Lesson 1a

Basic Computing Skills

Microsoft Windows XP Professional, referred to hereinafter as Windows, is the newest version of the Windows operating system. An operating system is a collection of software programs that control the way a computer’s hardware devices interact with programs, as well as the way the computer responds to your commands. Programs are tools that help you perform certain tasks. (Programs are also called applications.) Whenever you work with your computer, you are using Windows—either directly or indirectly through another program, such as Microsoft Word.

Windows can play an important role in helping you complete your work successfully and efficiently, so you’ll want to feel comfortable with it as quickly as possible. This document explains in simple, straightforward language how to use the features of Windows, and it gives you plenty of opportunities to practice what you learn. In this lesson, you are introduced to the major components of Windows. You also learn how to find what you need on your computer.

When you turn on your computer, you might see lines of technical information scroll by as your computer performs its boot process. This information is important chiefly to computer professionals who service your computer.

Starting Windows XP Professional

Every time you start your computer, it goes through a boot process (from the phrase “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”). The boot process checks the computer system to make certain that all necessary parts of the computer are plugged in and functioning properly. As soon as the computer finishes booting, it turns control over to Windows. From then until the time you shut down your computer, Windows is in charge of your computer.

Logging On to a Windows XP Professional Computer on a Network Domain

A network is group of computers and associated devices connected by communications equipment and utilities. Business computers are usually connected to a local area network (LAN) and are configured as part of a network domain.

The process of starting a computer session is called logging on. To log on to a network domain, you must have a valid user account, and you must know your user account name and password. You get all this information from your network administrator.

Understanding Windows XP Components

When you start Windows for the first time, your screen should look similar to the illustration that follows. As you install programs and customize Windows to suit the way you work, you will see additions and changes to this screen, but the same basic components will still appear.

It’s helpful to know the correct names of the basic components of Windows and the ways that you can use the mouse to interact with them. The following list describes the basic Windows components.

■            Desktop  The desktop is composed of the contents of your computer screen after Windows has been started. Items on the desktop include icons for frequently used programs and other utilities.

■            Quick Launch bar  The Quick Launch bar is an area of the taskbar to the right of the Start button. The Quick Launch bar contains several buttons that represent programs that are used frequently. These buttons provide a way for you to start programs with a single click. The Quick Launch bar also includes the Show Desktop button, which you can click to minimize all open windows to buttons on the taskbar.

■            Shortcuts  Shortcuts are a type of icon that offer quick access to files, folders, or programs. For example, you might have a spreadsheet to which you refer several times a week. The spreadsheet is stored within several layers of folders, and you open the file by opening each folder in sequence and double-clicking the file’s icon. To avoid this time-consuming process, you can create a shortcut that appears on the desktop and provides faster access to the same file. You use shortcuts in the same way you use other icons, double-clicking them to open files, folders, or programs. Shortcuts look similar to other icons except each has a small, curved arrow in its lower-left corner. You might think of shortcuts as placeholders for other icons. You can create, copy, move, and delete a shortcut without affecting the file, folder, or program itself.

■            Start button  The Start button is located on the left edge of the taskbar, and it is the most important component on the Windows desktop. It is the launching point for every program and window on your computer. Click the Start button to open a series of menus for starting programs, finding and opening folders and files, setting options, getting help, adding hardware and software, and shutting down the computer.

■            Taskbar  The taskbar is the strip along the bottom of the screen. It typically shows, from left to right, the Start button, the Quick Launch bar, buttons for certain utilities and programs (such as the volume control for your computer’s sound system), and the time. Also, all open programs are displayed as buttons on the taskbar. Click a file, folder, or program button on the taskbar to display its window.

■            Time  The time is displayed near the right edge of the taskbar. You can also use this area of the taskbar to display a calendar. Position the mouse pointer on the time to view a pop-up description showing the day and date. Double-click the time to open a dialog box in which you can change the date, time, or time zone your computer recognizes.

■            Window  A portion of the screen that displays a file, folder, or program. Several windows can be displayed on the screen at one time, either side by side, top to bottom, or overlapping. You will learn how to move and resize windows later in this lesson.

A dialog box appears on your screen when you need to communicate with a program. Dialog boxes provide ways for you to make decisions and select from available options. Typical components of a dialog box include text boxes, options, check boxes, and menus.

In the upper-right corner of every dialog box is a Close button. At the bottom of most dialog boxes are OK buttons and Cancel buttons.

Click OK when you want Windows to implement the options you’ve specified in the dialog box. Click the Cancel button or the Close button to close the dialog box without making any changes.

In this exercise, you practice common mouse techniques while touring Windows.

If a pop-up description does not appear when it should, try taking your hand off the mouse for a few seconds. If that doesn’t work, the option to show these descriptions is probably turned off.

1      Position the mouse so the mouse pointer is positioned over the time in the lower-right corner of the screen.

The date appears in a pop-up description.

2      Move the mouse slightly, in any direction.

The pop-up description disappears.

3      Double-click the time.

The Date and Time Properties dialog box appears.

4      Click Cancel in the Date and Time Properties dialog box.

The dialog box closes. No changes were made.

5      Click the Start button on the left edge of the taskbar.

The Start menu appears. Menu items that have right-pointing arrows, such as My Recent Documents or All Programs, lead to cascading menus.

6      Click an empty area of the desktop.

You can also close a menu by clicking the same button, icon, or menu name that you used to open it (in this case, the Start button).

The Start menu closes.

7      Click My Computer.

The icon changes color slightly, appearing darker to show that it’s selected.

8      Click the My Computer icon, hold down the mouse button, and then drag the My Computer icon down so that it slightly overlaps the icon below it. Release the mouse button when you are finished.

9      Right-click an empty area of the desktop.

A shortcut menu appears, offering choices for organizing the desktop.

If the My Computer icon doesn’t return to its original place, you can drag it back into position.

10     On the shortcut menu, click Arrange Icons By. Another menu appears offering you several choices for arranging icons. Click the Name option to align the icons arranged by name.

The My Computer icon moves away from the overlapped icon.

Starting Programs

The Start menu is a list of options that is your central link to all the programs installed on your computer, as well as to all the tasks you can carry out with Windows XP. The first time you start Windows XP, the Start menu is displayed until you click something else. Thereafter, you open the Start menu by clicking the Start button at the left end of the taskbar.

The Start menu has been significantly redesigned in Windows XP to provide easier access to your programs. When it first opens, it looks something like this:

If you are accustomed to the previous menu style, which is now called the Classic menu, you might find that the change takes a little getting used to. If you are unable to adjust, you have the option of changing back to the Classic version. However, the new menu is designed to increase efficiency, so we recommend that you at least give it a try!

You can pin links to your favorite programs to a special area at the top of the left side of the Start menu to make the programs easy to find and start. You can rearrange the pinned programs by dragging them into whatever order you want. By default, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook Express are pinned to the Start menu. If you change your default Web browser or e-mail program, the pinned area is automatically updated to reflect that change.

Below the first horizontal line on the left side of the Start menu is a list of links to your most frequently used programs, which includes the last six programs you started. (You can adjust that number if you want.) The first time you start Windows XP, the list displays some of the new programs that are available: MSN Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, File and Settings Transfer Wizard, and Tour Windows XP.

On the right side of the Start menu are links to the locations where you are most likely to store the files you create, a link to a directory of other computers on your network, and links to various tools that you will use while running your computer. The commands you will use to log off of or shut down your computer are located at the bottom of the Start menu. Clicking the All Programs text or arrow will display a menu of all installed programs on your computer.

You can start a program in Windows using the Start menu. Sometimes, however, you have to open several menus to find the program you want. For programs you use frequently, therefore, creating a shortcut on the desktop might be more convenient than wading through the Start menu.

In this exercise, you compare two ways to open windows. First, you click an icon on the desktop to open My Computer, which is a window that displays the disk and network drives that are available to your computer, as well as the files and folders on those drives. Then you use the Start menu to start Notepad, which is a simple word processing program that comes with Windows. Some of the options on the Start menu have right-pointing arrows. These options open cascading menus, also called submenus. The windows you open in this exercise will be used for the exercises later in this lesson.

1      Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop.

The My Computer window opens on the desktop.

2      Click the Start button.

The Start menu appears.

3      On the Start menu, point to All Programs.

The Programs menu appears.

4      On the Programs menu, point to Accessories.

The Accessories menu appears.

5      On the Accessories menu, click Notepad.

The Notepad window opens.

Moving and Closing Windows

The space on your desktop is limited, so you should manage it carefully. Sometimes that means moving a program’s window to another part of the desktop or shrinking it so that it appears as a button on the taskbar. At other times, “managing your desktop” means resizing a program’s window so that you can simultaneously view another program or document window on your desktop.

You can use the following components to manage windows:

■            The title bar, in addition to telling you the name of the program and (usually) the name of the document you are working on, can be used to move the program window around on the screen. To move a program window, drag its title bar.

■            The Minimize button shrinks a window so that it is displayed as a button on the taskbar.

■           

You can also maximize or restore a window by double-clicking its title bar.

The Maximize button expands the window so that it fills the desktop (except for the taskbar).

■            When a window is maximized, the Maximize button is replaced by the Restore Down button, which returns the window to its previous size so that part of the desktop (or a window underneath) is visible.

■            The Close button closes a program, removing it from the computer’s temporary storage (memory). This button also closes dialog boxes and windows.

■            The resize area can be used to change the size and shape of a window. Drag the resize area to make the window tall and narrow, short and wide, or any size in between.

In this exercise, you move and resize the Notepad and My Computer windows. You also close the My Computer window.

1      Drag the title bar of the Notepad window several inches down and to the right.

The My Computer window is now at least partially visible. Note that it was still running, even when it was covered by Notepad.

You might need to move the Notepad window to the left in order to see the Minimize button.

2      Click the Minimize button in the upper-right corner of the Notepad window.

The Notepad window no longer appears on the desktop, and the Untitled – Notepad button is added to the taskbar. Notepad is still running; you’ve just done the equivalent of pushing it to a corner of your desk to make room for other things.

3      Click the Maximize button in the upper-right corner of the My Computer window.

The My Computer window expands to cover the desktop.

The Restore Down button replaces the Maximize button in the upper-right corner of a window when the window is maximized.

4      Click the Restore Down button in the upper-right corner of the My Computer window.

The My Computer window returns to its previous size and shape.

5      Click the Minimize button in the upper-right corner of the My Computer window.

The My Computer window no longer appears, but its button is still displayed on the taskbar.

6      Click the My Computer button on the taskbar.

The My Computer window reappears on the desktop.

7      Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the My Computer window.

The My Computer window closes.

Resizing the Notepad Window

When you work with more than one program, file, or folder, you can resize and arrange windows in order to view multiple windows at the same time. You can view only one maximized window at a time, but all other open programs continue to run in the background.

In this exercise, you move and resize the Notepad window.

1      Click the Untitled – Notepad button on the taskbar.

The Notepad window appears.

You can drag any border of a window to resize it as long as the window isn't minimized.

2      Drag the title bar of the Notepad window to center it on the desktop.

3      Drag the resize area up and to the left until the Notepad window is half its original size.

4      Drag the right edge of the Notepad window to the right to widen the window.

5      Click the Minimize button in the upper-right corner of the Notepad window.

Switching Between Programs

It’s common in Windows to have more than one program running at the same time. Each program runs in its own window. Usually, when two windows are on screen at once, the one with the title bar that is blue (the default color) or brightly colored is the active window. The inactive window usually has a gray or lightly colored title bar. For example, look at the following two windows.

Notepad is the active window (note the dark blue title bar), so if you were to start typing numbers with these two windows on screen, the numbers would appear in the Notepad window.

To switch between windows when you can see more than one of them on screen, just click anywhere in an empty area of the window you want to make active.

When working with Windows, you frequently won’t be able to see all of the windows you have open. In that case, you can switch from one window to another by clicking a program’s button on the taskbar. To quickly display the desktop when it is covered by windows, click the Show Desktop button on the taskbar.

In this exercise, you open Calculator. You then switch between Calculator and Notepad to calculate and record numbers.

1      Click the Start button.

The Start menu appears.

2      On the Start menu, point to All Programs, and point to Accessories.

3      On the Accessories menu, click Calculator.

Calculator opens.

4      Click the Untitled – Notepad button on the taskbar.

The Notepad window is now the active window. Note the color of its title bar compared to the title bar of the Calculator window.

Clicking anywhere in a window causes that window to become the active window.

5      Click the title bar of the Calculator window.

Calculator is now the active window.

6      Type 40 * 18 =

The number 720 appears in the Calculator window.

7      Click the Untitled – Notepad button on the taskbar.

The Notepad window is now the active window. Your screen should resemble the following illustration.

8      Type If I earned £18 per hour, I would earn £720 per week.

Your typing appears in the Notepad window because it is the active window.

9      Click the Show Desktop button on the Quick Launch bar of the taskbar.

Both of the programs are minimized.

Logging Off of Windows XP

The process of ending a computer session is called logging off. Logging off ends the Windows session for your account but leaves the computer turned on. It is important to log off when you leave for the day, or even when you leave your computer for an extended period of time, to safeguard against other people accessing your personal information. For example, if your account has administrative privileges and you go out to lunch without logging off or otherwise protecting your computer against intrusion, someone could create a local user account with administrative privileges for themselves and later use that account to log on to your computer.

In this exercise, you log off of your Windows XP user account.

 

Follow these steps:

1      If the Start menu is not displayed, click the Start button.

The Start menu is displayed. Your user information appears at the top of the menu. Depending on the programs installed on your computer, the Start menu looks something like this:

 

2      At the bottom of the Start menu, click Log Off.

The Log Off Windows dialog box appears.

3      Click Log Off to complete the process and display the Welcome screen or logon screen.

4      Enter your password to log back on.

Shutting Down a Windows XP Professional Computer

Always shut down Windows XP before turning off your computer; otherwise, you could lose data.

Rather than simply logging off of your computer, you might want to turn it off, or shut down, to conserve energy. Shutting down closes all your open applications and files, ends your computing session, and shuts down Windows so that you can safely turn off the computer’s power. This process ensures that your data is safely stored and any external connections are appropriately disconnected.

In this exercise, you shut down your Windows XP Professional computer.

Follow these steps:

1      Click the Start button.

The Start menu is displayed. Your user information appears at the top of the menu.

2      At the bottom of the Start menu, click Shut Down.

The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears:

The most recently selected shut-down option is displayed in the option box, and a description of that option appears below the box.

3      Click the down arrow to display the other options, and select each option in turn to display its description.

4      Select Shut down as the option, and click OK to end your Windows session.

Other Options

The Windows XP Home Edition Turn off computer screen provides the Restart and Hibernate options, but not the Stand by option.

In addition to logging off and shutting down your computer, the Windows XP Professional Shut Down dialog box presents these options:

■            Restart ends your session, shuts down Windows, and then starts Windows again without turning off the computer.

■            Stand by maintains your session (the programs that are open and any work you are doing in them) and keeps the computer running on low power with your data still in memory. To return to a session that is on stand by, press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

■            Hibernate saves your session and turns off your computer. The next time you start the computer, your session is restored to the place where you left off.

Lesson Wrap-Up

In this lesson, you learned how to start Windows and became familiar with some basic Windows components. You also learned how to open, close, resize, and move program windows. You learned to use more than one program. Finally, you learned how to shut down Windows.

Putting It All Together

Exercise 1:  In this exercise, you “pin” a program to the Start menu. Begin by browsing to the selected program on the Start menu. Right-click the program name, and click Pin to Start menu on the shortcut menu.

Exercise 2: In this exercise, you “unpin” a program to the Start menu. Right-click the program link, and click Unpin to Start menu on the shortcut menu.

Exercise 3: In this exercise, you create a shortcut on the desktop to a Web site. Right-click on open area of the desktop, point to New on the shortcut menu, and click Shortcut. Type the URL (Internet address) of the Web site in the Type the location of the item box, and click Next. Enter a name for the shortcut, and click Finish to close the dialog box.

Exercise 4: In this exercise, you delete a shortcut, file, or folder from the desktop. If you completed Exercise 3, choose the Web site shortcut you created. Right-click the item you want to delete, and click Delete on the shortcut menu. In the confirmation box, click Yes to delete the item.

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 1b

Managing Files and Folders

Files are some of the most important resources you will use in Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Every document, picture, or sound you work with is a file. Programs (such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel) are actually collections of files. Windows itself is a collection of hundreds of files, each with its own purpose. For example, one file contains the sound Windows plays when it starts, and another contains the sound Windows plays when it shuts down. Files even specify the shape of the mouse pointer and the result of clicking an item.

To keep track of all your files, you need to group them in a logical way. In Windows, you do this by creating folders, which store related files. Think of a folder like a kitchen cabinet. One cabinet might store food, while another stores dishes. One cabinet stores flatware, another stores glassware, and a third stores glass cookware. In Windows, one folder might store documents you create (such as a memo in Word or a workbook in Excel), while another might store pictures you download from the Internet.

You might also divide your kitchen cabinets: a shelf for glassware, another for coffee cups, and so on. If you have lots of glasses, you might divide the shelves, perhaps water goblets on the left and brandy snifters on the right. In Windows, you can have folders within folders to provide additional levels of organization.

When Microsoft Windows XP is installed on a computer, it creates four system folders:

■            Documents and Settings. This folder contains a subfolder for each user profile—each user who has logged on to the computer or who has logged on to a network domain through the computer. Windows XP may create multiple profiles for one person if that person logs on in different ways. For example, you might have one folder for when you are logged on to the domain and another folder for when you are not logged on to the domain.

■            Program Files. This is the folder where most programs install the files they need in order to run. When you install a new program, you are generally given the opportunity to change the installation folder; if you accept the default, the program is installed in this location.

■            temp. The operating system and various other programs might store temporary files in this folder.

■            WINDOWS or WINNT. Most of the critical operating system files are stored in this folder. You can look, but unless you really know what you are doing, don’t touch!

Within each profile subfolder in the Documents and Settings folder, Windows XP creates three folders:

■            My Documents. This folder is a convenient place to store documents, spreadsheets, and other files you want to access quickly.

■            My Pictures. This subfolder of My Documents has special capabilities for handling picture files.

■            My Music. This subfolder of My Documents has special capabilities for handling music files.

You shouldn’t ever need or want to touch the folders used and created by your programs, but knowing how to organize the files you create is essential if you want to be able to use your computer efficiently.

In this lesson, you’re introduced to ways to view and manage your files and folders. You learn how to open and close files and folders, how to create and delete them, and how to organize them.

Viewing and Opening Folders

The two most popular ways to navigate through folders are to use My Computer or Windows Explorer. My Computer displays all the available resources on your computer, including icons for disk drives and the network. Windows Explorer displays the files and folders on your computer and network.

In Windows, My Computer and Windows Explorer are almost identical. The major difference is that the Folders pane appears by default in Windows Explorer and not in My Computer. However, you can easily add the Folders pane to My Computer by clicking the Folders button on the Standard Buttons toolbar. You can open My Computer by double-clicking the My Computer icon on the desktop. You can open Windows Explorer by clicking the Start button, pointing to All Programs, pointing to Accessories, and then clicking Windows Explorer on the Accessories submenu. It’s a matter of personal preference whether you use My Computer or Windows Explorer to view files, folders, and other resources.

My Documents is the default folder for the files you create in Windows programs. That is, unless you specify a different folder when you save a newly created document, Windows will place it in the My Documents folder.

When Windows Explorer is first opened, the left side of the window displays the Folders pane. The right side of the window displays the contents of the folder that is selected in the Folders pane. By default, the My Documents folder is selected when you open Windows Explorer.

To open a folder, double-click it in the Folders pane. When you double-click a folder, its contents appear in the right pane, replacing the contents of the folder you selected previously. If the new folder contains a subfolder (a folder within a folder), you can double-click the subfolder and continue navigating through the lower-level folders until you find the file or folder you’re looking for. To return to a higher-level folder, click the Up button on the Standard Buttons toolbar. To return to other previously opened folders, click the Back button on the Standard Buttons toolbar.

The structure of folders and subfolders might be quite extensive, but you see only the top level of folders when you start navigating through the Folders pane. Click the plus sign to the left of a folder icon to view all of its subfolders. Once a folder is expanded, the plus sign changes to a minus sign. Click the minus sign to collapse the list of subfolders so that only the higher-level folder appears. You can also double-click a folder to expand it. Double-clicking the folder not only expands the folder in the left pane of the window, it also displays all of the files and lower-level folders in the right pane of the window.

On the right side of the Windows Explorer window, you can view your files and folders in several different ways. You can view thumbnails or slideshows of graphic files, display file and folder types as tiles or icons, or view a detailed or not-so-detailed file list. The view options for each folder are available on that folder window’s toolbar, and they vary depending on the contents of the folder. Available views include the following:

■            Details view displays a list of files or folders and their properties. The properties shown by default for each file or folder are Name, Size, Type, and Date Modified. For pictures, the defaults also include Date Picture Taken and Dimensions. You can display a variety of other properties that might be pertinent to specific types of files, including Date Created, Data Accessed, Attributes, Status, Owner, Author, Title, Subject, Category, Pages, Comments, Copyright, Artist, Album Title, Year, Track Number, Genre, Duration, Bit Rate, Protected, Camera Model, Company, Description, File Version, Product Name, and Product Version.

■            Filmstrip view displays the currently selected picture at the top of the window above a single row of smaller versions of all the pictures in the current folder. This option is available only for the My Pictures folder and its subfolders.

■            Icons view displays the icon and file name for each file or folder in the current folder.

■            List view displays a list of the files and folders in the current folder, with no additional information other than the file name and a small icon representing the file type.

■            Thumbnails view displays up to four miniature representations of the files contained in each folder. These thumbnails are displayed on top of a folder icon that is about an inch and a half square. Thumbnails of individual files display a miniature of the file if it is an appropriate type (such as a graphic), or an icon representing the type of file. The file or folder name is displayed below the thumbnail.

■            Tiles view displays a large file type icon or folder icon, the file or folder name, and up to two additional pieces of information for each file in the current folder. The additional information varies depending on the type of file.

As you examine different folders in Windows Explorer, you might notice that some of them look like plain manila folders, while others have a symbol embossed on them. In many cases, a folder with an embossed symbol represents a Windows component, such as Control Panel. However, three other common folder types have special meaning.

An open folder with a sheet of paper sticking out of it and a cable connection beneath the folder represents a network folder, which is a folder shared from another computer over the network. A hand holding a folder represents a shared folder, which is a folder shared from your computer over the network.

Windows XP has a variety of special folder types. Storing files of the corresponding type in one of these folders enables you to use features that are desirable for that type, such as playing music clips or viewing photographs. Folder types include:

■            Documents

■            Pictures

■            Photo Album

■            Music

■            Music Artist

■            Music Album

Opening, Editing, and Saving Files

After you have found a file by navigating through the folders in Windows Explorer or My Computer, you can double-click the file to open it, and then you can modify it as desired. For example, you can edit the text in a document or change the colors in a picture. A file is associated with the program that is used to read it, so if you double-click a file that was created in Notepad, the Notepad program starts and displays the file. If Windows can’t find the program associated with the file or if you want to use a program other than the associated one, use the Open With command (which is located on the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click a file).

All files have names, and all file names consist of two parts—the name and the extension—separated by a period. The type of file or the program in which it was created is indicated by the extension. The extension is a short (usually three letters, sometimes two or four) abbreviation of the file type. By default, Windows XP hides file extensions. If you would prefer to see your file extensions, open My Documents (or any folder) in Windows Explorer, and on the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and display the View tab. Clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK to close the dialog box and apply your settings.

Files also have icons, which are graphic representations of the file type. Depending on the way you’re looking at your files, you might see a large icon, a small icon, or no icon.

Windows keeps track of the previous 15 files you opened, so you don’t have to navigate through folders again to reopen a file you recently opened. To quickly reopen a file, click the Start button, point to My Recent Documents on the Start menu, and then click the name of the desired file on the My Recent Documents menu.

 

To resize a column in the Details view of Windows Explorer, position the mouse pointer over the vertical line between column headings. The mouse pointer changes to a double-headed arrow with a line through it. Drag to the right to make the column wider, or drag to the left to make the column narrower. Double-click to automatically size the column to accommodate the widest item in it.

Printing a File

You can print a file directly from Windows Explorer without first opening the file. This can be a great timesaver if you have several documents that don’t need to be changed—just printed using the default print settings.

To print from Windows Explorer, open the folder that contains the file you want to print, right-click the desired file, and then click Print on the shortcut menu. Windows will open the file using the program that created it, print the file, and then close the program and the file. You can also select multiple documents for printing from Windows Explorer. Hold down Ctrl, and click each file that you want to print.

Sorting Files

As you work with larger numbers of files, you’ll need to find the files you want quickly and efficiently. One way to find a file easily is to group folder contents by a certain characteristic, like date. Then if you know the date when you saved the file, you can find the file easily.

There are several ways to view files in Windows Explorer—as large or small icons, in a list of file names, in a list with file details (such as when each file was last modified), or as file names with thumbnails (small representations of pictures; in this case, the icon representing the file). When you sort files, it’s a good idea to display them in Details view. Details view lists each file on a line by itself, with columns for the name of the file, the amount of storage space it takes, the type of file it is, and the date when it was last saved. In Details view, you can click a column heading to sort files by that column.

Creating Files and Folders

Folders are easy to create in Windows Explorer, and there is no limit to the number you can have. So it’s a good idea to think about the way you want to organize your folders. You might create a folder for each major project, or for each client, or for the months of the year—it depends on how you prefer to organize your storage space. For example, the marketing director at Eyedearz Design Ltd created a separate folder for Sales Materials. In that folder, there is a subfolder for Graphics and another for Spreadsheets.

You can also create files in Windows Explorer. When you create files, you create a placeholder for a particular type of content, like a graphic or text file, by giving it a name. Then you fill in the content later. This process is the opposite of the more typical way to create files, which involves starting a program like Notepad, entering data, and then saving the data as a file.

Creating a file in Windows Explorer has certain benefits over creating a file in a program. It’s faster because you don’t have to run the program, and it creates structure for the file by predetermining its name and the program that will be used to work with it. A few months ago, the marketing director at Eyedearz Design Ltd hired a contractor to write some advertising copy. Before the contractor started the project, the marketing director created the necessary files so that she wouldn’t have to search for them after the contractor completed his job. The few minutes the marketing director spent to create the files beforehand saved her valuable time later in the project.

Moving, Copying, and Renaming Files and Folders

Just as you occasionally need to reorganize the space in your closets and drawers, you’ll find that you need to reorganize your files and folders. You might, for example, want to move files from their current folder to a new folder you’ve made, or copy a folder so that you have an original version of all its contents and a duplicate to experiment with. You might need to rename a file or folder to better reflect its contents.

If you use the right mouse button to drag files from one folder to another, when you release the button, a shortcut menu appears with options for moving or copying the file to the new folder.

You can move and copy files or folders using the Move To Folder and Copy To Folder commands on the Edit menu in Windows Explorer, or you can simply drag a file or folder from one place to another. If you drag a file or folder from place to place on the same disk, Windows moves the item. If you drag a file or folder from one disk to another disk, Windows copies the item.

To rename a file or folder, right-click it, and click Rename on the shortcut menu. The name of the file is selected. Type the new name, and press Enter. The file is renamed.

To be able to choose whether to copy or move a file or folder that you drag, right-click to drag it. When you release the mouse button to drop the item, a shortcut menu appears. On the shortcut menu, click either Copy Here or Move Here.

 

You learned earlier in this lesson that you can select a single file by clicking it. Sometimes, though, you’ll want to select more than one file at a time. For example, you might need to move a group of files, or print several files at once. There are two ways to select multiple files:

■            Shift+Click  If the files you want to select are listed one after another, click the first file in the group, hold down Shift, and then click the last file in the group.

If you delete a file or folder that is stored on a network drive, the item is permanently deleted—you can’t restore it. Networks are usually set up so that you can delete only files or folders that you created yourself or shared files to which you have full access.

Deleting Files and Folders

Although disk space has become remarkably inexpensive, it’s still a finite quantity. Just like any other finite resource, it needs to be conserved by deleting unnecessary files and folders.

Deleting a file or folder doesn’t erase it from the disk the way an eraser removes pencil marks. It’s more like tossing something into a junk drawer. Eventually, the drawer gets full, and you empty it out. Sometimes, things get tossed into the drawer by mistake, and you need to take them out and put them back where they belong.

In Windows, this “junk drawer” is called the Recycle Bin. To send a file or folder to the Recycle Bin, select the item, and press the Delete key on the keyboard. Click Yes to confirm the deletion. You can also send a file or folder to the Recycle Bin by clicking the file or folder to select it, then right-clicking, then clicking the Delete option on the shortcut menu. To view the contents of the Recycle Bin, double-click its icon on the desktop. To remove an item from the Recycle Bin and move it back to its original location on disk, click the item to select it, and then click the Restore this item option on the left side of the Recycle Bin window. To permanently delete an item in the bin, click the item, and then click the Delete option on the File menu. (you can also right-click the item and select Delete from the menu that appears.) Click Yes to confirm the deletion. To permanently delete everything in the bin, click the Empty the Recycle Bin option on the left side of the Recycle Bin window.

Lesson Wrap-Up

In this lesson, you learned how to manage files and folders. You learned about Windows Explorer and how to retrieve a particular file. You learned how to sort files and print a file without opening it. You also learned how to create, move, copy, and rename files and folders. Finally, you learned how to use the Recycle Bin to remove files and folders that you no longer need.

 

1      Close all open windows, and click the Start button on the taskbar.

2      Click Shut Down on the Start menu. If necessary, click the down arrow in the Windows Shut Down dialog box, and click Shut Down in the list. Then click OK. (For a non-networked Windows XP computer, click the Start button, then click Turn Off Computer, and click the Turn Off option in the dialog box that appears.)

3      After Windows has shut down, turn off the computer and, if necessary, all other hardware devices.

Putting It All Together

Exercise 1: In this exercise, you create a compressed folder. Begin by selecting the files you want to include in the folder. Next, right-click the selection, and on the shortcut menu, point to Send To. Finally, click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

Exercise 2: In this exercise, you explore the online support for Windows XP. (Note: You will need a live connection to the Internet to complete this exercise.)  Click the Start button, and then click Help and Support. Under Pick a Help Topic, click Windows Basics.  Explore some of the online tutorials, including Keeping Windows up to date.