File Management
Getting and Staying Organized
or
Where did I put that file???!!!
What is File
Management?
Refers to how data is stored
and organized:
• on computer hard disk
• on removable storage
(ie: usb)
• in virtual storage
Files are stored in a
hierarchical tree format:
Hierarchy: an arrangement represented as having different levels above or below each other
What is File
Management?
Refers to how data is stored
and organized:
• on computer hard disk
• on removable storage
(ie: usb)
• in virtual storage
Hierarchy: an arrangement
represented as having different
levels above or below each other
• ROOT DIRECTORY ex → C:
• Like a big filing cabinet
• FOLDER
• Like a drawer of the cabinet
• SUBFOLDERS (or could be FILES)
• Like a folder in the drawer
• Like papers in the drawer
• FILES
• Like papers in the folders that
you can actually read and use
C:
GRADE 9
ENGLISH
MacBeth Essay
How it looks on the computer:
We have our C directory.
In C is a folder called English.
In that English folder are two
subfolders called
Journals and Papers.
Types of Files
• A file is a collection of data that can be read from
or written to.
• There are only two types of files:
1. DATA FILES (created by the user)
• Examples: pictures, projects, music files
2. SYSTEM FILES (created by the computer)
• Example: [Link]
System Files (created by the computer)
1. Contain instructions for your computer
2. Do not move or rename these files
3. Usually hidden
1. File names that begin with a dot are hidden
2. Example: c:/SCHOOL/.[Link]
File Names and Extensions
A file name consists of 2 parts
1. The actual name of the file
2. The extension
➢ tells the operating system what program to use
to open the file
File Extensions
Come after the file name and begin with a dot
Some common extensions:
.docx (Word files)
.xlsx (Excel files)
.pptx (Power Point files)
.gif (Graphical image files)
File Names
Certain characters have special meaning to the
operating system such as
/ \ “ ‘ * ; - ? [ ] ( ) ~ ! $ { } < > # @ & |
File Names (rules)
• The name of each file must be unique within the
directory
• A file name can be up to 255 characters long and
can contain letters, numbers, and underscores.