Lesson 3: File Management

2

Learning Objectives

After studying this lesson, you will be able to:

Browse files on the computer

Open files from a folder window

Copy and move files

Create new folders

Rename files and folders

Delete and restore files using the Recycle Bin

Back up files on a USB flash drive

Browsing User Files

Three levels of organization (Win Vista, XP)

3

Level Definition ExamplesDrive A physical place to store files • An internal hard drive

• A USB flash driveFolder An electronic location to store

groups of related files• A folder to store files for

an application program

• A folder to store letters  for a project

File This is a collection of computer data with a common purpose.

• A letter you’ve typed

• A picture you’ve drawn

Browsing User Files

Four levels of organization (Win 7)

4

Level Definition ExamplesDrive A physical place to store files • An internal hard drive

• A USB flash driveLibrary(Win 7)

A collection of folders on one or more local or network drives

• Documents• Music• Pictures• Public

Folder An electronic location to store groups of related files

• A folder to store files for an application program

• A folder to store letters  for a project

File This is a collection of computer data with a common purpose.

• A letter you’ve typed• A picture you’ve drawn

Browsing User Files

Example of Win 7 Libraries

5

The library view

combines all folders

contained in the library

Browsing User Files

Win 7, Vista computer window features

6

Address bar

Forward and

Back buttons

Links to frequently

browsed locationsStorage

drives

Libraries (Win 7)

Locations to store

various files/media

Browsing User Files

Win XP computer window features

7

Address bar

Forward and

Back buttons

Links to frequently

browsed locations Storage

drives

Links to common

commands

Browsing User Files

Drive letters

Windows assigns a letter to each

storage drive automatically

The primary hard drive is always C

Flash drive receives the next

available drive letter (which may be

different on different computers)

8

Browsing User Files

Filename extensions

Normally hidden

Tell Windows:

The file type and icon to display

The program for opening

9

Tip! If the filename extension is displayed,

never change it.

Working with Folders

Folders form a hierarchy on a storage drive

10

Folders can contain

additional foldersA triangle indicates

more folders inside

this folder

Renaming Files and Folders

You can rename files or folders

11

Right-clickPop-up context menu

Tip! You can’t rename a file that’s

currently open in a program.

Moving and Copying Files

Cut, Copy, and Paste are easy commands for moving

and copying files

12

Commands What It Does

Cut, then Paste Copies your selection to a new location, then deletes it from the original location

Copy, then Paste Copies your selection to a new location, and leaves a copy in the original location

Moving and Copying Files

Selecting files and folders for Cut or Copy command

13

Method What It Does

+ Click Adds a new item to the selection with each click

+ Click Adds all the items that appear between two clicks

Dragging Adds items completely covered by dragging

+ A (Select All)

Selects all items in the window you are viewing

Moving and Copying Files

Selection Method Examples

14

+ Click

+ Click

+ [A]

Deleting Files and Folders

Deleted files and folders normally go into the

Recycle Bin

Items in the Recycle Bin remain there until you empty it,

or until there’s no more space left

15

Important! Items deleted from a USB flash drive

do not go into the Recycle Bin.

Deleting Files and Folders

Restoring deleted files and folders

You can restore items in the Recycle Bin

Restored items reappear at the location from

which they were deleted

Emptying the Recycle Bin

This “permanently” deletes all items in the

Recycle Bin

16

Tip! You can still recover items emptied from the Recycle Bin,

but it takes special software and expertise.

Backing Up Your Files

USB flash drives are easy to misplace!

Back up your files to a hard drive

Copy everything on the USB flash drive

Paste it into a folder on your computer’s hard drive

17

Tip! Back up your flash drive files at least once a week, or even

more often if you have recently saved important work on it.

Lesson 3: File Management