Chapter 4. Organizing Your Stuff

• Creating a Folder

• The Folders of Windows XP

• Life with Icons

• Copying and Moving Folders and Files

• The Recycle Bin

• Shortcut Icons

• Burning CDs from the Desktop

Every disk, folder, file , application, printer, and networked computer is represented on your screen by an icon. To avoid spraying your screen with thousands of overlapping icons seething like snakes in a pit, Windows organizes icons into folders, puts those folders into other folders, and so on.

This folder-in-a-folder-in-a-folder scheme works beautifully at reducing screen clutter, but it means that you've got some hunting to do whenever you want to open a particular icon. Helping you navigate and manage your files, folders, and disks with less stress and greater speed was one of the primary design goals of Windowsand of this chapter.