Files and Folders Management

FOLDER SET UP
A. OVERVIEW

This tutorial is written for Windows 7. Vista and XP are similar but not exactly
the same. The interface that a Vista or XP user may see on the screen may be
slightly different but the basics are the same when it comes to managing files and
folders.

The major change in Windows 7 is the addition of "Libraries". Libraries become

meaningful if you have files that are located on several networked PCs. Most
people utilizing this tutorial have their information on one computer, thus, we will
skip the use of Libraries, however, once you become proficient in file and folder
management, and if you are using multiple computers you should investigate the
use of Libraries.

The purpose of this tutorial is to instruct you on how to organize files and folders
in your computer so that you can easily access information. If your present paper
filing system is not organized; if your file drawer is a mess of disorganized
documents; if you can’t find a CD; or if 25 years of photos are thrown into a paper
bag, and you like it this way, then this tutorial is not for you. However, if you’re
currently well organized, or wish to become so, this can be a valuable tutorial
when it comes to keeping track of your vital documents, programs and other
information on your computer.

For the time being let’s forget about the computer and discuss filing as it’s done
with a file cabinet and paper. The best illustration of a simple file setup is the way
we file our letters. Let’s assume we write two types of letters; Personal and
Business. We could put them all in a folder labeled Letters (and I’m sure some of
us do), but the best way to file Personal and Business letters would be to put each
in their own folder and then to put the two folders into a hanging Pendaflex folder
labeled Letters. The “folder tree” would appear as follows:

LETTERS
 Business
 Personal

This tree is organized, simple, and expandable. For example, if you write many
personal letters to John and Mary you might expand the Personal folder by adding
separate folders within the Personal folder, one for John and one for Mary.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 1 of 16 April; 2011
Likewise if you have many business letters to FPL, Verizon, and ATT you might
set up separate folders for each of those accounts within the Business folder. To
illustrate that setup, the “folder tree” would be as follows:

LETTERS
 Business
• ATT
• FPL
• Verizon
 Personal
• John
• Mary

Setting up a folder within a folder in the filing cabinet in your office is not
easy…folders simply don’t fit well within another folder, however it’s simple in a
computer. But more about that later.

Using the example above if you were asked “Where do I find the September
Verizon phone bill you would most likely respond “Go to the Letters folder, then
find the Business folder Within that folder there’s a folder for "Verizon”. In
computer language you’ve indicated the “path” to the Verizon folder. That path is
written as follows: LettersBusinessVerizon. Paths always lead you to the
folder that the document is in. The path does NOT lead you to the document
itself. You must look through the specified folder to find the actual document.

B. WHAT IS A FILE

1. A file is a package of information with a name attached to it.

2. Files can record data, such as text (a Word document) or numbers (an Excel
document.
3. A file can be a digital photo, a music clip, or any other piece of digital
information.
4. Some files record ways to perform various processing procedures on data.
These are referred to as programs or commands.

C. WHAT IS A FOLDER

A folder is a container (the storage place) within a digital file system, in which
groups of computer files and other folders can be kept and organized.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 2 of 16 April; 2011
D. WINDOWS EXPLORER OVERVIEW

Windows Explorer is a file management application that Microsoft has included

with all operating systems from Windows 95 thru Windows 7. It provides a
graphical user interface for accessing the file systems.

The Explorer window is actually two windows incorporated into the same screen
and it’s this view that makes the Explorer a powerful tool.

The left side is the directory tree window which is a list of all the devices
connected to the computer (internal and external hard drives, DVD drives,
removable drives, etc) and folders. Only connected devices and folders appear,
NO FILES. Think about the folders on the left side as “storage boxes” for major
categories.

On the right side is the files and folder window which shows the content of the
folder that is opened in the directory tree window. In the screenshot above, the
files and folder window shows all the files and folders contained in the My
Documents folder (It’s the folder name highlighted on the left side.) From this
point forward we’ll call the files and folder window the right window, and the
directory tree window the left window.

Prior to Windows 7, to manage files and folders it was necessary to open

Windows Explorer as a separate operation if you want to manage your files and
folders but with the advent of Windows 7, whenever you open a file or folder it
opens in the Explorer View which is the view in the screenshot above (a right and
a left window) and you can perform any management task that's available when
you open Windows Explorer directly.
Tutorial by Jim Unger
Page 3 of 16 April; 2011
This tutorial is designed to have you open Windows Explorer to start your file
management. The reasons why will become apparent once you get to the end of
the tutorial and start working with the examples.

By default, the Explorer view DOES NOT include the menu bar.

There are instances where it is desirable to have the menu bar visible. To do so,
Open Windows Explorer; Click on Organize; from the dropdown menu go to
Layout; slide over and click on Menu Bar

The menu bar will then always be visible whenever you are in the Explorer
View.
Tutorial by Jim Unger
Page 4 of 16 April; 2011
E. CREATING FOLDERS

If you are working on a non-computer project at your desk that is required to be

filed, you usually create the folders prior to starting on the project. When using
the computer we will do the same…first create the folders (the storage ) and then
work on the project. The computer folders will be created in the location where
you want to file the project, as this is the way you create a folder when you’re not
using the computer. When you create a new folder, it will be empty and have no
files or other folders in it.

All of your data should be stored in the My Documents folder. This is a folder
that is automatically set up for you by Microsoft, and the folders you create to
organize your data should be set up within the My Documents folder. You can
find it by opening Windows Explorer and looking for it in the left hand panel. To
open Windows Explorer, click on the Start Orb , and in the Start Menu search
box that opens, type in "Explorer" (without the quotation marks). From the menu
that will open automatically, click on Windows Explorer. Alternatively, there may
be a Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar on the desktop.

Highlight the “My Documents” folder by left clicking it with your mouse. From
the window that opens click on New Folder. A “New Folder” will appear in the
right hand panel of Explorer. At this point you can right click this “New Folder”
and from the drop down menu select “Rename”. Type the name you wish to give
this folder into the highlighted box. (NOTE: Do not use quotation marks when
naming files and folders.) Thus, within the “My Documents” folder you have now
created a “New Folder” ready to either accept files or more new folders.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 5 of 16 April; 2011
Using that New Folder as a starting point let’s set up the following:

LETTERS
 Business
• ATT
• FPL
• Verizon
 Personal
• John
• Mary

Right click on the “New Folder” and rename it to “Letters.” It will automatically
file alphabetically under “L” when you add more folders. You can alphabetize
folders and files by simply left clicking on the “Name” heading at the top of the
right hand pane. The first click provides an A-Z listing. A second click reverses
that to Z-A.

Open the “Letters” folder (double left click on it.) There is nothing in the
folder…yet.

Note that the Address

bar has changed from
the previous
screenshot
ComputerMy
Documents (D)

to ComputerMy
Documents (D)
Letters

to indicate you are

now in the Letters
folder. This is the path
to the letters folder.

Note that the folder is

empty because you
have not put anything
into it yet.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 6 of 16 April; 2011
According to the way we want to set up the “Letters” folder, we need two sub
folders inside the “Letters” folder named “Business” and “Personal”. With the
“Letters” folder open and empty (as it is in the screenshot above), create two new
folders within the “Letters” folder (click on "New Folder" on the toolbar twice..see
the alternative method on the bottom of page 3 twice) and rename one “Business”
and the other "Personal".

The Letters folder will then look like this:

Note that the “path”

has remained the
same but we now
have two new sub
folders in the
original Letters
folder.

Now we need a folder for” John” and one for “Mary”, inside the “Personal” folder.

When you open the

Personal folder
(double click on it) it
will be empty and the
“path” will be shown
on the address bar

Add the two new

folders for John and
Mary

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 7 of 16 April; 2011
To complete the filing system you need to open the “Business” folder and add the
“ATT”, “FPL”, and “Verizon” folders. All of the folders created can now accept
files by directing a file to the appropriate folder. They can be alphabetized in
either direction with one or two clicks on the “Name” heading at the top of the
right pane.

F. FOLDERS SUMMARY
At this point you have learned to establish a filing system before you create the
files and how to create the folders for those files. Next we will learn how to move
the files and folders if it becomes necessary.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 8 of 16 April; 2011
 FILE MANAGEMENT

G. COMPUTER FILING

There are many ways to move files and folders in a computer. However, the built
in Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer) is the preferred
way. Windows Explorer can organize and control files and folders stored on the
different systems available, such as external hard drives, CD drives, the hard drive,
photo memory sticks, etc. Using Explorer we can delete, view, copy, and move
files and folders, however this tutorial will focus on using Explorer to move files
and folders

H. STARTING EXPLORER

To open Windows Explorer, click on the Start Orb , and in the Start Menu
search box that opens, type in "Explorer" (without the quotation marks). From the
menu that will open automatically, click on Windows Explorer. Alternatively,
there may be a Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar on the desktop. (NOTE:
This is a repeat of the instructions on page 3).

Windows Explorer opens as follows:

Explorer opens in Libraries.

We will only be concerned
with this section which
mirrors XP and Vista fairly
closely.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 9 of 16 April; 2011
NOTE: What follows for convenience id a repeat of some of the information
that was provided in Paragraph D

The Explorer window is actually two windows incorporated into the same screen
and it’s this view that makes the Explorer a powerful tool.

The left side is the directory tree window which is a list of all the devices
connected to the computer (internal and external hard drives, DVD drives,
removable drives, etc) and folders. Only connected devices and folders appear,
NO FILES. Think about the folders on the left side as “storage boxes” for major
categories.

On the right side is the files and folder window which shows the content of the
folder that is opened in the directory tree window. In the screenshot above, the
files and folder window shows all the files and folders contained in the My
Documents folder (It’s the folder name highlighted on the left side.) From this
point forward we’ll call the files and folder window the right window, and the
directory tree window the left window.

On the left side some of the folders have a mark in front of the name. This
indicates that there are sub folders within that folder. If you click on the
mark (single click) it will change to a and will show all the sub folders that are
stored within the topmost folder of that group.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 10 of 16 April; 2011
 Bracket has been
added for emphasis

In the screenshot above, the My Documents folder has been expanded (single click
on the to make it a to show a portion of the folders within the My Documents
folder). For this view I’ve used the left hand scroll bar to scroll to the “Ls” and
have expanded it (again click on the to make it ). The Letters, Business,
and Personal folders are now visible and are shown bracketed. The bracket has
been added for emphasis and will not show on your computer.

On pages 5 and 6 of this tutorial we set up the Letters folder, which contained a
Business folder, which in turn contained sub folders for ATT, FPL, and Verizon.
The Letters folder also contained a Personal folder, which in turn contained sub
folders for John and Mary. When set up in the computer, and viewed in Explorer,
the folder tree for the Letters folder has been bracketed for emphasis. The bracket
will not show in the computer. This is an exact duplicate of the folders we
decided we would set up on Page 1.

Note that the folder Lippart does not have a mark in front of it. This indicates
that there are no additional sub folders within the Lippart folder.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 11 of 16 April; 2011
I. USING WINDOWS EXPLORER

With Explorer we can organize and control the files and folders of the different
storage systems on the computer such as the hard drive (both internal and
external), the DVD drive, USB flash drives, memory card readers, etc. Using
Explorer you can delete, see, rename, copy or move files and folders. We will
focus on moving files and folders.

As previously indicated, the Explorer view is actually two windows incorporated

into the same screen with each window having it’s own scroll bars.

In moving information from one place to the other it is always moved from the
right window (information source) to the left window (information destination)
and since we can see both the source and destination in the same window,
information is moved using drop and drag.

Directory Tree
Window (Left) with
it’s own scroll bar

Files and Folder

Window (Right)
with it’s own scroll
bars.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 12 of 16 April; 2011
What follows is the overview of how to move information using Explorer and
three examples of different tasks.

1. On the left side find the folder or device that contains the file with the
information you want to MOVE; you will NOT be able to see the file
within the folder on the left side; single click on the folder which
contains the file you want to MOVE (on the left side) and the file or files
within that folder will be visible in the right hand pane.
2. On the left side, use the scroll bars to find the folder that you want to
RECEIVE the file that you want to move.
3. On the right side, scroll to the file you want to MOVE to the folder in #2
and drag it into that folder.

REMEMBER – A FILE IS ALWAYS MOVED FROM RIGHT TO LEFT

EXAMPLE 1
A letter we sent to John has mistakenly been saved in the My Documents folder
(very common). The letter is named “Dear John”. We want to move it from the
My Documents folder to the sub folder in Letters called John.

Remember the left window only shows storage folders so you will NOT be able to
see the Dear John letter in the left window. However, because the Dear John letter
was mistakenly filed in the My Documents folder, by left clicking on the My
Documents folder in the left window, everything, including the Dear John letter,
will be visible in the right window.

Using the left window scroll bar, scroll to the target folder
My DocumentsLetters(click on the in front of Letters to expand the
Letters folder and again in front of the Personal folder)John. (Note that
they now have a in front of them which indicates that all folders within the
Personal are visible. Also note that it was not necessary to expand the Business
folder as we are only interested in the Personal folder.)

From the screenshot on page 12…In the right window scroll to Dear John. Right
click on Dear John in the right window and drag it to the John folder in the left
window. When you let go of the mouse two of the options available are “Copy
here” and “Move here”. Since we want to move the Dear John file from My
Documents to the John sub folder in letters, select “Move here”. DONE..Dear
John is no longer in My Documents and is in the John folder.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 13 of 16 April; 2011
 Right click and drag the
Dear John file to the John
folder and then click on
“Move here”

EXAMPLE 2
You’ve taken three photos of your dog Cassie which are on the camera’s memory
card. You want to transfer the photos from the memory card to your computer and
store them in a folder called Cassie. The My Pictures folder is a default folder
within My Documents that has already set up by Microsoft. You will have to set
up a Cassie folder in "My Pictures". Go to My DocumentsMy Pictures. In the
My Pictures folder go to FileNewFolder and set up a new folder titled Cassie
(or alternatively click on New folder on the toolbar).

Next right click the “New Folder” and choose “Rename” from the drop down list.
Rename this “New Folder” “Cassie”. Your folder has been set up and you are
ready to transfer photos from your memory card to your computer.

Insert the memory card into a card reader that is attached to your computer. In my
computer the card reader is identified as EOS_DIGITAL (E). On your computer
each memory device (drive, card reader, etc.) is automatically assigned a drive
“letter” by Windows once the computer recognizes it.. Open Windows Explorer.

From the screenshot on the top of page 13…on the left side find the folder or
device that contains the information you want to move. In this case
EOS_DIGITAL (E). EOS_DIGITAL(E) is the storage device (the media card in
my camera) and is part of My Computer. To see it click on the in front of My
Computer to be able to see all the storage devices in My Computer. In my case (on
the left side) I need to access the photos which are located on the EOS_DIGITAL
(E) media card so I have to make the in front of EOS_DIGITAL (E) a (just
click on it), then do the same for DCIM, and you will be able to see the "123
CANON" folder. Single click on the folder (on the left side) and the three photos
that are in the folder will open on the right side.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 14 of 16 April; 2011
From the screenshot below…on the left side, use the scroll bar so that the folder
you want to receive information is visible in the left window. In this case “Cassie”
which is in My DocumentsMy PicturesCassie (this is known as the path to
the Cassie folder in My Pictures). Note that the path to the photos which are still
on the media card is Shown in the Address Bar.

Tutorial by Jim Unger

Page 15 of 16 April; 2011
Make sure the photos you want to move are highlighted and drag them into the
Cassie folder. DONE.
Remember:
• If you left click and drag the photos will be copied into the Cassie folder.
• If you right click and drag, you will have the option of either moving or
copying the photos. It’s your choice.

EXAMPLE 3
Your data has been saved to the "My Documents" folder and you want to backup
the contents of the "My Documents" folder to an external hard drive. Plug in and
turn on your external hard drive. Access the external hard drive, set up a folder
and name it "My Documents Copy". In the "My Documents Copy" folder in the
external hard drive set up another folder and name it the current date. In this case
3-13-11. Into this folder we will copy the entire contents of the "My Documents"
folder on the C drive.

In the left hand window find the “My Documents” folder. Click on the folder (on
the left side) and the files or folders within that folder will appear on the right side.

On the left side, use the scroll bar so that the folder you want to receive
information is visible in the left window. In this case the path to that folder is My
ComputerExternal (E)My Documents Copy3-13-11.

In the right hand window, the entire contents of the “My Documents” folder is
showing from the action taken in the second paragraph above. Highlight ALL the
entries (highlight one entryFileSelect All) and drag them into the “3-13-11”
folder as a group. A dialog box will open showing the progress of the copying.

DONE. You’ve made a back up copy of My Documents.

That’s the end of this tutorial. I hope it’s been helpful.

Tutorial by Jim Unger
Page 16 of 16 April; 2011