1. Computer an Electronic Filing Cabinet
Understanding File Management

2. Filing Cabinet Think of your computer as an electronic filing cabinet.
What is a filing cabinet?
A filing cabinet has draws that allows you to store information in an organized manner. Filing cabinets holds folders and all kinds of documents, i.e. letters, photos, reports, contracts, etc.
File Cabinet Alphabetic Files

3. Filing Cabinet Documents
When you place a document inside a folder in a specific filing cabinet drawer, you must return to the same drawer and folder to retrieve the document.
The same concept used in the old-school filing cabinet system is how computers can store information.

4. Computer as Filing Cabinet
On a computer, each drive represents a filing cabinet drawer and uses different types of storage devices to store information
C:\ Drive
E:\ Drive
D:\ Drive

5. Question
What does the old filing cabinet system represent? Explain.

6. Computer Storage
Your computer filing cabinet have two types of storage abilities.
Permanent Storage
Temporary storage

7. Permanent Storage Permanent storage remains on your computer.
Your Windows operating system is permanently stored on your computer. It cannot be transported to another computer easily.
Other names for permanent storage is
HARD DRIVE
HARD DISK
LOCAL DISK
This is your C:\ drive.

8. Permanent Storage
This storage is located in your tower on a desktop computer
Tower
holds the hard drive
Hard drive
Inside tower

9. Permanent Storage
On a laptop, the HARD DRIVE is mounted in one of several locations; bottom, front, or side of the computer.
Either desktop or laptop computer, your hard drive is identified as LOCAL DISK (C:) and information stored on it is to be permanent.

10. Question
What drive is the permanent storage on your computer?

11. Temporary Storage
Temporary storage devices are removable or portable. You can take these devices with you.
Temporary storage devices are USBs, CDs, DVDs, or other devices.
Information stored on these devices can be retrieved and use on another computer.

12. Temporary Storage
Computer drives associated with temporary storage are D:\, E:\, F:\, and so on.
When temporary storage devices are inserted into the desktop or laptop, the computer recognizes the device and displays it with a name.
When they are removed, like a USB device, the computer removes the drive from display
When CDs and DVDs have been removed, a message is displayed informing that the device is empty.

13. Folder
You can view the contents of a drive (or your computer cabinet drawer) by double-clicking on the FOLDER icon located on desktop Task Bar.

14. Question
What is the difference between temporary and permanent computer storage?
What do you double-click on to get to your computer’s filing cabinet drawers?
What is the icon called?

15. Opened Folder
Your folder will display the drives (or filing cabinet drawers) that are available on the computer.
Drives are identified by letters.
Typical computer drives are C:\, D:\, and/or E:\.
With C:\ being your Hard Drive which is permanent
D:\ and E\ being your CD, DVD, and/or USB drives which are temporary

16. Opened Folder
Local Disk C:\
USB D:\
DVD E:\

17. Opened Folder
Drives used on computers at work or school usually begin with letters at the end of the alphabet like S:\, T:\ V:\.
These are network drives and will not be on your personal computer. Therefore, they will not display in your folder.

18. Display or Non Display of Drive
If a letter is not displayed after the insertion of an USB device, then the computer does not support the drive as mentioned above.
Below, you will notice drives displayed in folder include:
C:\, D:\ and E:\.
What is not displayed is a S:\ drive because the computer does not have an S:\ drive.
Local Disk C:\
USB D:\
DVD E:\

19. Exercise 1-Identify Computer’s Drives (your storage devices)
Download and complete handout found at

20. Exercise 2-Open Drives.
Download and complete handout found at

21. Exercise 3-Back to Root Drive
Download and complete handout found at

22. Exercise 4-Create, Rename and Delete Folders.
Download and complete handout found at