conventions.
• DOS and early versions of Windows used a
  file-naming convention known as 8.3.
• The 8 part means that the files name could be
  no more than eight characters in length.
• The 3 part refers to the file extension, the
  three-character identifier following the period
  separator in a filename.
• jlscocon.doc is a filename that uses the 8.3
  naming convention.

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Naming Folders and Files (cont.)

• Long filenames (up to 255 characters) are allowed
  in newer versions of Windows, beginning with
  Windows 95.
• You can use spaces and some punctuation marks in
  long filenames.
• JL Smith Company Contract is an example of an
  acceptable long filename.
• Some long filenames also use extensions longer
  than three characters, such as .jpeg or .html.

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Compatibility Issues with 8.3and Long Filenames

• Programs designed for any Windows system prior to
  Windows 95 do not recognize long filenames.
• For those programs, Windows automatically assigns
  an 8.3 alias, a short version of the long
  filename.
• When you open a file with a long filename in a
  program that doesnt recognize long filenames,
  the long filename could get lost.
• Utility programs that back up data files may not
  support long filenames, and using such programs
  can destroy the long filenames. The backup files
  may not be accessible.

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Renaming a Folder

• To rename a folder in Explorer once it has been
  created and named
• Click the folder to select it, press the F2 key,
  and key the new name in the text box.
• Or click the folder to select it, choose Rename
  from the File menu, and key the new name in the
  text box.

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More Ways to Rename a Folder

• Or right-click the folder name, choose Rename on
  the shortcut menu, and key the new name in the
  text box.
• Or click the Folders button on the toolbar to
  access the My Computer tasks bar. Then click the
  folder to select it, choose Rename this folder in
  the File and Folder Tasks panel, and then key the
  new name in the text box.

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Deleting a Folder

• To delete a folder you no longer need
• Click the folder to select it, and then select
  Delete from the File menu.
• Or click the Folders button on the toolbar, click
  the folder you want to delete, and then select
  Delete this folder from the File and Folder Tasks
  panel.

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More Ways to Delete a Folder

• Or click the folder to select it and then press
  the Delete key.
• Or right-click the folder and select Delete on
  the shortcut menu.
• When you delete a folder or subfolder, you also
  delete all the files within it.

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Confirm Delete Message Box

• Windows displays a Confirm Folder Delete message
  box to make sure you really want to delete the
  folder.

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Selecting Files

• Before you can move or copy a file, you must
  first select it.
• To select a single file, click it.
• To select two or more adjacent files, click the
  first file in the series, press and hold down the
  Shift key, and then click the last file in the
  series.
• To select nonadjacent files, click the first file
  to select it, press and hold down the Ctrl key,
  and then click the other files to be selected.

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Copying and Moving Files

• Files can be easily moved or copied from their
  current location (the source) to a new location
  (the destination) on the same or a different
  drive.
• When moving or copying files (dragging the source
  file to its destination), both the source and
  destination should be visible.
• You move or copy folders the same way as you move
  or copy files.

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Copying Files

• Copying a file places a duplicate of the file in
  a new location the original file remains in
  place in the source location.
• When you copy a file or folder in Windows
  Explorer, you must hold down the Ctrl key as you
  drag the object from the source to the
  destination to leave a copy in the source.
• In My Computer, you do not need to press any key
  while dragging to copy a file from the source to
  the destination.

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Moving Files

• Moving a file removes it from its original
  location and places it in a new location, the
  destination.
• In My Computer, you must hold down the Shift key
  as you drag the file to move it without leaving a
  copy in the source location.
• In Windows Explorer, you do not need to press any
  key while dragging to move a file from the source
  to the destination.

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Copying and Moving Files

• An alternate method of moving and copying files
  is to drag the file using the right mouse button.
• When the file is dropped in the destination, a
  shortcut menu appears.
• You can then click on your preference in the
  menu Copy Here or Move Here.

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Confirm File Replace Message Box

• If you attempt to copy or move a file to a
  destination where an identically named file
  exists, Windows displays the Confirm File Replace
  message box. Click Yes to replace the existing
  file click No to cancel the copy or move.

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Deleting Files

• You delete files using the same methods you
  learned to delete folders
• Select the file and then press Delete.
• Or right-click the file to open the shortcut menu
  and then click Delete to quickly delete a file.
• Or use the Delete command on the File menu or the
  Delete this file task on the My Computer tasks
  bar to delete a file.

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Confirm File Delete

• You will see a Confirm File Delete message box
  when you delete a file, just as you do when you
  delete a folder.
• Click Yes in the dialog box to continue the
  process of deleting the file.
• But if you delete a file by mistake, remember you
  can still recover it from the Recycle Bin.

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Restoring a Deleted File

• Files in the Recycle Bin can be restored if they
  were deleted in error.
• You must restore a file before the Recycle Bin is
  emptied.
• Emptying the Recycle Bin deletes the files and
  folders permanently. Once the bin is emptied,
  files cannot be recovered.

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Using the Recycle Bin toRecover a File

• To restore a file in the Recycle Bin
• Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop
  to open the Recycle Bin window.
• Then right-click the file or folder you wish to
  restore and choose Restore from the shortcut
  menu.
• Use the Restore all items option on the Recycle
  Bin task panel to restore all the files and
  folders in the bin to their original locations.

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Hard Drive Management

• Windows uses your hard disk for temporary
  storage, and many application programs create
  temporary files on the hard disk.
• A hard disk may have many files that are not
  needed.
• Your system may be slow in responding or you may
  have problems running programs and opening
  documents if you do not maintain your hard drive.

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Disk Maintenance Tools

• You can regain disk space using system tools
  designed to eliminate unneeded files.
• Windows comes with system tools to help maintain
  your hard disk drive, including
• Disk Cleanup
• Disk Defragmenter
• You can open both of these programs from the
  Start menu.

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Disk Cleanup

• To open Disk Cleanup from the Start menu, point
  to All Programs, select Accessories, choose the
  System Tools option, and then click Disk Cleanup.
• The Disk Cleanup dialog box opens and provides
  information about how much disk space you can
  gain by cleaning up the disk.

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Deleting Unnecessary Files

• The Disk Cleanup program searches your drive and
  then shows you temporary files and unnecessary
  program files you can safely delete.
• You can direct Disk Cleanup to delete some or all
  of those files.
• The More Options tab in the Disk Cleanup dialog
  box provides more suggestions about files you may
  not need on your system.

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Use Disk Defragmenter toEliminate Fragmented
Files

• When you save a file, Windows may split file data
  among clusters (or allocation units on the disk)
  that are not next to each other to optimize
  available disk space.
• This creates fragmented files.
• Fragmentation can slow down the disks read and
  write times and reduce disk efficiency.
• Use Disk Defragmenter to rearrange disk files so
  they are stored in contiguous clusters.

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Disk Defragmenter

• Select Disk Defrag-menter from the System Tools
  submenu to open the Disk Defragmenter dialog box.
• Select your hard disk and then click the Analyze
  button to let Windows check the hard disk.

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Defragmenting a Hard Disk

• When Defragmenter is finished analyzing the disk,
  you can view the Analysis Report.
• If the analysis shows that the hard disk is not
  heavily fragmented, you may not want to proceed.
• Defragmenter gives you the option to continue to
  defragment the disk or quit without
  defragmenting.
• If you continue, Disk Defragmenter begins to
  reposition the files.
• While Defragmenter is working, you can see a
  graphic display of the programs progress.

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Summary

• Folders are used to organize files on a disk.
  Subfolders can be created within parent folders
  to build a hierarchy of folders for optimal file
  organization.
• An application file icon may look like a
  miniature version of the program icon, or it may
  look like a miniature window.

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Summary (cont.)

• It is easy to run an application or open a
  document file from Explorer by double-clicking an
  icon.
• A document file icon looks like a piece of paper
  with a graphic on it. You can open an associated
  document file from Explorer without opening the
  application first.

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Summary (cont.)

• You can assign descriptive names up to 255
  characters long to folders and files however,
  only Windows 95 and higher can accommo-date long
  filenames. Windows will assign a short filename,
  called an alias, to each of these files so they
  can be used with programs that dont support long
  filenames.
• You can easily rename folders.

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Summary (cont.)

• Files are moved or copied from a source to a
  destination. The source is the file to be copied,
  and the destination is the location (folder or
  disk) where the moved or copied file will be
  placed.
• When you copy a file, you duplicate the original.
  When you move a file, it is removed from its
  original location and placed in a new location.

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Summary (cont.)

• Deleting a folder or subfolder deletes all the
  files within the folder as well. Folders deleted
  from a hard disk are transferred to the Recycle
  Bin. Folders deleted from a floppy disk are
  deleted permanently.
• You can restore a deleted folder from the Recycle
  Bin with the Restore this item option on the
  Recycle Bin Tasks panel or File menu.

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Summary (cont.)

• You can use Disk Cleanup to clear your hard disk
  of unnecessary files.
• Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files on a hard
  disk so the disk performs optimally.