1. European Computer Driving Licence Module 2 – Using the Computer and Managing Files Chapter 2.3 – Folders and Files

2. Disk Drives On Your Computer ZMost computers will have several drives ZWindows assigns each drive a letter ZClick on Start then My Computer to view the drives installed on your computer ZIf your PC is on a network you will also see Network drives

3. Changing the appearance ZClick on the View menu to see the different views ZThumbnails will display pictures ZTiles will display large icons ZIcons will display smaller icons ZList will display a list in columns ZDetails will show you details about each item

4. Directories/folders ZAll documents you create are called files ZAs you use your computer, you will create more and more files ZFiles are organised into folders that are also given names ZWindows automatically creates the My Documents folder for you to save your work in

5. The C: Drive ZClick on Start then My Computer ZDouble-click on the icon representing the hard disk (C:) ZA window will appear showing the folders on the C: drive ZClick on the folders icon This will show a more detailed view

6. Creating a new folder ZClick on Start then My Documents ZFrom the File menu select New then select Folder ZType in the folder name and press the Enter key ZClick away from the newly created folder ZRepeat as necessary

7. Creating a sub-folder ZDouble-click on the folder to open it ZFrom the File menu select New then select Folder ZType in the folder name and press the Enter key ZClick away from the newly created folder ZRepeat as necessary

8. Navigating to a file or folder ZIf you look at the left-hand pane you will see the folder structure ZNotice how ECDL has a plus sign next to it? ZThis means that there are folders/files inside that folder ZClick on the folder name in the left-hand pane to select it ZThe contents of that folder will display in the right-hand pane!

9. Expanding and collapsing folders ZClick on a plus sign ZAny folders contained inside that folder will display in the left-hand pane ZThis is called expanding ZAn expanded folder will now show with a minus sign ZClick on the minus sign to collapse the view ZA collapsed folder will now show with a plus sign Expanded ECDL folder Collapsed ECDL folder

10. Renaming a file ZRight-click on the file name ZSelect Rename from the pop-up menu Z Type in a new name for the file then press the Enter key Z Click in an empty part of the same window

11. ZRight click on the file ZSelect Properties from the pop-up menu ZTo make a file read only, click on Read only so a tick appears ZTo remove the read-only status uncheck the Read only box ZIf you try to edit a Read only file a message will be displayed Changing file status

12. Sorting Files ZYou can change the order in which files are displayed in the right hand pane ZGo to the View menu and select Details ZClick on the bar above Name, Size, Type or Date Modified to show in ascending order ZClick again to show the files in descending order

13. Selecting files and folders ZRather than selecting files and folders one by one, you can select multiple files ZTo select adjacent files, click on the first file, hold down the Shift key then click on the last file ZTo select non-adjacent files, click on the first file, hold down the Ctrl key then click on another file

14. Copying/moving files and folders ZUse the clipboard to copy and move files ZSelect the files you want to copy ZFrom the Edit menu click on Copy ZSelect the folder where you want the copies to go to ZFrom the Edit menu click on Paste ZTo move a file click on Edit then Cut ZSelect the folder where you want the files/folder to go to ZFrom the Edit menu click on Paste ZHandy hint: you can use keyboard shortcuts – Ctrl + X to cut, Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + V to paste

15. Making backup copies ZAlways keep a second copy of important files on a floppy disk, zip disk or CDR disk ZIf your computer breaks down, gets infected by a virus or is stolen, your important data will be safe ZStore your backups in a separate location ZAlthough you can insure your computer equipment against fire and theft, your data is irreplaceable!

16. Copying/moving files using Drag and Drop ZAnother way to move or copy file(s) is to select them and drag them to a new location ZIf you drag to a folder on the same drive the files will be moved Z If you drag to a folder on a different drive, the files will be copied Z Hold down the Ctrl key when you drag to copy files on the same drive

17. Deleting files & folders ZSelect the files or folder you want to delete ZPress the Delete key on the keyboard ZIf the files were originally on your hard disk, they will be stored in the Recycle bin ZIf you delete files from a floppy disk or a zip disk they are instantly deleted

18. The Recycle Bin ZTemporary storage area for deleted files ZDouble-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your Windows Desktop ZA window opens showing you the Recycle Bin contents ZTo permanently delete the files click on File then Empty Recycle Bin ZIf you want to retrieve a file, right click on it and select Restore from the pop-up menu

19. Navigating within an application ZLaunch Microsoft Word ZClick on File then Open ZThe Open window appears ZIf the file you want is stored in a folder – double click on the Folder to open it ZA list of Word documents stored in that folder appears Z Select the file you want to delete and press the Delete key Z Click on Yes to delete the file Z To get back to My Documents click on the Up one level icon or click on My Documents in the left hand pane Delete file Create new folder Views Click in here to choose a different drive or location

20. Using Windows Explorer ZYou can also use Windows Explorer ZClick on Start then All Programs then Accessories then Windows Explorer ZA similar window to My Documents will appear ZHandy Hint: Press the Windows key + E