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Use IT at Queens Information Services

2008/09 Queens University Belfast Page 3

1 File Management

In this section you are going to learn how to improve your file management techniques. By

the end of the file management practical exercise, you should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the Desktop Understand the importance of good file management and backing up files Identify the differences between drives, folders and files Save work to your personal space on the H: drive Navigate using My Computer and Windows Explorer Cut, copy and paste files and folders Open, save and retrieve files Create, rename and delete files, subfolders and folders

Work with different views in Windows Explorer Manipulate windows i.e. maximise, minimise, etc. Download files from the Internet and save to a location on a drive Download and unzip a zip file

1.1 About the Desktop

When you login to a computer you will see the Desktop (see Figure 1.1), which appears when

you start Windows XP. If you are using a computer outside of the SCCs the Desktop will

appear differently.

Figure 1.1 Windows XP Desktop

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Page 4 2008/09 Queens University Belfast

Note: Windows XP is the current operating system on the computers at Queens.

TheDesktop is always present when you are using Windows. The Desktop contains shortcut

iconsfor various frequently used facilities, applications, or files. At the bottom of the screen

is the Taskbar(see Figure 1.1). It contains the Start button, which you can use to quicklystart a program or to find a file. The type and location of icons on the Desktop on computers

outside of the SCCs may appear slightly different.

When you open a program, document, or window, an associated button appears on the

Taskbar. You can use this button to quickly switch between the windows you have opened.

This will be illustrated later in the practical.

1.2

What is File Management?

An important aspect of working with computers is the management of files. File management

is about the organisation of information stored on your computer. Information is organised

usingdrives, foldersandfiles- a hierarchical system.

Drives: the physical storage part of your computer (e.g. hard drive, floppy drive).

Folders: a method of organising files on your drives.

Files: the most basic unit of organisation on your computer (e.g. a word processing

document).

File management techniques can be applied to many different applications. For example, the

techniques are equally applicable for creating folders to store messages in Webmail (Queens

email application).

1.2.1 Why do we need File Management?File management permits you to improve the way in which you organise and store

information. There are three aspects to good file management:

Creating and using a folder structure Naming files and folders Backing up files

Folder Structure:

It is common for novice computer users to store all files in one place, such as

the My Documents folder. This is the equivalent of storing all your files in

one big pile. While this is a feasible filing system if you have 5-10 files,

imagine trying to find a particular file if you have 50-100 files. You may stillfind what you are looking for but you would probably waste much time looking.

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With file management it is much easier to find files that you have previously worked on. You

can, for example, create folders to separate Semester 1 files from Semester 2 files or from

Personal files.

Naming Files and Folders:

Good file management also requires you to name files and folders with

meaningful names that will help you identify the files you require.

Backing up files:

An important feature of file management is to create back up files in case of

damage or loss to your work. You should always save a second copy of important

files in another location.

1.2.2 Drives/Folders/FilesDrives

The drives (A: drive, C: drive, H: drive, and so on) are the physical storage

part of your computer, i.e. the hardware that is used to store information.

You should think of a drive as a filing cabinet drawer full of papers.

Folders are like tabbed file folders within each drawer, used to organise the

papers into manageable groups.

Computers can have many different drives, both internal and external. Some examples are

listed as follows:

A hard drive (normally designated as the "C" drive) is the internal storage unit of

your computer. Normally, you will install programs on it and store your data as files on it.

You cannot see the hard drive unless you remove the physical case of the computer.

If your computer has a large hard drive, (as is very common now) it may be divided into

several parts (partitions). In this case, you may have a "C" drive and a "D" drive although

these are really two parts of the same internal drive.

A floppy drive (normally designated as the "A" drive) is the external drive (accessible

from the outside of the computer) into which you can insert a floppy disk. One floppy

diskette will hold 1.4 Megabytes (MB) of data (i.e. approximately 1.4 million characters). If

your file size is larger than 1.4 MB, it will not fit onto one floppy disk.

A CD or DVD drive (normally designated as the "D" drive or the "E" drive in the

Student Computer Centres) is another external drive. It will temporarily hold a CD or DVD,

which can be used to store data, music, photos, or video. Usually CDs and DVDs will bereferred to as being ROM, R or RW. ROM (Read Only Memory) means that the CD or

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Using My Computer, answer the following questions:

2. How many drives are available from your computer? _____________________What letters are allocated to the Hard Disk/Internal Drives? ________________

How many Removable Storage Devices are there? ________________________

What letters are allocated to Removable Storage? ________________________

1.2.3 Home Drive (H:)

As a Queens student, you are assigned your own personal space (100 MB) for storing files,

called your Student Home or H: drive. This filestore is, in effect, like a drawer in a hugefiling cabinet, which is assigned specifically to you, where you can store files and folders.

Access to this space is provided when you log in using your Username and Password. You

can gain access to your personal space from the SCCs by:

Double clicking on the H: Student Home Space icon located on theDesktop, which automatically displays the contents of your H: My

Documents in the Windows Explorer window.

OR

Opening the My Computer window and double clicking on an icon with a similarformat to (Student Number) on Student-home_02\Stu07\... (H:) (see Figure 1.2).

By logging into the system (from any computer within a Student Computer Centre or via

Queens Online) using your unique Username and Password, the University computer

systems are able to validate your identity and allow you access to your space on the H:drive

from whichever computer or centre you happen to be using.

The primary purpose of assigning you with personal filestore is that you have somewhere to

save the work that you do at Queens. Within this space, you can also carry out a number of

tasks, such as create, modify, move, copy and delete files/folders.

Points to Note:

You do not have to use the same computer each time you want to access yourpersonal space.

In the Student Computer Centres, when you save a file it will automatically be to (H:)My Documents, unless you specify otherwise. You can also choose to save your

files to the A: drive (floppy disk) or to a USB drive (usually E:). Floppy disks or a

USB drive are useful when you want to take a file to/from a computer not connected

to the Queens network.

You can also access your files stored in your personal space from off-campus viaQueens Online.

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large thumbnail images to identify file types. The extension and thumbnail identify the type

of document.

Tip!

You can tell by the file extension if a Microsoft Office document has been saved in the new

2007 format. The extensions have changed with Office 2007 and are now.docx for Word

(.doc),.xlsx for Excel (.xls),.pptx for PowerPoint (.ppt) and.accdb for Access (.mdb). If a

document has one of the new 2007 extensions, it cannot be opened in an earlier version of

Microsoft Office.

Some examples of file extensions and small thumbnails are provided in the following table:

Type Extension Thumbnail Image

Word Document .doc/.docx

Images (most common formats)

.gif, .jpeg,

.bmp, .png

or .tif

Note: for image files the thumbnail

image will vary depending on the

graphics package on the machine.

Web document .html or .htm

PowerPoint Presentation .ppt/.pptx

Excel Spreadsheet .xls/.xlsx

Access Database .mdb/.accdb

Portable Document Format .pdf

Application .exe

Note: The file extension is used to associate files with the software application used to create

them and is normally added automatically as a file is saved.

1.2.4 Backup

It is recommended that you backup important files. In particular you should ensure that you

have at least two copies of any current document you are working on, such as a presentation

or assignment. You can, for example, keep one copy on a floppy disk or USB drive and one

copy on your personal filestore (H: drive).

Tip!

In addition to your personal filestore on the H: drive, itis recommended that you use a USBdrive as an additional back-up method to store your files.

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1.3 Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is an application that helps you organise files and folders on your disk

drive(s). With Explorer you can view the contents of your computer (i.e. the informationstored on it), create new folders and folders within folders, organise folders and files, as well

as move, copy, delete and rename folders and files. You can also useMy Computerto

complete these tasks; however the remainder of the practical will assume you are using

Windows Explorer. In this section you will learn how to open Windows Explorer and how to

navigate between the various drives.

1.3.1 Opening Windows Explorer

1. On your Desktop, double click on the H:Student Home Space icon.The Windows Explorer window will open showing your H: Drive (see Figure 1.4).

Figure 1.4 Windows Explorer

Note: If your computer has no Windows Explorer icon on the Desktop you can access it by

right clicking on the Start button and selecting Explore.

2. Maximise the Windows Explorer window by clicking the Maximise button in thetop right corner so that you can see all the drives and folders.

The left side of the Windows Explorer window (theFolders pane) contains a graphical

representation of the drives, folders and subfolders on your system (see Figure 1.4). Drives or

folders containing subfolders can be expanded to show their subfolders by clicking the plus

(+) sign to their left, or contracted to hide their subfolders by clicking the minus (-) sign.

Folders with neither a plus (+) nor a minus (-) sign do not contain any subfolders.

The right side of the Windows Explorer window (the Contents pane) displays the contents of

the selected drive or folder (see Figure 1.4). You can open a folder or file by double clickingon it in the Contents pane.

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1.3.2 Viewing the Contents of Drives and Folders in Windows Explorer

1. Click the down arrow to the right of the AddressBar (see Figure 1.4) and choose C:\from the drop down menu by clicking on it. You will see the folders and files stored

on the C: drive in the Contents pane.

Note: If you cannot see the Address Bar, click on View and then Toolbars and select

Address Bar.

2. Have a look at the other drives available on your computer by using the Address Barto select them. Return to the C: drive when you have finished.

You can also click on drivesin the Folders pane (see Figure 1.4) to view their contents.

3. Click the plus (+) sign beside the (C:) drive in the Folders pane to show its folders.Click on the minus (-) sign to hide them.

4. To view the contents of a particular folder, click on it in the Folders pane or doubleclick on it in the Contents pane.

Files and folders in Windows Explorer may be displayed in different views.

5. From the View menu, choose Details to ensure that the files and folders of theselected drive are displayed in the Details view. Work with files viewed by details for

the remainder of this practical.

1.3.3 Navigating using the Toolbar

You can also use the Back, Forward and Up buttons (see Figure 1.5) on the Windows

Explorer toolbar to navigate between folders.

Figure 1.5 Navigating

The Back and Forward buttons (see Figure 1.5) will take you back or forward among the

folders you have visited. The Up button (see Figure 1.5) will take you up the hierarchy,

eventually ending at the Desktop.

1. Click the Up button (see Figure 1.5) until you reach the Desktop.2. Click the Back button (see Figure 1.5) to move around your folders, e.g. back down

the hierarchy of folders. Close Windows Explorer when you have finished by clicking

the Close button in the top right corner of the window.

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2. If the browser does not open at the Student Computing web page, enter the followingURL into the Web Address field (see Figure 1.6) and press Enter:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/student

3. Click the IT Skills link under Supporting My Studies (or the IT Training Materialslink) (see Figure 1.6).

4. Beside the heading Core IT Skills, right click on the file Word Processing.pdfandselect Save Target As. The Save As dialog box will appear (see Figure 1.7).

Figure 1.7 Save As

5. IfMy Documents is not already selected in the Save in: field, click the down arrow tothe right of the Save in: field (see Figure 1.7) and select it.6. Type the name Word Processing inthe File name: box and clickSave (see Figure

1.7). If a Download Complete box appears, clickClose to close it.

7. Repeat steps 4-6 to download the file Internet.pdfto My Documents.1.4.2 Downloading a Zip File

A zip file contains one or more files or folders compressed together. On the training pages,zip files usually contain associated files needed for a course. You are now going to download

and unzip a zip file.

1. On the Training Materials web page, look for the heading MS Office 2007 and rightclick on the file Zip files for Word Essentials Course.zip

2. Select Save Target As and save the file to your H: drive using the filename WordEssentials.zip making sure you keep the .zip file extension. If a Download Complete

box appears, clickClose to close it.

3. Close Internet Explorer and open Windows Explorer again.4. Locate the zip file Word Essentials.zip that you downloaded to My Documents.

Save

File name

Save in

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5. Right click on the file and select Extract Here (or Extract All)to unzip it to MyDocuments, i.e. the same location as the zip file). There will now be two folders

called Word Essentials: the zip folder and the unzipped folder.

Note: If an Extraction Wizard appears, clickNext to accept the suggested folder.

1.4.3 Opening Files in Windows Explorer

You are going to open the file ECDL leaflet, which is in the WordEssentials folder that you

unzipped to My Documents.

1. Ensure that the My Documents folder is opened in Windows Explorer.2. Double click on the unzippedWord Essentials folder to open the folder.3. Double click on the ECDL leaflet file to open it in Word. Windows Explorer will

still be open underneath the Microsoft Word window. The Taskbar contains two

buttons one for the ECDL leaflet file in Word and one for the WordEssentials folder

in Windows Explorer (see Figure 1.8 ).

Figure 1.8 Taskbar

4. Click the WordEssentials button on the Taskbar to switch to Windows Explorer.5. Click the ECDL leaflet button on the Taskbar to switch back to Word.6. Close the file ECDL leaflet and the Microsoft Word application by clicking on the

Close button in the top right corner of the Word window. This closes the file and

Word but not Windows Explorer.

1.4.4 Saving, Naming and Retrieving Files

A document will go wherever you put it. However, if you do not pay attention, it is likely to

end up where you least expect it. Things to note when saving a file include:

What drive is it saved on? You can save it to various locations such as the "A" drive(floppy disk), the "C" drive (hard drive inside the computer) or your Student Home

drive (H:). You have to tell the computer where you want it to save the file. At

Queens it is recommended that you use the H: drive to save your work.

Which folder is it in? Once you have chosen the drive, you must then select thefolder. You can also put it into any subfolder within a folder.

What is the name of the file? What is the extension?/What type of file is it saved as?

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Warning!

Any documents saved to the local computer, i.e. the C: drive or the Desktop within the

Student Computer Centres, are wiped as soon as you log out. Do not save any materials to

the local C: drive or Desktop in Queens use your H: drive.

Save As Versus Save

The first time you save a Microsoft Office 2007 document, you will normally click on the

Microsoft Office Button and select Save As. The Save As command gives you the

opportunity to name the file and choose the drive. The next time you work on the file, you

can click on the Microsoft Office Button then Save (or use the Save icon on the Quick

Access Toolbar) and it will automatically be stored with the same name and in the location

you originally specified. If you accidentally clickSave instead ofSave As the first time you

save a file, the application being used will automatically open up the Save As dialog box andask you to name the file and specify a location.

Paths

Once a file or folder has been saved, it will have a specific address on the computer. This

address is called a path. Here is an example:

C:\My Documents\Assignments\test.docx

This provides the following information: the file is called test.docx so it is a Microsoft Word

2007 file (.docx) called test; it is stored in a folder named Assignments which is a subfolder

of the My Documents folder which is on the C: drive. In order to save a file to this location

you would first go to the C: drive, open the My Documents folder, open the Assignments

folder within it and save the file as test.docx there.

Note: Each level of the hierarchy is separated by a backslash "\". The highest level is the

drive - the lowest is the file name.

Renaming a File

You are now going to rename the file ECDL leaflet in the WordEssentials folder.

1. Ensure the Word Essentials folder is open in Windows Explorer.2. Right click the file ECDL leaflet in the Contents pane (right pane) and from the

menu, choose Rename. The filename will be highlighted.

3. Type the new name, ECDL.docx, and then press the Enter key on the keyboard.Note: Another way to rename a file is to point at the filename (not the icon) and click once

the file is highlighted. Click a second time and only the text of filename will be highlighted.

You can then enter the new name followed by pressing the Enter key.

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1.4.5 Using Folders

There are several reasons why you may want to create a folder. One of the most important

reasons is to store document files efficiently. For example, you may want to create separate

folders to store documents relating to each of your modules.

Creating and Naming a Folder

1. Click the Up button so that My Documents is selected in Windows Explorer.2. Right click on the white space in the Contents pane, point to New and then choose

Folder.

3. Type semester1 over the name New Folder (see Figure 1.9). Click outside the folderto deselect it.

Figure 1.9 Naming a Folder

4. Create a second folder in My Documents called semester2. Deselect the folder.To Create a Subfolder

You are going to create a hierarchy of folders.

1. Ensure that My Documents is still selected and double click on the semester1 folderto open it. You will see the folder name, semester1, in the Address Bar and you will

see that the semester1 folder is currently empty.

2. Right click in the Contents pane, point to New and then choose Folder to create asubfolder in the semester1 folder called lectures. Deselect the folder.

3. Follow the same procedure for creating a new folder as above to create three moresubfolders within the My Documents\semester1 folder called assignments, revision

and General. The My Documents\semester1 folder in Windows Explorer will now

look like Figure 1.10.

Figure 1.10 Semester1

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1.4.6 Copying, Moving and Deleting Files

Good file management is an ongoing process. As your need to store particular files changes,

it may be necessary to alter the location of a file, to save a copy of it in a different location or

to delete it altogether from a folder.

Copying Files between Folders

You are going to copy the files Word ProcessingandInternetfrom My Documents to the new

folders that you have just created using the Clipboard facility.

1. Use the Up arrow to return to the My Documents folder in Windows Explorer.2. Right click on the Word Processing file and choose Copy.3. Double click on the semester1 folder in the Contents pane to open it.4. Right click in the Contents pane and choose Paste. A copy of the file has now been

placed in the semester1 folder.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 to copy the Internet file from My Documents to the semester2folder.

Note: You now have two copies ofWord Processing andInternet the files are still present

in the original folder (My Documents).

Moving a File

You can move files and folders (with their contents) from one location (the source) to another

(the destination) by selecting the item and using Cut and Paste (or you can also drag them

with the mouse.) You can move items between folders and between drives. You are going to

move the file Word Processing, fromMy Documentsto the semester2 folder.

1. Return to the My Documents folder and right click on the Word Processing file andchoose Cut. The thumbnail image lightens a shade.

2.

Double click the semester2 folder to open it.

3. Right click in the Contents pane and choose Paste. The file has now been moved.4. Return to My Documents and note that the file Word Processing is no longer there.Points to Note:

After moving the file or folder, it disappears from its original source location andappears in the destination. If you move a folder, all files and subfolders within it will

also move.

If you move or copy the wrong file or folders, from the Edit menu, choose Undo toreverse the operation.

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Deleting a File

There are times when you need to delete a file or folder. For example, you may have created

a file or folder by mistake, or you may need more disk space and wish to clear out unwanted

files. When you delete a folder, all its files and subfolders are deleted along with it. You canuse Windows Explorer to delete files and folders.

You are going to delete the fileWord Processing from the semester1 folder.

1. Ensure that the My Documents folder is open in Windows Explorer.2. Double click the semester1 folder to open it.3. Clickonceto select Word Processing and, from the File menu, choose Delete (or you

can also use the Delete key on the keyboard).

4. Confirm the deletion by clicking the Yes button in the Confirm File Delete dialog box.The file will be removed from the semester1 folder.

Points to Note:

Deleting from a floppy disk or an external drive, such as the A: drive or H: drive, willpermanently delete the file from the system.

Under normal circumstances, if you delete a folder or file by mistake from the C:drive, you can immediately choose Undo Delete from the Edit menu. This is because

these files are stored in the Recycle Bin. By placing files into the Recycle Bin,

Windows provides you with an opportunity to retrieve the file before it is permanentlydeleted from the system. This is not possible from the floppy drive or your H: drive!

If you do not empty the Recycle Bin other people can access your deleted files.Tip!

You can cut, copy, and paste files in Windows Explorer using keyboard shortcuts. Select the

file and press Ctrl+X to cut or Ctrl+C to copy. To paste the file, go to the new location and

press Ctrl+V.

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1.4.7 Copying, Moving and Renaming Folders

Folders can be copied or moved to another location or renamed in much the same way as

files. Multiple folders or files can be selected by using the Ctrl key and copied or moved

together in one action.

Copying Multiple Folders

You are going to copy the lectures,assignments and revision subfolders from semester1into

your semester2folder on the same drive. The same procedure can be used for copying

multiple files.

1. In the Windows Explorer window, ensure the contents ofsemester1 are visible andclickonce to select the folder lectures.

2. Holding down the Ctrl key on the keyboard, click to select the assignments folderand the revision folder. The three folders will be highlighted.

3. Release the Ctrl key.4. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.5. Open the semester2 folder and, from the Edit menu, choose Paste. The three folders

will be copied into the semester2 folder.

Moving a Folder

You can move folders (with their contents) from one location to another by dragging them

with the mouse or by selecting them and using Cut and Paste. You are going to move the

folder General to theMy Documents folder.

1. Open the semester1 folder in Windows Explorer.2. Click once to select the folder General located in semester1.3. From the Edit menu, choose Cut (or right click and choose Cut).4. Select My Documents from the dropdown menu in the Address bar.5. From the Edit menu, choose Paste (or right click in the Contents pane and choose

Paste). The General folder will be moved to the My Documents folder.

Points to Note:

After moving the file or folder, it disappears from its original source location andappears in the destination. If you move a folder, all files and subfolders will also

move.

If you move or copy the wrong file or folders you can choose Undo from the Editmenu to reverse the operation.

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Renaming a Folder

You are going to rename the folder General as personal. This is done using the same

method as renaming a file.

1. Right click on the folder General which is located in the My Documents folder andchoose Rename (the folder name is now highlighted).

2. Type the new name personal, and then press the Enter key.Points to Note:

Another way to rename a folder is to point at the folder name and click the foldername will be selected. Click again and you can enter the new name and press the

Enter key. Alternatively you can select Rename from the File menu.

A folder name can contain up to 255 characters, including spaces, but it cannot containany of the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > |.

1.4.8 Changing How Folders and Files are Viewed

Folders and files can be viewed or displayed in a number of ways in Windows Explorer.

1. Access the (C:) drive in Windows Explorer.2. Select the View menu and change the display of the folders and files to Thumbnails,

Tiles, Icons, List or Details in turn. See how each one looks different in WindowsExplorer.

Often the best way to view folders and files is to select Details. This shows the name, size,

type and date modified attributes of the files within a folder.

3. In the Details view, click on a column heading (see Figure 1.11) to re-order thedetailed list by the following headings:

Name: alphabetically by their name

Size: in order of size

Type: alphabetically by their type

Date Modified: alphabetically by last date modified

Figure 1.11 Column Headings

Note: InDetails view you can click on a column heading to re-order the detailed list: click

once and files are sorted inascending order; click again and files are sorted indescending

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order. In ascending order, folders are listed first, then files. In Figure 1.11, the up arrow

beside theName column heading indicates that the list is sorted by Name in ascending order.

4. From the File menu, choose Close to close the Windows Explorer window.

1.5 My Computer

My Computer can be used to retrieve various files and folders just like Windows Explorer. In

fact, My Computer can be found in Windows Explorer. My Computer should be used as an

alternative to Windows Explorer rather than to complement it. It is your decision on whether

you prefer to use My Computer or Windows Explorer for managing your files. Most of the

tasks that you have completed in this practical can be carried out in a similar

manner using My Computer. You can access My Computer by double clicking on

the My Computer icon on the Desktop.