Chapter 5 Organizing Files and Folders

2Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Getting Started In this Chapter, you will learn: − How to get a list of your files − How to navigate to different folders and storage devices − How to change the name of a file − How to make your files easy to locate

3Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Getting Started In this Chapter, you will learn (continued): − How to move a file − How to copy files and folders − What to do if you run out of disk space − About Hardware: Hard disk drives

4Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I get a list of my files? To access a list of files and tools for organizing those files open the Start menu and click your user ID. Windows displays: – Personal folders stored on your hard disk – Public folders that contain files for sharing with others – Folders stored on CDs, DVDs, or UFDs

5Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I get a list of my files? You can use the folder window to – Change file and folder names and locations – Open or delete files You can customize the way Windows displays your folders and files: – Alphabetically, by size, by date – In different folder views such as icons, list, and detailed view

6Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I get a list of my files? Accessing files in Windows

7Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I navigate to different folders and storage devices? An address bar at the top of the window helps you keep track of the path to a file – A path is a device letter, folder, subfolder, file name, and extension – C:\Claire\Documents\Recipes\Soup.docx Favorites Links give you fast access to frequently used folders

8Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I navigate to different folders and storage devices? Folders pane lists all storage devices and folders Details pane displays information for any file you select – File size – File type – Date modified – Other pertinent information

9Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I navigate to different folders and storage devices? Address bar, File pane, and Favorite Links

10Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I change the name of a file? To rename a file, you select it, then type a new name You have the option of setting up Windows to hide or display file extensions – If the file extension is hidden, Windows automatically uses the old file extension for the new name – If the file extension is displayed, then you need to enter a file extension

11Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 What can I do to make my files easy to locate? A well-structured folder system makes files easy to locate Use updated file properties and descriptive tags – File properties describe the content of files and can be customized – A tag is a special property where you can add your description. Tags are especially helpful in files where the text is not searchable, such as music and photo files

12Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 What can I do to make my files easy to locate? Adding Property Details

13Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I move a file? As a reminder, the key to organizing your files is a well-structured folder system. Some tips: – Always store your files in a folder not in the root directory – Create subfolders and use descriptive names – Store personal files in predefined folders – Store files to share in public folders When you move a file, you “cut” it from its current location and “paste” it into its new location

14Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I copy files and folders? To copy a single file or folder: – Right-click on the file to select it – Select copy from the shortcut menu – Select the destination location and click Paste To copy multiple files – For files in a series, select the first file then hold down the Shift key and select the last file – For files not listed contiguously, hold the Ctrl key while you select each file

15Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 How do I copy files and folders? Copying contiguous and noncontiguous files

16Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 What if I run out of disk space? To free up disk space: – Empty the Recycle Bin – Uninstall software that you no longer use – Delete data files you no longer need

17Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Hardware: Hard disk drives A hard disk is a circular, rigid storage medium – Made up of aluminum or coated glass – Hard disks inside your system drive are called platters – Typical PC hard disk contains two to four platters – Hard disk platters work efficiently, store huge amounts of data, and stay free from dust – Today’s hard disks can store up to 1000 GB and have access times of about 9 milliseconds

18Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Hardware: Hard disk drives Typical PC hard disk drive

19Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Hardware: Hard disk drives Fixed Disk – Fixed disk is a nonremovable disk that’s sealed inside the disk drive – Properties window displays available space – Second disk drive costs about $100 U.S. External Hard Disk Drive −Typically connect to USB port −Cost a bit more than internal hard drives −Use to transport files or as data backup

20Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Hardware: Hard disk drives External hard disk drive

21Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Hardware: Hard disk drives Why your hard disk loses efficiency: – Hard disk is divided into concentric circles called tracks and then further divided into sectors – In the course of revising your files, the sectors in which files are stored can become scattered all over the disk. These files are fragmented How to regain hard disk efficiency: −A fragmented disk contains many fragmented files −Run defragmentation utility 2-3 times per year to help your computer will run more efficiently

22Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Are deleted files legally garbage? What do you think? – Have you ever used file shredder software? – Do you agree with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that curbside garbage is in the public domain? – Are you familiar with the laws in your country or state that limit access to the data on your computer?

23Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Chapter Summary You should now know how to: − Get a list of your files − Navigate to different folders and storage devices − Change the name of a file − Make your files easy to locate

24Practical PC 5 th Edition Chapter 5 Chapter Summary You should now know (continued): − How to move a file − How to copy files and folders − What to do if you run out of disk space − About hard disk drives