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WINDOWS FINDING FILES AND HOW TO USE THE
EXPLORER
by
Sharon Bond
If you have used DOS in the past to manage files
on your computer, you have probably learned to perform a variety of everyday
disk operations directly from the DOS prompt. For example, you may know DOS
commands for listing the files in a directory (DIR), changing to a new directory
(CHDIR), copying files from
one place to another (COPY), renaming a file (RENAME) and
deleting files (ERASE). Thank God Windows Operating systems provide two convenient
programs for accomplishing similar tasks in a graphical environment---the
Find/Search
utility and the
Explorer.
A file
is the basic unit for storing information on a
disk. A file many contain a document you have created within a
particular application---for example, a word processed report, a spreadsheet, a
database, or a drawing; or a file may store a program that you run on the
Windows desktop. A file name is the unique identifier for a file. In
previous versions of Windows, each file name was restricted to eight characters
plus a three-character extension. Windows operating systems lift this restriction, allowing
you to write free-form file names that are long enough to describe the contents
and purpose of each file.
A
folder is the new name for the structure previously known as
a directory. Folders provide a way of organizing the space on a disk into
practical divisions. A folder can contain any number of files, along with
additional folders. The multilayered organization of folders on a disk is
sometimes called the folder hierarchy.
HOW TO USE THE SEARCH FOR FILES AND FOLDERS PROGRAM:
Windows supplies a simple but powerful tool that helps you
find files, no matter where they are stored in your system. Using the
Search/find program, you can search for files by name, size, category, date, or
content. You can also search through all the folders on a given disk, or
through the specific folders of your choice. Once Search displays a
list of files matching your search criteria, you can open any file---or start
any application---simply by double-clicking an icon with the mouse.
This
is WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Try this.
1, Click
the Start button and choose the Search button.
 Then
choose For Files or Folders from the Search menu.
2. The
Search for files and windows folder appears on the desktop. In the
Search for files or folders text box,
enter the name (or part of the name) of the file or files you want to .
Note:
If you want to search only in a selected folder, click the down arrow Look In
dialog box. Navigate to the folder
in which you want to search, and select the Search Now
button.
3. Click the Search Now button,
located at the right side of the Find window. In response,
Windows searches through all the folders on the selected drive for file names
that contain the text you have entered into the
Named
box. During the search, a magnifying glass icon circles around the
lower-right corner of the Find window.
 
4.
The Search Results
window expands to display a list of the file names that match
the text you have entered into the Named box.
Notice
I searched for resume'
and the following
files appeared in the Search Results
Window.
At the top of the page you will see
where your files are located plus the path/folder names, size of the file and
date it was created or modified. Neat Feature.
You can
change how you want to view your files by selecting the
View Option on your Menu bar. To view the files as
icons rather than names,
choose
the view you like the best.
5. To
open a file, double-click its icon. If the file is a
document, Windows attempts to find the appropriate application in which to
open the file. If you double-click the icon for an application, Windows starts
the program.
6.
To start a new search, type the new file name and click the Search
Now button.
HOW TO USE THE EXPLORER
When you
start the Explorer, it displays two panes of information. On the left
you see the hierarchy of folders on your current disk. You can quickly
open any folder by clicking its icon in the list. On the
right side of the Explorer window you see the contents
of the current folder. Files in the contents list can be displayed as
icons or as individual lines of text in a detailed table of
information. They can be arranged by name, size, type,
or date.
The
Explorer gives you simple techniques for copying, moving, opening, renaming,
and deleting files in a selected folder.
Try
this:
1.
Click
the Start button and choose Programs. Then choose Windows
Explorer  from the Programs menu.
Note: Windows Explorer in later versions of Windows will be found
in the Accessories folder on your
Start Menu.
The
Explorer window opens onto the desktop. On the left you see the
structured list of folders on your current disk, and on the right
you see the contents of the current folder.
2.
To open a folder and view
its contents, click the folder in the list on the left. In response, the
Explorer displays all the files contained in the folder you
have selected. Notice on the Explorer Image above the
MY DOCUMENTS FOLDER is
selected on the left of the Explorer Window and on the right you see all
the programs/contents in the My Documents folder.
To
expand the structure of a folder and view the list of folders it contains,
double-click on the folder's icon in the list on the left.
You can change the relative widths of the two panes in the
Explorer window by dragging the vertical split bar
(displayed between the two panes) to the right or to the left.
 
EXPLORER TOOLBAR
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Back to the last Folder you were working
on. |
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Forward Button |
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Up
One Level moves the right pane view to the next level up The File tree. |
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Search |
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Folders |
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History |
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Cut removes an
object from its original location and copies it to the clipboard. |
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Copy
duplicates an object to the clipboard while leaving it its original location. |
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Paste
copies an object from the clipboard to a new location. |
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Undo allows you to change your mind and
reverse your last action. |
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Delete
removes an object from a folder and places it into the Recycle Bin. |
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Properties
displays a variety of useful information about a selected object. |
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 The View
buttons control different ways of viewing files in the Right Explorer pane
-- Large icons, Small icons, List view, and Details
button to view a table of information that includes the name, size, type
and date of each file in the current folder
4. To
change the order in which files are displayed in the
contents list, pull down the View menu and then chose Arrange Icons.
Then choose one of the options in the resulting submenu to arrange the files by
name, type, size, or date.
5. To
copy a file to another disk, use your mouse to drag the
file from the contents list to the appropriate disk icon near the
top of the folder list. (You may have to scroll to the top of the folder list
before you begin this operation) The original file remains in its
source folder and a copy is created on the destination
disk. To move a file to a new folder, drag the file
from the contents list to a folder destination of the same disk.
Note:
In this case, the original file disappears from its source folder.
Important:
Another way to copy a file is to begin by selecting the file in
the contents list and choosing the Copy command from the Edit
menu. Then select the folder or disk to which you want to copy the file
and choose Paste from the Edit menu.
Alternatively, hold down the
Ctrl key as you drag a file from one folder to another; the mouse
pointer is accompanied by a small boxed plus sign, indicating that
you're performing a copy operation rather than a move.
6. To
open a document file, double-click its icon in the contents
pane; if possible, Windows starts the appropriate application and open the
document. To run a program, double-click its icon in the contents pane.
7. To
delete a file, select the file in the contents list and choose
Delete from the File menu (or press Delete on the
keyboard.) Then click Yes to confirm.
To assign a new name to a file, select the file in the contents list and click
its name once. Then type a new name from the keyboard.
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