File Management

If you have used a Windows computer in the past, you'll find that the file management system in Lindows isn't all that different. Lindows gives you a nice visual way to understand the file management process using the File Manager. This feature will give you complete access to all the files on your computer, letting you create, edit, move, rename, and perform all other file management tasks . To earn a little spare money on the side, the File Manager also moonlights as a Web browser.

Opening the File Manager

Because the File Manager is so important, it can be accessed from a variety of areas. The most convenient , however, is from the Quick Launch Bar.

    1. Click on the File Manager in the Quick Launch Bar. The File Manager will be launched.

      OR

    2. Double-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop. This too will open up the File Manager.

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  • Menu Bar . Gives you access to the drop-down menus in the File Manager where most tools are located.

  • Toolbar . The Toolbar contains icons for tools that are used frequently. Rather than having to search through menus, common tools can be found in the Toolbar.

  • Location Bar . This indicates what directory is being displayed. Both file paths and Web addresses can be entered into the Location Bar.

  • Navigation Bar . The Navigation Bar contains icons that allow you to change the contents of the Navigation Panel.

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  • Navigation Panel . Provides you with a tree structure view of all the files on your computer. The Navigation Panel can be configured to show a variety of different views.

  • File Window . This is where your files will be displayed. It can be split into a variety of different views.

  • Status Bar . The status bar provides you with additional information on the files or directories that you have selected.

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Viewing Files

The file setup in Lindows is very similar to that of a filing cabinet that you might have at home. If you open a filing cabinet, the first thing you'll see is a set of directories. Each directory can contain a file, many files, or more directories. When you first open the File Manager, it's like opening the drawer of the filing cabinet; you'll see all of your main directories in what's called the Root Directory. Think of it like a tree ”you start at the roots and you go from there. From the Root Directory you can access all the directories and files on your machine.

  1. Click on the lib directory in the Navigation Panel. When you click on a directory in the panel, the contents of the directory appear in the File window.

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    Note  

    The files and directories that appear on your computer may be different than the ones you see here, as the contents of every computer are different.

  2. Click on the plus sign ( + ) beside the lib directory in the Navigation Panel. The plus sign indicates that a directory has other directories within it. Clicking on the plus sign will expand the directory, allowing you to see the subdirectories.

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  3. Click on the plus sign ( + ) beside the modules directory to expand the submenu.

  4. Click on the modules directory . You'll be able to see the directory contents in two locations, both in the Navigation Panel and in the File window.

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  5. Click on the Root directory , and you'll be able to see all of the directories on your computer.

    Note  

    There are two directories named "root." One is the master directory that contains all of the directories of your computer, while the other is just a simple directory.

  6. Double - click on the etc directory within the File window, and the contents of that directory will appear.

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  7. Click on the Back button , and you'll return to your last view. In this case, you were looking at the contents of the Root directory before you went to the etc directory, so you will be returned to that view.

  8. Click on the Forward button . If you've previously clicked on the Back button, this will take you forward one view.

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  9. Click and hold the Back button . A list of several of the last locations you were viewing will appear.

  10. Release the mouse button once the list has appeared. You can now choose from any of your last viewing locations.

  11. Click on a desired location , and your view will change to show you the appropriate directory.

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  12. Click on the Up button to go up one level in your file structure. For example, let's say you had a directory called Letters. Within this directory you had another directory called Family, which had another subfolder called Mom. If you were viewing the Mom Directory and you clicked on the Up button, you would be taken to the Family directory. If you clicked on Up again, you'd be taken to the Letters directory. In other words, clicking on the Up button will take you from a subfolder to the directory that contains it.

  13. Click on the X icon in the Location Bar. This will clear the contents and place your cursor in the bar.

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  14. Type in the name of the directory you'd like to view. In Lindows, you must put a forward slash (/) before the name of a directory.

  15. Press the Enter key , and you will be taken to the contents of the directory you typed in.

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Changing the File View

By default, Lindows gives you a visual representation of the contents of your computer. There are, however, a variety of different views that you can toggle between when doing your file management.

  1. Click on View . A menu with more options will appear.

  2. Click on View Mode . A submenu with different view types will appear.

  3. Click on the desired view mode , and the File window will change.

    • Icon View. This is the default view that portrays files and directories as icons. In this mode, you can preview images and contents of some files.

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    • MultiColumn View . Files and directories still appear as icons but they are sorted into columns .

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    • Tree View . Files and directories appear as text with a little icon in their tree structure.

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    • Detailed List View . Files and directories appear as text with a little icon, and you can see information on each, including size , type, and date modified.

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    • Text View . Files and directories appear as only text with their detailed descriptions.

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Selecting Files and Directories

If you are going to manipulate files or directories, they must first be selected. There are a variety of different ways that files and directories can be selected in Lindows.

  1. Click on a file or directory in the File window, and it will be selected. You can tell it is selected because it will be highlighted.

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  2. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on any other file. They will now both be selected.

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  3. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on any other files. They will also be selected.

  4. Click in any empty area of the window to deselect what you've already selected.

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  5. Click on any file or directory in the top left of the File window.

  6. Hold down the Shift key and click on any file in the same row to the right of the file you selected. All the files in between will also be selected.

  7. Click in any empty area of the Window to deselect what you've already selected.

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  8. Click on the file or directory in the top right of the File window.

  9. Hold down the Shift key and click on any file in the same column as the file or directory that is selected. All the files in between the two in the same column will be selected.

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  10. Click on any file or directory in the File window.

  11. Hold down the Shift key and click on any other file or directory. All the files and directories in the same row and column that are between the two files will be selected.

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    Tip  

    Pressing Ctrl+A will select all the files and directories within the File window.

  12. Press Ctrl+U . This will deselect anything that you've selected.

  13. Position your mouse pointer in a blank area between two files or directories.

  14. Click and drag down and to the right . As you drag, a marquee box will appear. Any file or directory that the marquee touches or encompasses will be highlighted.

  15. Release the mouse button . All the files or directories that were touched or encompassed by the marquee are now selected.

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    Tip  

    If you have some files or directories selected, pressing Ctrl + will invert your selection. This means that the files that you had selected will be deselected, but every other file in the File window will now be selected.

CD-ROM and Floppy Drives

If you have used a Windows machine in the past, you might notice that in Lindows there is no A drive associated with your floppy disk drive. In Lindows, your floppy drives and CD-ROM drives can be found in their own folders.

  1. Click on the plus sign ( + ) beside the /mnt folder to expand it.

  2. Double-click on the amnt directory . Your mounted cdrom or floppy drives will appear in the File window.

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  3. Double-click on the floppy or cdrom directory . The files on your disk or CD will now appear in the File window.

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Lindows Fast & Easy
Lindows Fast & Easy (Fast & Easy (Premier Press))
ISBN: 1592000606
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 152

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