University of Nebraska - Lincoln Communications and Information Technology

Easy File Management with Windows Explorer

With the Windows Explorer program in Windows 98/2000/XP you can view and manage your files, folders, and drives. The following sections explain file organization and give step-by-step instructions for viewing folders and files, creating folders, moving and copying files or folders, working with the Recycle Bin, and more.

  1. Understanding File Organization
  2. Viewing Folders and Files
  3. Managing Files and Folders
  4. Using the Recycle Bin
  5. Creating and Using Shortcuts

 

Understanding File Organization

Understanding file names and organization will make using your computer less stressful and more efficient. This knowledge will help in managing

  • files on your local hard drive or a network drive,
  • files shared through e-mail attachments,
  • files shared through FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and
  • files put on the Web server for your Web site.

Files are organized by using folders (directories) on a physical location — just like paper documents within folders in file cabinet drawers.

File

Each letter, slide show, spreadsheet, or database you create is stored as a file. Every file saved has a filename. You can use multiple words for the filename; for example, Letter to Sam. Do NOT use special characters,   \ / : * ? " < > |   .

Every file also has a three-letter extension, assigned by the Windows system, that associates it with a specific program. For example, a WordPerfect complete file name would be "Letter to Sam.wpd" and a Word file name would be "Letter to Sam.doc".

Folder

You can store or organize similar types of files within a folder. You create as many folders and subfolders as you need. Folders organize the files in a logical manner, like using manila folders inside hanging folders to organize paper documents in a file cabinet drawer. A good place to put your folders and files is in the "My Documents" folder on your local hard drive — to provide easy backup.

Disk drive

The physical location where folders and files can be found. A disk drive name consists of a single letter and a colon.
  Drive A: = First floppy disk drive
  Drive C: = First hard disk drive
  Drive D - Z: = optional drives (2nd hard drive, CD-ROM or DVD drive, ZIP drive, and network drives)

Path name

The complete name of your file on a computer actually includes the path name. A path simply describes where a file is located on your computer or the network. The path name lists the drive (such as the hard disk, floppy disk, or CD-ROM) and folder that contains your data file. When you use the Recycle Bin or Find/Search feature, you will see the path name listed for each file.

Complete path and file name examples:
  C:\My Documents\Letter to Sam.wpd
  A:\picture of john.jpg
  V:\7PKP\newsletter\Sept.rtf (see Figure 1 for picture of folder structure)

 

Continue with next section:

  1. Understanding File Organization
  2. Viewing Folders and Files
  3. Managing Files and Folders
  4. Using the Recycle Bin
  5. Creating and Using Shortcuts

 

Return to Tips, Tricks, and Techniques index

Communications & Information Technology |  CIT Computing

Questions or Comments: contact CIT Computing Staff
CIT Computing does not provide personal support to parties outside of UNL.

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources  Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR)
 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
 Last updated March 24, 2004