SeniorNet
Exploring
Windows
Lesson Three: File Management, Copying and Searching
In the last lesson you learned the basics of Windows Explorer and how to navigate through the folder hierarchy.
In this lesson you will learn how to select files and folders and then copy or move them. Then you will learn about deleting files and the Recycle bin.
In this lesson, you will:
· Create and name new folders
· Learn techniques for selecting files and folders
· Copy and move files
· Search files
· Learn about the Recycle bin
Contents Page
Create a new
folder in Documents
Select using
check boxes for selected files
Copy using
copy to folder command
Copy between
folders within a device
Search for a
file using a partial name
Recover
(restore) a file from the recycle bin
1 Power up your computer and log on (if
necessary) to
Windows Vista starts up and the desktop appears.
1 Open the DVD/CD tray of your computer, place the Student CD in the tray and gently push the tray closed.
If the Autoplay dialog opens recognizing that a CD is present and prompts you what action to take, click the X in the top right corner to close this dialog as no action is required at this time. You will be accessing the Student CD later in this Lesson.
1 On the desktop, click the Start button
The Start menu opens (see Figure 3.1)
Figure 3.1 Start menu
2 Click the Personal folder entry at the very top of the right column. Remember,
the Personal folder takes on the name of the user account that is logged
in. In these lessons, the Personal
folder is Seniornet, it will be
different on the computer in the
Windows Explorer opens viewing the contents of the Personal folder in the file list in the main window. As in Lesson Two, you now need to set Explorer to a common view to follow this Lesson.
1 Click the Maximize button in the Title bar to maximize the Explorer window if it is not already full screen. If the Navigation Pane isnt already present click the Organize button on the toolbar, point to Layout, then click Navigation Pane.
Note: In these Lessons, a shorthand form for
a click sequence will be occasionally used. The shorthand form for the sequence
above is:
Organize > Layout > Navigation Pane.
2 On the Toolbar click the down arrow to the right of the Views button and set the slider to Details.
Create a new folder in Documents
You now will create a new sub-folder in the Documents folder and then copy the working files on the Student CD into this folder.
1 In the Favorite Links of the Navigation pane, click the Documents entry.
The content of the Documents folder appears in the file list in the main window.
2 In a blank spot (where there are no listed entries) of the file list, right click.
A drop down menu appears (Figure 3.2).
3 Point to New and a fly-out menu appears. Click Folder to create a new folder. (Figure 3.2)
Figure 3.2 Create a New Folder
A new folder is created in the file list with the name New Folder. It is highlighted in blue indicating it is selected so you can immediately type a name for the new folder (see Figure 3.3). Do not click the name or you will de-select it and will have to rename it another way.
Figure 3.3 New Folder with name highlighted (i.e. selected)
4 Type Test to replace the selected text then press the Enter key to indicate you have finished typing the name.
5 In the Navigation pane Folders list, point to the Documents entry. If the small arrow to the left of it is pointing to the right, click the arrow; the arrow becomes tilted down and the sub-folders are shown indented.
You will see the new test folder in the list of folders in the file list on the right side (see Figure 3.4). The other folders will differ from those shown in the figure.
Figure 3.4 Test folder in Documents
Tip:
This is one of a few ways to create a new folder in Explorer. You could also do
this through the menu bar (File > New > Folder), through the Organize
button (Organize > New Folder), or right click on the Documents entry in the
Folders list and click New > Folder. In all cases, make sure you are
pointing to the Documents folder (as evidenced in the Address bar) otherwise
the new folder will be created elsewhere.
You will rename a folder or file.
1 Right-click the Test folder entry in the Navigation pane Folders list.
A pop-up menu opens.
2 Click Rename.
The name of the folder is highlighted in a text box.
3 Type My Class Files to replace Test as the folder name and press the Enter key.
In the Navigation pane under the Documents entry you will now see the newly named folder (see Figure 3.5).
Figure 3.5 My Class Files folder in Documents
Tip: Similarly,
you could have located the test folder entry in the file list (right side pane),
right clicked, and renamed using the same steps. Individual files can be
renamed in the same manner right-click on the file and choose the rename
command.
Selecting files or folders
Before copying or moving files or folders from one location to another, the file(s) or folder(s) must first be selected. You can select a single file or folder, or multiple files and folders using various techniques as you will be shown.
1 In the Navigation pane Folders list, point to the Computer entry. If the storage devices are not shown as indented entries below it, click the arrow to the left of the Computer entry to change it to a tilted down arrow so that the storage devices are visible (Figure 3.6).
Figure 3.6 Expand DVD/CD Entry in Folders list
2 Now that the DVD/CD drive is listed, click the arrow to the left of the DVD/CD drive entry so that is tilted down.
The Class files folder of the Student CD is shown as a subfolder.
3 Click the Class Files entry in the Folders list of the Navigation pane.
The files in this folder appear in the file list in the main window.
Figure 3.7 Details view of Class Files folder
4 Click the top-most entry in the file list. Single click only; a double click will open the file which you do not want to do at this point.
It highlights in blue when selected.
5 Now click any other entry.
It now becomes selected while the previous selected item is now unselected.
You have just demonstrated how to select a single file. A single click selects the file or object. But you knew that, right? You will now learn how to select multiple files.
What if you want to select a set of files that are listed consecutively in a listing? You could select individual files and copy or move them one at a time, but there is an easy way to select an entire block of files. Whole sets or blocks of files are known as contiguous files.
1 In the file list, single-click the topmost entry (it should already be selected).
It highlights in light blue indicating it is selected.
2 Hold the Shift key down and click the bottom-most entry in the list. Release the Shift key.
All files are highlighted in light blue indicating they are selected.
3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 but this time start with the second or third file down in the listing, hold the Shift key and click the fourth or fifth entry down from that.
That block of files is selected.
4 Release the Shift key. The files selected in the file list remain selected.
Tip: if you
want to select all the files in the file list, hold down the Control key
(CTRL) and then press the A key. This key combination (CTRL-A) selects all
the files. Click anywhere in the white space in the main window to deselect the
files.
What if you want to select a set of files that are not contiguous? That is, specific files in the listing that are not in a sequential block or list or grouping.
1 In the file list click the topmost entry to select it. All other selected files are no longer selected.
2 Hold the Control (CTRL) key down and click any other entry (preferably not the one directly below the first entry to demonstrate this technique).
3 Continue to hold the CTRL key down and click other file entries.
Each entry you click will stay highlighted in light blue indicating it is part of the selection set. If you click an entry that is already selected, it becomes deselected. All the while the CTRL key must be held down for this process to work.
4 When done, release the CTRL key.
5 Click in the white space to deselect all files.
Select using check boxes for selected files
The above techniques required you to hold down a key
either the Shift key or the CTRL key to select multiple files.
1 In the Toolbar, click the Organize button, then click Folder and Search Options
The Folder Options dialog opens (see Figure 3.8).
Figure 3.8 Folders Options dialog
2 Click the View tab and scroll down the list of options and find Use check boxes to select items. Check this box and click OK to close the dialog.
3 In the file list, click the topmost entry. A check box appears indicating this item is selected (see Figure 3.9)
Figure 3.9 Selecting using check boxes
4 Click any other file in the list and similarly, a check box appears indicating it too is selected. A second click on the same file clears the checkbox.
In this way, you can select multiple files clearly indicated by the check box without using a keyboard key (Shift or CTRL) to manage multiple selections.
5 On the learning center computer, click the Organize button on the Toolbar and click Folder and Search options, then click the View tab and uncheck the Use checkbox to select items option. (i.e. restore the Centers computer back to the default of unchecked). At home, you can leave this option set if desired and also take the opportunity to look at some of the other folder view options.
Now that you know how to select single or multiple files, you will practice copying and moving files from device to device and folder to folder.
When you transfer files between devices or from folder to folder, the following rules apply:
· When files are copied from one storage device to another the original file remains in place and a copy is created on the other storage device. So if a file is dragged and dropped from the DVD/CD drive to the internal hard disk drive a copy is made; the original file remains on the internal hard drive. The same would hold true copying a file from your internal hard drive to an USB connected device such as a flash drive, external hard drive or card reader/writer. The original file remains in place; a copy is created in the destination folder.
· When files are moved from one folder to another within the same storage drive they are not copied or duplicated in the process. For example, if a file is moved within the folder hierarchy on a storage device (such as a hard disk drive), only one instance of the file exists and it is to be found in the new (moved-to) folder location. This can be overridden and a copy operation can be done if that is the intent.
You will now copy files between the Student CD and the hard drive using different techniques and then move files between folders of the internal hard disk drive.
You will practice three techniques to copy files:
1. Copy and paste
2. Copy to folder
3. Drag and drop
1 The first step is to set the Explorer view so that the file list shows the files you want to copy from. The contents of the Class Files folders on Student CD should still be in the file list, right hand pane. Confirm this is so, and if not, repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 of the previous section Selecting files or folders.
The Folders list in the Navigation pane needs to show the folder you want to copy to specifically the My Class Files folder you created under Documents.
2 In the Navigation pane Folders list, scroll up if required to find the Personal folder entry. If the Documents folder is not visible (i.e. the sub-folder list is not expanded out in the Folders list), click the arrow to the left of the Personal folder entry so that it turns to a downward tilting arrow and the sub-folders are listed. Similarly, expand the Documents entry so that its sub-folders are shown. You should now see the new My Class Files folder created in the previous section.
3 Do not click the My Class Files folder in the Navigation pane. Otherwise it will open and you will view the contents in the file list. You need to keep the Class Files folder from the Student CD open in the file list, and the new My Class files folder entry visible in the Navigation pane folders list as in Figure 3.10. You are now ready to copy files.
Tip:
Always check the Address Bar. It should be pointing to the Student CD>Class
Files folder indicating the file list is displaying the contents of this
folder.
Figure 3.10 Setup for copying source files in file list (copy from), and destination folder in Navigation pane Folders list (copy to)
1 Select two or more files in file list, using one of the techniques you learned earlier.
Click the Organize button and click Copy.
2 In Navigation pane Folders list, click the My Class Files entry.
The contents of this folder now appears in the file list it should be empty at this stage since you have not yet placed any files in this folder.
3 Click the Organize button and click Paste.
The selected files are copied to the My Class Files folder under Documents.
Copy using copy to folder command
1 Turn on the Explorer Menu bar if not visible.
Hint:
click Organize > Layout > Menu Bar
2 In the Navigation pane, go back to view the contents of the Class files on the Student CD. The file list shows the contents of the Class Files folder.
Tip: If you click
the back arrow on the Address bar, you will return to the previous view which
shows the contents of the Student CD Class Files folder in the file list.
3 Select two or three non-contiguous files you did not choose in the previous section using the CTRL key technique shown earlier (see Figure 3.11).
Figure 3.11 Non-contiguous files selected (sample shown)
4 On the menu bar, click Edit, then click Copy to folder. (See Figure 3.11).
A dialog opens (see Figure 3.12).
Figure 3.12 Copy items dialog
5 In the Copy Items dialog, navigate to the My Class Files folder under Documents and click to select it. Click the Copy button.
The files are copied to the My Class Files folder. In the Navigation pane, click the My Class Files folder under Documents to view its contents in the file list. The newly copied files have been added to the file list.
Note:
if you happen to choose a file or file(s) that you already copied to the new
folder, a dialog will open asking how to proceed: to copy and replace the existing file?, to not copy and continue, or to create a
second file with a new name (Figure 3.13). Choose the Dont Copy option for this
exercise.
Figure 3.13 Copy file dialog if file with same name exists in target folder
1 Once more, set the Explorer view so that the Student CD Class Files folder content is in the file list and the My Class Files folder under Documents is visible in the Folders list of the Navigation pane.
2 Select from one to three files using the techniques shown earlier. Try to pick files that have not yet been copied to the new folder.
3 Place the mouse pointer on any of the highlighted selected files and click, hold and drag the files over the to My Class Files entry in the Navigation pane Folders list.
4 As you approach the destination folder, it will become highlighted (blue shading) indicating it is selected as the target folder (see Figure 3.14).
5 Release the mouse button and the files are copied over.
Figure 3.14 Drag and drop files from file list to folder in Navigation pane
Now that you have mastered copying files from one storage device to another, you will practice moving files within a single storage device the internal hard disk drive. Then you will copy a file between folders of the internal hard disk drive.
1 Navigate so that the file list displays the contents of the My Class Files folder under Documents, and the Desktop is a visible entry in the Folders list (Figure 3.15)
Hint: to show the
contents of the My Class File folders in the file list, click this folder entry
in the Folders list.
Figure 3.15 Explorer viewing My Class Files folder
2 In the file list, click the topmost file to select it. This may vary from user to user depending on which files you copied from the Student CD.
3 Click, hold and drag this file over to the Desktop entry in the Folders list in the Navigation pane until the Desktop entry is highlighted. The shadowed symbol of the file you are moving moves with the pointer. Release the mouse.
Figure 3.16 Moving file from My Class Files to the Desktop
The file is moved to the desktop. It no longer appears in the My Class Files folder.
4 In the Folders list in the Navigation pane, click the Desktop entry.
The contents of the Desktop appears in the file list including the file you just moved (see Figure 3.17).
Figure 3.17 Desktop viewed in Explorer
5 In the Navigation pane Folders list, make sure the My Class Files folder is visible. (If not, expand out the Documents folder by clicking on the arrow to the left of this entry). Do not open this folder and make sure the file list still shows the content of the Desktop (check the Address bar!).
6 In the file list, click, hold and drag the file you just moved to the Desktop back to the My Class Files folder. View the Desktop contents in the file list and confirm that the file is indeed moved.
What have you done? Because both source and destination folders (yes, the Desktop is considered a folder) are on the same physical device the internal hard disk drive the drag and drop operation moved the file(s) rather than copy it.
Copy between folders within a device
But what if you want to copy a file between folders on the same drive or device? That is, you want to maintain the file in its original location and place a copy elsewhere in the folder hierarchy on the same drive or device.
1 In the Explorer Navigation pane Folders list, click the My Class Files folder so that its contents appear in the file list.
2 Choose any file and right-click, hold and drag the file over to the Documents folder in the Navigation pane until the Documents entry is highlighted in light blue indicating it is selected. Release the (right) mouse button. A small pop-up menu appears (see Figure 3.18).
Figure 3.18 Right click and drag pop up menu
3 Click Copy Here.
A copy of the file is placed in the Documents folder.
4 Click the Documents folder entry in the Folders list.
The contents of the Documents folder appears in the file list including the copy of the file you just placed there.
5 Click to select that file and press
the Delete key or right click the
file and click Delete.
6 Click the X on the title bar to close Windows Explorer.
The longer you use your computer the more use you may
have for the Search function as you accumulate more files whether they be text
documents, photos, music or email. You may find that you have saved so many
files that it is not practical to open and scroll through folders to look for a
specific one. The Search tool provided in
Search automatically and continuously maintains an index of the data files on your local hard drive. That is, it maintains a list (or database) of all data files and their important attributes so it can find these files very quickly when asked to search for specific parameters. These are called indexed files. You can also search on files that are located on external devices (such as CD, DVD or external hard drive) but these files are not indexed and searching will take longer.
The index of certain files does not only track the file name and attributes (things like when created, when modified, size) but certain types of files are also indexed by their content. For example, files containing text (such as WordPad or Word files) have their text content as part of the index. So when you perform a search on indexed files that contain text, you are not only performing a search on the file name but also on the contents of the file.
Search for a file using a partial name
In Lesson One you used the search box just above the Start button to find a program. You will now use another variant of the search tool.
Perhaps you put pictures of your vacation somewhere on your computer, but you do not recall where the files are nor their exact name. You will now use the Windows Search feature to locate the file or files. If you dont recall the exact name of the file or folder but know what word or letters it starts with, you can type the first few letters followed by an asterisk. The asterisk represents the unknown letters or words (in this context the * is known as a wildcard anything matches.)
1 Click the Start button and click Search in the column on the right (about half way up).
The Search window opens (see Figure 3.19). This screen is a variation of the Windows Explorer screen with its view set to include a Search pane.
Figure 3.19 Search Results window
2 Click the Maximize button on the title bar of the window.
The Window now fills the screen.
3 Take a moment to explore the options that Search provides.
You can specify the search criteria to show:
· All files
· Email only (provided you use Windows Mail as your email program)
· Only Documents
· Only Pictures
· Only Music
· Only those files in other than the above specific folders.
Using the Advanced Search feature, you can specify the search to be restricted to files of a specified date, file size and other attributes that can help narrow down the search.
4 On the Search files criteria, click All.
5 Click in the Search box (top right
side) and type vac in the Search field in the top right side of the
window. As you type,
In the file list, you may see some of the files in the Class Files folder with the text vac either in the file name or in the document itself. If you do not see any files at all, try another search using a different text string. Try pc or letter or jpg. Note that you will not see any of the files on the Student CD as these are not indexed files.
6 Click the down arrow next to Advanced Search.
The Advanced Search dialog opens (Figure 3.20).
Figure 3.20 Advanced Search options
7 Click the down arrow in the Location field. A drop down menu listing the available drives appears (Figure 3.21). Click the DVD/CD drive.
Figure 3.21 Location drop down menu
Since the DVD/CD drive is not indexed and the Search will be performed only on the file names and not on contents.
8 Click the Search button.
Windows proceeds to search the files on the DVD/CD drive, including any subfolders. The files that match the criteria show in the file list in the right hand pane.
Figure 3.22 Search Results window
A number of files are listed, all with the text string vac in the file name.
9 Close the Search window by clicking the X in the Title bar.
Challenge:
At home, use the advanced features of the Search function to find files of a
certain type, files created before after or within a certain date window, or
files larger or smaller than a certain size.
You now will delete all of the files in the My Class Files folder on the hard disk drive.
1 Click the Start button and click Documents.
Windows Explorer opens.
2 In the Folders list, expand out the Documents folder so that the My Class Files folder is visible if not already so.
3 Click the My Class Files folder in the Folders list.
The files in this folder appear in the file list.
4 Click the Organize button and click Select All.
5 Place the mouse pointer anywhere in the list of selected files in the file list and right-click the mouse button.
A pop-up menu appears.
6 Click Delete.
A Delete Multiple message box appears asking confirmation to move these files to the Recycle bin.
7 Click the Yes button.
The My Class Files folder is now empty.
Tip: Another way to
delete files is to press the Delete key once the files are selected.
You removed the files from within the My Class Files folder and now you will delete the folder itself since it is no longer needed.
1 In the Navigation pane Folders list, click the Documents folder.
The My Class Files folder appears in the file list along with any other sub-folders an files under Documents.
2 In the file list, right click the My Class Files folder.
A pop-up menu appears.
3 Click
Delete.
A Delete Folder confirmation message appears (see Figure 3.23).
Figure 3.23 Delete test file from C drive
4 Click
Yes.
The My Class Files folder is deleted (actually it is in the Recycle bin with the other files you just deleted but this will be covered next).
5 Close Windows Explorer by clicking the X in the Title bar.
Challenge To
delete an unwanted file, you can drag and drop it directly into the recycle bin.
Resize the Windows Explorer window so it is not full screen and position the
window so you can see the Recycle bin icon on the desktop. Then click, drag and
drop an unneeded file from the file list in Windows Explorer directly into the
Recycle bin.
Files and folders that you delete from the internal hard disk drive are placed in the Recycle bin. The Recycle bin stores the items you have deleted (up to a limit!) and gives you the ability to recover these files. Once files or folders are deleted from the recycle bin there are not recoverable (except by using very sophisticated file recovery tools and techniques).
Note: Files
deleted from a removable external drive such as a USB flash drive have their
own recycle bin.
1 On the Desktop, right-click the Recycle Bin icon.
A pop-up menu opens.
2 Click Properties.
The Recycle Bin Properties dialog box opens (see Figure 3.24).
Figure 3.24 Recycle Bin Properties dialog box
3 Review the settings. If you put a checkmark next to Do not move files to the Recycle Bin, files are immediately and permanently removed from your hard drive when you delete them. This is not recommended.
You can change the size of the Recycle Bin. The default setting is about 10% of your hard drive. If the contents of the Recycle bin exceed this amount, older files are removed (and become irretrievable) to make room for the newer files placed here.
You can check or uncheck the Display delete confirmation dialog. The default is to show the confirmation message. Do not make any changes to the settings unless you are using your own computer.
4 Click the Cancel button to exit this dialog.
Recover (restore) a file from the Recycle Bin
In a previous section of this lesson, you deleted the My Class Files folder plus its contents from the hard drive. They are still in the recycle bin and you will be able to recover them.
1 Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.
The Recycle Bin window opens (see Figure 3.25). The number of items displayed in the window will vary depending on how many files have been deleted and how long it has been since the Recycle Bin was last emptied.
Figure 3.25 Recycle Bin window
2 Single click the My Class Files folder (or the name of the file you deleted) to select it.
You will now recover the folder. The same holds true if an individual file was in the recycle bin and you wanted to recovery it.
3 Click the Restore this item on the toolbar (Figure 3.26).
You may see a Confirm File Move message. Click Yes.
The selected item disappears from the recycle bin and is put back in its original folder location.
Figure 3.26 Restoring an item
Tip: an alternate
method is to right click on the item you wish to restore. In the pop up menu
that results, click Restore.
4 To check to see that the folder is back in its original place, navigate back to the Documents folder in the folders list.
The restored My Class Files folder appears in the file list.
Delete the folder
You will now delete (once more) the My Class Files folder.
1 In the file list, click to select the My Class Files folder.
2 Press the Delete (
A Confirm File Delete message appears.
3 Click Yes to confirm that you want to send the file to the recycle bin.
The file is again moved to the Recycle Bin and no longer appears in the list.
4 Click the X on the title bar of Windows Explorer to close it.
The My Class Files folder is back in the Recycle bin. But this time, you will delete it along with any other files that may be there.
1 On the Desktop, right click the Recycle bin icon.
A drop down menu appears.
2 Click Empty Recycle Bin.
A dialog opens asking you to confirm your request to delete the items.
3 Click Yes. (At home, if you are not sure and want to have another look at the contents of the Recycle bin, click No, open the Recycle bin, restore any files that you may have second thoughts about, and proceed).
If you clicked Yes, all the items in the recycle bin are removed and the disk space is recovered for general use.
Note:
If there are no files to delete, the Empty Recycle Bin command will appear
faded.
1 Click the Start button and bring the pointer to the power option button 
.
A fly out menu appears with the various power options.
Figure 3.27 Power options menu
2 Click Shut Down to fully power-off the computer.
In this lesson, you have learned how to:
· Create and name new folders
· select files and folders
· Copy and move files
· Search files
· Manage the Recycle bin
In the next lesson you will learn more about the desktop and the Taskbar.
Notes: