Lab 11.3: Using Files and Folders

When you use a computer, you are using files and folders. The ability to find and manipulate files or folders efficiently is an essential skill.

Upon completion of this lab, you will be able to:

• Create a folder

• Copy a file or folder within the same drive

• Copy a file or folder between different drives

• Use Find or Search to locate a file or folder

Set Up

For this lab, you will need a working PC with either Windows98, Windows 2000, or Windows XP installed and a blank floppy disk for drive A:.

Exercises

In this lab, you will create a folder, copy a file or folder, delete a file or folder, and use Find to locate a file or folder. Often, files need to be moved or copied from one folder to another or from one drive to another. This lab shows one method of copying files and creating folders.

Creating a Folder

The ability to create new folders is essential to keep your files organized properly.

1. Double-click the My Computer icon to open the My Computer window. In Windows XP, My Computer is found in the Start menu.

2. Double-click the Drive C: icon and then double-click the My Documents icon.

3. Use this sequence to create a new folder:

   File New Folder

4. When the new folder appears in the window, type a folder name in place of New Folder. In this case, type the name Test1 and press Enter.

5. Right-click in an empty area of the C: drive window. From the context-sensitive menu, choose

   New Folder

6. When the new folder appears, type Test2 and press Enter.

7. Double-click the Test1 folder. When the folder opens, it should be empty. Leave this window open; you will use it in the next exercise.

Copying a File within the Same Drive

The procedure for copying a file and a folder are identical. The Copy and Cut commands are identical except that the Cut command deletes the original file after the file has been moved, or pasted, to its destination. In both cases, the file is copied to the Windows Clipboard. The Clipboard is a temporary area in memory that holds information being copied or cut.

1. In the Test1 folder, right-click on a blank area of the window.

   Note

   When you are experimenting with new commands, be safe and don’t use valuable files. Create a test file.

2. From the context menu, select

   New Text Document

3. When the new text file appears in the Test1 window, enter a filename in place of New Text Document. In this case, type the name Doc1 and press Enter.

4. Right-click the Doc1 file and select Copy from the context-sensitive menu.

5. Click on the Up button in the standard button bar to return to My Documents. Double-click on the Test2 folder.

6. Right-click in a blank area of the Test2 window and select Paste. The Doc1 file should appear. Leave this window open; you will use it in the next exercise.

Copying a File or Folder between Two Drives

The procedures for copying files and folders are identical.

1. Place a blank formatted floppy disk into drive A:.

2. Right-click the Doc1 file and select Copy from the context-sensitive menu.

3. Click on the Up button twice in the standard button bar to return to My Computer. Double-click on the A: drive.

4. Right-click a blank area in the drive A: window and select Paste.

5. You should observe the file being copied. This is a small file, so the copy time is only a few seconds.

6. Remove the floppy disk.

Deleting and Restoring a File or Folder

The procedures for deleting files and folders are identical. You cannot restore files or folders that have been deleted from drive A:.

1. Double-click the My Computer icon to open the My Computer window. In Windows XP, My Computer is located in the Start menu.

2. In the My Computer window, double-click drive C:.

3. Right-click on the folder Test1. From the context menu, select Delete.

4. In the Confirm Folder Delete window, click Yes.

5. Restoring the folder is quick and easy if you have not performed any other editing options since it was deleted. (Windows allows you to undo your last editing option.) To restore the file, choose Edit Undo Delete. The folder should reappear in the drive C: window.

6. Delete the folder again. See step 3 for help.

7. A second method of restoring a deleted file involves the Recycle Bin. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop.

8. In the Recycle Bin window, locate and right-click the Test1 folder. Select Restore from the menu. The Test1 folder and its contents are placed back in the original location. Verify this by opening the drive C: window and locating the Test1 folder.

Using the Find Command to Locate a File or Folder

To find a file or folder,

1. Use the following:

   In Windows 98:

   Start Find Files or Folders

   In Windows 2000:

   Start Search For Files or Folders

   In Windows XP:Start Search All Files or Folders

2. You have many options when using Find. For a basic search, select the target in the Look In box. Select drive C:.

3. Type the name of the file or folder you want to locate in the box. If you know only part of the name, you can use an asterisk to represent any unknown characters. In Windows XP, it is not necessary to use the *, because XP automatically searches for all or part of a name. For instance, type read* in the search criteria box to locate any files or folders that begin with the characters read followed by any other characters. Click Find Now.

4. A list of all the files beginning with the characters read is displayed in the Find window along with each file’s location, size, type, and date of last modification. The vertical scroll bar permits you to view files that are not visible in the window. The horizontal scroll bar permits you to view more information about the files displayed in the window.

5. To execute a file from the Find window, double-click the filename.