Managing Files

Finding Files

1. Click the Start button.
2. Move the mouse over Find and click Files and Folders.... The Find: All Files dialog box appears.
3. Type as much of the file name you are trying to locate as possible. To specify where to look for the file click Look In and click the location you want to search. If you are looking for a file but do not know its exact name, you can locate it by searching for the specific extension. Simply type *. and the extension. For example, to find all applications (executable files), type *.exe.
4. Click the Find Now button. When the search is complete, a list of similarly named files appears.
5. To open one, double-click its name.

Creating Desktop Shortcuts

A shortcut is an easy way to open a program or file. (On Macs, it's called an alias.) Place shortcuts on the desktop to often used programs and files you're currently working on. You can delete a shortcut any time without affecting the actual program or file. Here are the steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Locate the file. If you want to open a program with the shortcut, you need to find the executable file for the program. The file type will say Application.
3. Right-click the file and choose Create Shortcut.
4. Windows creates a shortcut at the bottom of the folder listing and highlights it.
5. Drag the shortcut to your desktop.
6. Click the shortcut's name once and type a new name.
7. Press Enter.

Using the Clipboard

The Windows Clipboard is a section of your computer's memory that temporarily holds data so you can copy or move it to another place. In Windows, you can copy and move files or folders using the Clipboard. In programs, you can use the Clipboard to copy or move text, graphics, or whatever else is in your document.

To move a file or folder, select it and choose Edit > Cut from the menu.

To copy a file or folder, select it and choose Edit > Copy from the menu.

To place the file or folder in the new location, click the desired folder and choose Edit > Paste from the menu.

Displaying File Types (Extensions)

By default, Windows only displays the file name and not the extension, which is a part of the filename that indicates the type of file. For example, you see only netscape, rather than netscape.exe. (The .exe is the extension.) However, there may be several files with this name, but different file types. You can see the file type in the Type column of Windows Explorer. Nevertheless, seeing the extension can be very helpful when you're trying to find a specific file. Here's how to display extensions.

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. From the Windows Explorer menu, choose View > Options.
3. Click to uncheck the Hide File Extensions for Known File Types.
4. Click OK.

Associating a File Type with a Program

To open a file with a specific program, you must associate that program with the file. When you install a program, usually the installation process takes care of this for you. If not, follow these steps:

1. Find the file in Windows Explorer.
2. Hold down the Shift key while right-clicking the file name.
3. Click Open With...
4. In the dialog box that opens, select the program you want to use.
5. Then check the box... Always use this program to open this type of file if you want to permanently associated the file with the program.
6. Click OK.
7. The next time you double-click this file it will immediate launch the program you have selected.

Note: If you checked the Always use this program to open this type of file checkbox, you will also launch the program whenever you open files of the same type.