File
Explorer
File Explore also known as Windows
Explorer, in addition to My
Computer, can be used to view computer
and network drives, folders, and files. One advantage of using File
Explorer is that you can view all drives, folders, and files on one screen.
To find File Explorer:
From your desktop screen (which is the background behind all your windows
and menus) - Click on Start, move the cursor up to Programs, then find
and click on File Explorer or right click on the start button, move
cursor up to Explorer.
A window like the above example will open.
The left portion of this window will show your
entire directory – all
computer/network drives and folders. Your computer stores programs and
data in devices called drives. A drive contains directories to organize
your information. Think of it as a filing cabinet and directories as
drawers and folders.
The right portion of the window shows the folders and files that are
in the selected (highlighted) drive or folder on the left.
In this example, the C:
drive is highlighted on the left. The right
side of the screen shows all folders and files on this drive.
Practice
highlighting various drives and see what is on each. You will learn
a lot about your computer!
There is a + or - sign beside each drive. If you
click the + sign, the drive will “open” and you will see listed below the drive
letter all folders that are on that drive. If you click the – sign,
the drive will “close”.
Highlighting any folder that is under an “open” drive
will display the contents of that folder on the right portion of the
window
screen.
In this example, the C: drive is “open” and
the folder My Documents is highlighted. The contents of this folder
are displayed
on the right side of the window screen.
Take time to click on various folders you have and look at the contents
of each.
A + sign beside any of the folders means there are other folders inside
that folder! You can open and view those as well.
Views may
be changed by clicking on the Views Button. The Detail View displays
the contents in columns with headings. The items in the columns can
be changed in different order simply by clicking
on the heading.
You may have
to use your scroll bars to get the items you’re
working with in view! The scroll bar is the bar at the edge of a
window you can use to scroll (move) through a document. Also, you
may want to change your "View" from the top menu bar.
Program Menu
The Program
Menu is useful because it displays a list of all the applications available
on your
computer. If you need to delete any programs, click
on Start, Control Panel, and then Add & Remove
Programs.
The task bar is a bar at the bottom of your desktop Window. It contains names of open applications and documents that you can click on to switch between open applications.
Moving Files and Folders in File Explorer
You can move or copy folders and files from one drive to another or
from one folder to another very easily from Windows Explorer.
First, Highlight (left click on) the drive or folder on the left side
of the window screen that contains what you want to move or copy.
In this example,
the folder Compter Tech 1 under the C: drive is
highlighted. The right side of the window is showing all the contents
of this folder. It also shows 5 .doc files (right) being moved to the
Excel folder (left).
Remember:
To move or copy multiple files at a time, you can hold down the Shift
key, click the first file in the series to be moved and then click the
last file. To move or copy multiple files that are not in a series
(random), hold down the Control (Ctrl) key and click each file you want
to move.
When your folder or files are selected (highlighted blue), then left
or right click, and drag and drop them into the
folder on the left side of the screen in which you want
them. Drag
and drop is
used to move objects around your screen.
Make sure the folder you’re moving or copying
to is highlighted before you let go of the mouse!!!
The more you practice moving/copying files, the easier and faster this
will become!
If you are not comfortable with the click, drag, & drop procedure,
you can always do a copy/cut & paste.
To Move/Copy Folders or Files
Using a Copy/Cut & Paste: