NOT a Guru!
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.
It’s easy to do. We’re all guilty of it.
For weeks, that quickly turn into months, that somehow turn into a year or two, you’ve been downloading stuff with abandon. Or maybe you’ve been saving your important correspondence with the default provided in your word processing program. Now that some time has passed, you need to find something and you are not sure where to find it. The computer’s search feature isn’t finding what you want, either, because you can’t remember the file names.
It’s not too late to organize your computer. It might take awhile if you have to open the files to figure out what they are, but you can do it pretty easily. Here are some steps for organizing computers that operate on a Microsoft operating system.
Go To Windows Explorer.
Windows Explorer is a handy utility that comes with your Windows operating system. I think it is easier to use than the “My Computer” function because it has more navigating options and controls.
To access Windows Explorer:
- Click the START button on the lower left of your screen, in the system tray.
- A menu will pop up. Select PROGRAMS.
- After you click programs, select ACCESSORIES.
- Select WINDOWS EXPLORER from your accessories menu.
Your Windows Explorer screen should look something like this:
Typically, your “Drive C” is your local hard drive. By default, Microsoft will store your word processing documents (if you use Microsoft Office programs) into “My Documents” and your images into “My Pictures.” If you are using other programs, they may automatically use another default. For instance, Corel’s Word Perfect will automatically store documents on your “C” drive under a folder called “My Files.” If that’s the case, you will need to open “My Computer” in your Windows Explorer program, and then open Drive C and “My Files” to see the documents you want to organize.
Creating New Folders.
Use of folders is the best way to organize your computer. It’s just like creating a manilla folder in the 3D world. You label a folder, put papers and important stuff in it, and then place it in your file cabinet or a storage box. You can do the same thing on your computer but instead of paper documents, you are organizing electronic documents. You can create an electronic folder anywhere, whether it’s within “My Documents,” on Drive C in “My Computer,” Drive F if you have an external storage device, within “My Pictures” — you name it! In this example, we’ll create a new folder within “My Documents” on Drive C.
All you need to do is click the “File” link on the upper left hand corner of Windows Explorer as shown in the image below. From “File,” select “New” in the drop down menu and then select “Folder.”
As you can see in this example, I am creating a folder called “Miscellaneous.” You just type in whatever folder name that you want at the prompt, and then hit return. Make sure you name your folder something that will make sense to you down the road.
Now that I’ve created my example folder called “Miscellaneous,” it shows up under “My Documents.” You can see it on the left panel as well as on the right panel. It’s the 8th folder underneath “My Documents” in the image below.
Moving Files Into Folders.
Click on the file that you want to move into your newly-created folder. In the example below, I am going to move a text file called “FailedList” into the Miscellaneous folder. First, click on the document.
You can simply drag the file into the folder. HOWEVER, if you want to copy the file into the folder (instead of moving it), hold down your right mouse key and drag the file to the folder. The “destination folder” will highlight. TO ENABLE THE COPY OR MOVE CHOICE YOU MUST HOLD DOWN YOUR RIGHT MOUSE KEY WHEN DRAGGING THE FILE TO ITS DESTINATION FOLDER. In the example image below, I am holding down the right mouse key as I drag the file to its destination.
When you release your mouse, you will see an option to move or copy the document into the folder.
In the example I’ve given you, I’ve elected to copy (not move) the file to the Miscellaneous folder. It is now where it was originally located and also stored in the Miscellaneous folder.
- If you MOVE a file, it will move to the destination folder. It will no longer appear where it was originally located. In short, you started with one file and ended with one file.
- If you COPY a file, you will move a COPY to the destination folder. The original file will remain where it was originally located. In short, you started with one and ended with two files.
- Typically, if your goal is to organize your computer, you will simply want to MOVE your file to a folder. I decided to use the COPY feature because my computer is already organized and I am going to delete the extra copy after this blog post is published.
By double clicking on the Miscellaneous folder, I see that the document has been copied. As shown in the image below, the folder is on the left panel of Windows Explorer; the contents of the folder is displayed on the right panel.
A Good Defense is a Good Offense.
I am in the habit of creating folders immediately so I don’t have to hunt and peck for documents or downloads. It’s so easy to do.
Creating folders is especially important for software downloads, particularly for zip files that need to be extracted or for files that have goofy names that are impossible to remember. In using folders, I can store all updates to a software program in a folder specifically for that program. In my case, I use a portable hard drive to store most of my material. Here’s a partial look at my “Downloads” folder, which includes folders for every software program that I use. This makes it super easy to find patches or the executable file in case something goes wrong:
In addition to software downloads, I always store my word processing documents in folders. Since the clients are confidential, I cannot show you a screenshot; however, each folder is labeled “per client.” Additionally, I store my documents in a format that includes a date and a brief description. For instance, let’s say I have a matter called Tiki Torch Restaurant. I’ve drafted a letter on December 23, 2008, to Tiki Torch concerning their corporate filings. What I would do is save the letter in the “Tiki Torch” folder, using a file name like:
12-23-2008_Letter-to-Tiki_CorporateDocs.doc
This makes it a heck of a lot easier to find things on the computer than using the defaults that come with word processing programs.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at how to change the name of a file.
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Nice tutorials for beginners. Can you write drivers installation procedure and how can I get my computer’s drivers on internet.? thanks