Manage The File/Folder

Windows Explorer

Opening Windows Explorer : Click “start” => “Programs” => “Windows Explorer”. Can use Win + E.

Windows Explorer consists of “Explorer Bar and “working Area”. 

Windows Explorer displays the hierarchical structure of files, folders, and drives on your computer. It also shows any network drives that have been mapped to drive letters on your computer. Using Windows Explorer, you can copy, move, rename, and search for files and folders. My Documents is a convenient place to store documents, graphics, or other files you want to access quickly. You can also view My Network Places, which lists other computers that are connected to your local area network (LAN).  When you delete files or folders from your hard disk, Windows places them in the Recycle Bin, where you can retrieve them, until you empty the Recycle Bin. Files or folders deleted from a floppy disk or a network drive are permanently deleted and are not sent to the Recycle Bin.

Customizing Explorer bar:

Explorer bar can contain Search(Ctrl + I), favourites(Ctrl + I), History(Ctrl + H), Folders. To select these options goto “view” menu and select “Explorer bar” and select your option by clicking on it.

 Customizing Working area:

Thumbnail, Tiles, Icons, List, Details are the options available on the “view” menu.

Items can be sorting by rt clicking in the work area and selecting by “name, size, type, modified”.

Mapping a drive/folder/comptr:  In the “tools” option go to “map network drive”.  Browse the folder/drive/comptr you want to map and press “finish”. Select the “synchronize” option in the “tools” menu for updating your given drive info timely.

Check the box for “reconnect at login” if you want to see the folder/drive every time you longon. 

If you desire to give the path by yourself follow “\\servername\sharename”  syntax.

Change a name of file/folder : select the folder/file select “rename” from “file” menu (Alt + F + M).  OR rt click the mouse and press “rename”.

Copy a file/folder: Select the file/folder and press “copy” from “edit” menu.  After navigating to the folder select “paste” from edit menu.  OR rt click the mouse and select “copy” and then “paste”  to paste it.

Select multiple files:

Select the first file in the list and hold the “shift” key and use “← / ↑ / → / ↓” keys.

Select the first file in the list and hold the “shift”  key and use press  last file, if they are in order.

Select the first file,  hold “Ctrl” key and click mouse by selecting each individual file, if they are spread.

Delete a file/folder : Select the files/folders you want to delete and press “delete” option in the “file” menu.

Folder options overview : 

            

Add or remove toolbar buttons in folder windows:

Click “view” and select “toolbars”.  You have Standard bar, Address bar, Links options in this.  You can also lock the toolbar. 

Customize toolbar buttons:

Select “view=>toolbars=>customize” to set the toolbar buttons.   Window with left pane of available buttons and right pane with current bar buttons, pops up.  Select “add” to add to the right pane and “Remove” to remove the buttons from the current bar buttons.  You can also “Move up” or “move down” to move the icons left or right to the bar.

Opening folder in its own window :

Click Start => Control Panel => Appearance and Themes => Folder Options. On the General tab,  under Browse Folders, click “Open each folder in its own window”.

Goto “tools” => “folder options” and set “open each folder in its own window.

Setting for single/double click:

Click “Tools=>folder options=>general tab”  and select “sinlge click to open/double to open” option to set the mouse to open the file in the windows explorer.

Select files types to open with certain program:

Click “Tools=>folder options=>file types tab”.  In this option you can select a program to open with the given file extensions.  Add new extensions and programs to the given list. Delete a certain file type and change the existing file type/icon and other settings.

Move files by dragging:

Ensure that the window to which you want to drag file/folder is visible and click right button of mouse and drag to the window/desktop.  You have the options of copy, move, create shortcut.  If you want to copy just hold on the ctrl button and then drag.  If you are trying to move a program, a shortcut will be created.  To do this you should have administrator logon.

Put a shortcut on the desktop

Ensure you see the desktop and drag by clicking right button of the mouse and selecting the option “create shortcut”.  If you delete the shortcut the original file exists. 

Recycle bin overview

• When you delete file/folders hard disk it is sent to Recycle Bin.
• Recycle Bin icon shows empty/full.
• Items deleted from a floppy disk or a network drive are permanently deleted.
• Items in Recycle Bin can be recovered/deleted permanently.
• When the bin fills up it keeps the latest files and deletes older ones as needed.
• Remember to clean recylce bin when low in hard disk.
• You can also restrict the size of the Recycle Bin to limit the amount of hard disk space it takes up. To do this right click on the recycle bin and move the slider to change the limit.
• Windows allocates one Recycle Bin for each partition/hard disk.
• Larger file than Recycle Bin will not be saved but deleted.