Windows 95/98: File Management

Windows Windows 95/98: File Management Is This Document Right for You? This document is designed for Windows 95/98 users who have developed the skills taught in Windows 95/98: Getting Started (dws07). You may also have additional experience; perhaps you have worked with an application, such as a word-processor, in Windows 95/98. Now you are ready to learn how to manage the files you are creating. In this document and the accompanying class, you will learn basic file management concepts, strategies for organizing your files, and the skills to use some of the tools Windows 95/98 provides to manage your files. Among other things, you will learn how to move files from one location to another, delete files, and create shortcuts that make getting to files easier. Note: We encourage users who are already proficient in Windows 95 to review the Windows 98: Features document (dws15) to learn more about the differences between Windows 95 and Windows 98. Since Windows 95 and Windows 98 are very similar, most information in this document applies to both. Information specific to Windows 98 is presented in a gray box. Some Definitions: Files, Folders, and Drives Your computer's filing system has three basic divisions: files, folders, and drives. Everything saved on your computer is stored as a file, whether it is a letter you wrote to a friend or the word- processing program you used to write it. The letter you write might be a Word document, for example, or a text file. Microsoft Word, on the other hand, is an "executable" file -- that is, a file that "executes" a series of commands to do some work for you; you run this executable file so that you can, in turn, create or edit document files. Other examples of files include database files and various types of system files. You can store a file in a folder and, in turn, store that folder inside another folder. Using different folders helps you and the computer keep track of information. For example, you might save the letter to your friend in a folder named "Joe" inside another folder called "Friends." Your computer also stores files in folders. For example, all the files the computer uses to run Windows 95/98 are usually stored in a folder called "Windows." When the computer needs one of those files, it follows a "path" to the folder, and then to the file. Files and folders are stored on drives. Drives are basically like filing cabinets. Each drive is assigned a letter name. Your hard drive (the drive inside your computer) is also known as the C:\ drive. If you have a floppy disk drive, it is usually known as the A:\ drive. If you use files stored on a CD-ROM, the drive where you put the CD is assigned another letter. If you attach to a network, you can assign the network drive still another letter. (Assigning letters to drives is also called “mapping.”) Organizing Your Files & Folders What's the best strategy for organizing your files? The strategy that lets you spend more time doing your work and less time desperately seeking the file you need. When deciding how to organize your files and folders, consider the following points: • Look at the types of files you create, or think you will create. How will you use the information? Do your files fall into major categories? Those major categories are your main folder names. • Create meaningful, logical names for files and folders. Windows 95/98: File Management Page 2 • To make it easier to find the electronic copy of a printed document, consider putting the actual filename and folder location in the document footer. • If different people work on one project, consider the following: - Make project or subject folders available to those who need them (do not bury them in an individual's file collection). - Establish file-naming conventions that everyone can follow. Make sure your naming conventions are easy to remember, meaningful, logical, and that they allow for growth in the number of files - If you generate large numbers of files, consider using a combination of letters and numbers in the file names. - In addition to project folders, each person may need a folder to store files that only he or she uses. • If you work on a network, consider saving a file to the network drive in these cases: - If you are using a file to which other people need access. It will make it easier for them to get to the file. - If you do not always work at the same computer on the network. It will make it easier for you to get to the file if you sit at one computer one day and another computer the next. - If you need to conserve file space on your own computer. Evaluate your file system periodically, and make adjustments as needed to make it easier to use. File System Example An example of a file system shared by two people should make this easier to follow. Alisha and Betsy store their files on one computer. Here is how the filing system might look: To store their personal files, Betsy and Alisha each have a folder. Alisha's folder has three folders inside it: Career, Classes, and Family. Alisha and Betsy are working together on a student body election campaign. For the files about the campaign, they have a folder called Election. In that folder, they have several other folders, including Press and Promises. As you can imagine, Betsy and Alisha have still more folders inside the ones shown. This file system may not work for you, but you can get an idea of how to put one together. Basic File Management Tools Windows 95/98 gives you two file management options, My Computer and Explorer. Let’s look at the similarities and differences between them, starting with My Computer. My Computer Double-click on My Computer to open it. The first window you see displays your local drives, as well as the Printers and Control Panel folders. Double-click on a drive to see the files and folders stored on it, and double-click on folders and files to open them, just as you would in File Manager. The File and Edit Menus Now, take a look at the menu bar. The menus are very similar to the ones you find in most applications: File, Edit, View, and Help. (In Windows 98, you’ll also see Go and Favorites.) Depending on what you have selected, the File menu provides options to Open files, use the Windows Explorer tool (Explore), Delete files, or Rename them. Other items on the File menu that you might encounter are listed below: · Send To: Send a copy of the file to a drive or program you select from the list that appears. · Format: Be careful of this command! You will usually use it to erase all files on a floppy disk to prepare it for use with your computer. It is safe to choose the command and take a look at the options in the Format dialog box. To erase all files on a disk, choose Quick; to erase all files and check the disk for errors, choose Full; to copy system files to a floppy without erasing any other files on it, Windows 95/98: File Management Page 3 choose Copy system files only. Don’t select the Format command in conjunction with a drive other than your floppy disk drive (A:\), though—you never want to format your hard drive! · Copy Disk: Not recommended. This command only appears if you select the A:\ drive and will copy the contents of one floppy disk to another. If you decide to use this option, be sure to check your disk for viruses and errors first. · Create Shortcut: Creates a shortcut to a file, folder, or drive and so you can move it to a convenient location. We’ll talk more about shortcuts in a few minutes. · Map Drive: The Map Drive button on the toolbar can make getting to a particular folder easier. If you are connected to a network and access a folder repeatedly, you may want to map the folder as a drive; that is, assign that folder a drive letter (such as G:\). Then, when you select the drive, you go directly to the folder. Another option, of course, is to create a shortcut to the folder. · Find: This works the same way as the Find command on the Start menu. · Properties: Different tabbed cards appear depending on what you select before the Properties command. If you select a file or folder before selecting Properties, the General tab displays these attributes: · Hidden: The file does not display in the folder window (to show all files, go to the View menu, choose Options, then View, and finally, Show All Files). · System: The file is part of your computer's operating system. · Read-Only: The file can be read, but not changed. · Archive: The file is marked to tell back-up programs whether the file has been changed; back-up programs will make a new copy of the file only if changes have been made since the last back-up. · Version: If the file is an executable (program) file, such as winword.exe, this tab provides information such as the version number of the program (Word 6.0 or Word 7, for example). As you might expect, you can use the Edit menu to cut, copy, and paste folders and files, and best of all, to undo these actions.

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