Training Computer:Working with Files and folders

This article will help you learn to find, organize and use files and folders on your computer.

What files and folders?

A file is very much like a typed document that you might find on the desk of someone or in a workbook, is a point that contains a collection of related information. On a computer, examples of files include text documents, spreadsheets, digital images, and even songs. Each photo you take with a digital camera, for example, is a separate file and a music CD may contain a dozen individual song files.

Your computer represents files with icons. Looking at an icon of the file, you can tell at a glance what kind of file it is. Some of the icons of file:

A file is just over a container in which you can store files. If you have thousands of paper files on the desktop of someone, it would be virtually impossible to find any particular when you need it. That is why people often store paper files in folders in a workbook. Arranging files in logical groups, it is easy to locate a particular file.

The files on your computer work exactly the same way. This is typical of what a folder icon is as follows:

Not only files to keep records, but they can also hold other folders. A folder in a folder is usually called a subfolder. You can create any number of sub-folders, and each can contain any number of files and subfolders.

How Windows organizes your files and folders
When it comes to organize, you do not need to start from scratch. Windows comes with a handful of files you can use as anchors to begin organizing your files. Here is a list of some of the most common that you can store your files and folders:

Documents. Use this folder to store your word processing files, spreadsheets, presentations, and other companies based files.

Photos. Use this folder to store all your digital photos, if you get from your camera, scanner, or e-mail other people.

Music. Use this folder to store all your digital music, such as songs that you copy from an audio CD or download from the Internet.

Videos. Use this folder to store your videos, such as clips from your digital camera, camcorder or video files you download from the Internet.

Downloads. Use this folder to store files and programs you download from the Web.

There are several ways to find these files. The easiest way is to open the file, which includes all of your files in one place. The personnel file is not called "personal"-that is labeled with the name that you used to connect to the computer. To open, click the Start button, then click your user name at the top of the Start menu right window.

You can also find documents, pictures, music and folders on the Start menu, right below your personal file.

Remember that you can create subfolders in one of these folders to help you better organize your files. In the Pictures folder, for example, you can create subfolders to organize photos by date, event, the names of people in the pictures, or any other system that helps you work more efficiently.

Understanding the pieces of a file
When you open a folder on the desktop, a folder window appears. In addition to showing the contents of the folder, a folder window has a variety of pieces that are designed to help you navigate around Windows or work with files and folders more easily. Here is a typical case and each of its parts:

Viewing your files in a folder
When you open a folder and see your files, you may prefer larger (or smaller) icons, or an arrangement that allows you to see different kinds of information about each file. For these types of changes, use the Views button in the toolbar.

Each time you click the Views button, the folder window changes the way it displays your files and folder icons, alternating between large icons, small icon view called tiles, and called for details shows that several columns of information on file.

If you click the arrow next to the Views button, you have more choices. Drag the cursor up or down to refine the size of the file and folder icons. You can see the change in the size of icons that you move the cursor.

Find your files
When you need to find a particular file, you know that often it is somewhere in a folder as documents or photos. Unfortunately, actually locate the file you want might mean browsing through hundreds of files and subfolders, not an easy task. To save you time and effort, use the search engine to find your file.

The search box is located at the top of each folder. To find a file, open the folder that contains the file you want, click the search box and start typing. The search box to filter the current view on the basis of the text you type. The files are displayed as search results if your search term is the name of the file, tags, or other file properties. Text documents are displayed if the search term occurs throughout the text within the document. Your search looks in the current folder and all subfolders.

If you have no idea where to look for a file, you can expand your search to include the entire computer, not just one folder.
Copy or move files and folders
Sometimes you may want to modify the files are stored on your computer. You may want to move files to a different folder, for example, or copy them to removable media (such as CD or memory cards) to share with another person.

Most people copy and move files using a drag and drop. Start by opening the folder that contains the file or folder you want to move. Next, open the folder where you want to move. Place the Windows folder on the desktop so you can see the contents of two of them.

Then, drag the file or folder from the first case to the second issue. That's all there is to it.

When you use the drag and drop method, you will notice that sometimes the file or folder is copied, and at other times, it moves. Why is this? If you drag an object between folders that are on the same hard disk, then the objects are moved to two copies of the same file or folder are not created on the same hard disk. If you drag the item to a folder that is on another hard disk (for example a network location, for example) or removable media like a CD, then the question is copied. In this way, the file or folder is not removed from its original location.

For more information on copying and moving files,
Creating and deleting files
The most common way to create new files using software. For example, you can create a text document in a word processor or a video file in a video editing program.

Some software create a file when you open them. When you open WordPad, for example, it starts with a blank page. This represents a vacuum (and unrecorded) file. Start typing, and when you're ready to save your work, click File on the menu bar, then click Save As. In the dialog box that appears, type a file name that will help you find the file again in the future, then click Save.

By default, most programs save files in common files such as documents, pictures, and music, making it easy to find the files again next time. For more information about creating new files, see Save a file.

When you no longer need a file, you can delete it from your computer's hard drive to save space and maintain your computer is cluttered with unwanted files. To delete a file, open the folder that contains the file and select the file. Press DELETE, then in the dialog box Delete Files, click Yes.

When you delete a file, it is temporarily stored in the Recycle Bin. Consider the trash as a safety record that allows you to retrieve files or folders that you've deleted accidentally. Sometimes you have to empty the Recycle Bin to recover the entire disk space used by your files. To see how empty the Recycle Bin, see permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin.

Opening an existing file
To open a file, double-click it. The file opens in the software that you used to create or edit. If it is a text file, for example, it will open in your word processing program.

It is not always the case, though. Double-click on a digital photo, for example, generally open a picture viewer. Effectively change the image, you need to use another program. Right-click the file, click Open With, then click on the name of the program you want to use.

Training Computer:Using programs

Almost everything you do on your computer requires using a program. For example, if you want to draw a picture, you need to use a drawing or painting program. To write a letter, you use a word processor. To explore the Internet, you use a software called a Web browser. Thousands are available for Windows.

Starting a program
The Start menu is the gateway to all programs on your computer. To open the Start menu, click the Start button. The left pane of the Start menu contains a list of programs, including your Internet browser, e-mail, and recently used programs. To start a program, click it.

If you do not see the program you want to open but know its name, type all or part of the name in the search engine at the bottom of the left window. For example, to find Windows Photo Gallery, type photo or gallery in the Search box. The left pane instantly displays search results. Under Programs, click on a program to open it.

To browse a complete list of your software, click the Start button, then click All programs. For more information, see the Start menu (overview).

Tip
You can also start a program by opening a file. Opening the file automatically opens the program associated with this file. See open a file or folder.

Using commands in programs
Most contain dozens or even hundreds of commands (actions) that you use to work program. Many of these commands are organized under menus. Like a restaurant menu, a program menu shows you a list of choices. To keep the net screen, menus are hidden until you click on the titles in the menu bar, located just below the title bar. For example, clicking on "Image" in the paint menu bar displays the Image menu:

To choose one of the commands in a menu, click it. Sometimes a dialog box appears, where you can select other options. If a command is unavailable and can not be clicked, it is shown in gray, as the crop in the picture.

Toolbars provide access to frequently used commands in the form of buttons or icons. These orders usually appear in the software menu, too, but toolbars let you choose a command with a single click. Toolbars usually appear just below the menu bar:

Click a toolbar button performs a command. In WordPad, for example, clicking the Save button saves the document. To find out what a toolbar button has at this point. The name of the button or function appears:

Creating a new document
Many programs let you create, edit, save and print documents. In general, a document is any type of file you can edit. For example, a word processor is a type of document, as is a spreadsheet, an e-mail, and a presentation. However, the terms of documents and files are often used interchangeably, pictures, music clips, videos and you can edit files are usually called, even if they are technically documents.

Some software, including WordPad, NotePad, and paintings, open a blank, untitled document automatically when you start the software, so you can start working immediately. You will see a large white area and a generic word like "Untitled" or "Document" in the software of the title bar.

If your program does not open a new document automatically when it starts, you can do yourself:

Click the File menu in the software you use, then click New. If you can open more than one type of document in the software, you might also need to select the type from a list.


Saving a document
As you work on a document, your additions and changes are stored in your computer memory (RAM). The storage of information in RAM is temporary, if your computer is switched off or fails, all information in memory is erased.

Saving a document allows you to appoint and store them permanently on your hard disk. In this way, the document is retained even when your computer is off, and you can open it again later.

To save a document
On the File menu, click Save. If this is the first time you save the document, you will be asked to provide a name for herself and a location on your computer to make.

Even if you saved a document once, you need to keep the backup as you work. This is because the changes you made since your last save the document is stored in RAM, not on the hard disk. To avoid losing the work unexpectedly because of a power outage or other problem, save your document every few minutes.

For more information, see Save a file.

Moving information between files
Most allow you to share text and images between them. For example, you can copy text or a picture from a Web page in Internet Explorer to a document in WordPad. When you copy information, it goes into a temporary storage area called the clipboard. From there you can paste into a document.

Before you start moving information around, you must understand how to switch between open windows on your desktop.
Cancel your last action
Most allow you to cancel (reverse) actions you take, the mistakes you make. For example, if you delete a paragraph in a document accidentally WordPad, you can get by using the Undo command. If you draw a line in the painting that you do not cancel your line straight away and he disappears.

To cancel an action
On the Edit menu, click Cancel.

Get help with software
Almost every program comes with its own in-aid system for those times when you're confused about how the program.

To access a software support system:

In the Help menu in the software, click the first item in the list, such as "Show Help", "Help", or similar text. (The name of this item may vary.)
- Or --
Press F1. This function key opens aid to almost any software.

In addition to program-specific aid, some dialog boxes contain links with their specific functions. If you see a question in a circle or square, color or text and underlined the link, click it to open back up.

Out of a program
To exit a program, click the Close button in the upper right corner. Or in the File menu, click Exit.

Remember to save your document before leaving the program. If you do not work and try to exit the program, the software will ask you if you want to save the document:

To save the document, then quit the program, click Yes.

To exit the program without saving the document, click No.

To return to the issue without leaving it, click Cancel.

The installation or uninstalling programs
You are not limited to use the programs that came with your computer, you can buy new programs on CD or DVD or download programs (free or fee) of the Internet.

Install a program meant to add to your computer. After software is installed, it appears in your Start menu in the list all programs. Some software can also add a shortcut on your desktop.

Training Computer:Using menus, buttons, bars, and boxes

Menus, buttons, scroll bars, and checkboxes are examples of controls that you have with your mouse or keyboard. These controls allow you to select commands, change settings, or to operate with Windows. This section describes how to recognize and use the controls that you encounter often using Windows.

Using menus
Most contain dozens or even hundreds of commands (actions) that you use to work program. Many of these commands are organized under menus. Like a restaurant menu, a program menu shows you a list of choices. To keep the net screen, menus are hidden until you click on the titles in the menu bar, located just below the title bar. For example, clicking on "Image" in painting from the menu bar displays the Image menu:

To choose one of the commands in a menu, click it. Sometimes a dialog box appears, where you can select other options. If a command is unavailable and can not be clicked, it is shown in gray, as the crop in the picture.

Some elements of menu commands are not at all. Instead, they open other menus. In the next image, pointing to "Zoom" opens a sub-menu. Pointing to "Custom" from the submenu opens yet another sub-menu.

If you do not see the command you want, try to look at another menu. Move your mouse pointer along the menu bar and menus open automatically, you do not need to click the menu bar again. To close a menu without selecting a command, click the menu bar or any other part of the window.

Recognizing menus is not always easy, because not all menu controls are similar or even appear on a menu bar. So how can you spot them? When you see an arrow next to a word or picture, you're probably looking for a menu of control. Here are some examples:

Tips
If a shortcut is available for order, it is next to the command.

You can use the menus using your keyboard instead of your mouse. See using your keyboard.

Use the scroll bars
When a document, web page or image exceeds the size of its window, scroll bars appear to allow you to see information that is currently out of sight. The following image shows the elements of a scroll bar.

To run a scroll bar:

Click the up or down arrows to scroll through the window content up or down in small steps. Hold the mouse button to scroll continuously.

Click an empty area of a scroll bar above or below the box to scroll up or down a page.

Drag a scroll up, down, left or right to scroll the window in that direction.

Tip
If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can use to scroll through documents and Web pages. To scroll down, roll the wheel back (toward you). Scroll up, roll the wheel forward (away from you).

The assistance of command buttons
A command button executes a command (do something) when you click it. You'll most often see them in dialog boxes, which are small windows that contain options for completing a task. For example, if you close Paint a picture without saving it first, you might see a dialog box like this:

To close the photo, you must first click Yes or No button. Click Yes and save the image changes you made, click No and removes the photo and discards any changes you've made. Clicking Cancel rejects the dialog and returns you to the program.

Tip
Pressing ENTER does the same thing as clicking a command button is selected (indicated).

Outside the dialogs, command buttons vary in appearance, it is sometimes difficult to know what is a button and what is not. For example, command buttons often appear as small icons (pictures) without any text or rectangular. The photo below shows a variety of command buttons:

The surest way to determine if something is a command button is to rest your pointer over it. If it "lights" and is framed by a rectangle, you discovered a button. Most buttons also display a text on their function when you point at them:

If a button turns into two parts when you point to it, you discovered a fraction of a button. By clicking on the main part of running a command button while clicking the arrow opens a menu with more options.

Using buttons
Option buttons allow you to make a choice between two or more options. They appear frequently in dialog boxes. The photo below shows three buttons. The "Flip vertical" is selected.

To select an option, click a button. One option may be selected.

Use check boxes
Checkboxes allow you to select one or several options. Unlike buttons, you are limited to a choice, checkboxes let you choose several options at the same time.

To make check boxes:

Click an empty box to select or "turn on" this option. A check mark appears in the square, which indicates that the option is selected.

To disable an option, clear (remove) the boat by clicking on it.

The options that currently can not be selected or authorized are shown in gray.

The cursors
A slider lets you adjust a setting along a range of values. It is as follows:

A cursor along the bar shows the value currently selected. In the example above, the cursor is positioned midway between slow and fast, which indicates an average speed of the pointer.

To drive a cursor, drag the cursor to the value you want.

Using text boxes
A text box allows you to enter information such as a search term or password. The image below shows a dialog box containing a text box. We Entered "ours" in the text box.

A vertical line called the blinking cursor indicates where the text you type will appear. In the example, you can see the cursor after the "r" of "bear". You can easily move the cursor by clicking on the new post. For example, to add a word before "bear", first you move the cursor by clicking before "B."

If you do not see the cursor in the text box, it means that the text box is not ready for your contribution. Click on the box first, then start typing.

Text boxes that require you to enter a password usually hide your password that you type, if someone else is looking at your screen.

The assistance of dropdowns
Dropdown menus are similar. Instead of clicking on an order, if you choose an option. When closed, a drop-down list shows only option currently selected. Other options are hidden until you click the control, as indicated below:

To open a drop-down list, click it. To choose an option from the list, click the option.

Using the list boxes
A list box displays a list of options you can choose. Unlike a drop-down list, some or all options are visible without having to open the list.

To choose an option from the list, click it. If the option you want is not visible, use the scroll bar to scroll up or down. If the box has a text box above, you can type the name or the value of the option.

Using tabs
In some dialog boxes, options are divided into two or more tabs. Only a tab or a set of options can be considered at a time.

The currently selected tab appears before the other tabs. To switch to another tab, click the tab.