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 isn’t 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 Center’s 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.