KNOWING YOUR WAY AROUND WINDOWS.

A basic understanding of Windows® Explorer is absolutely essential not only for organising and keeping all your files tidy but also to understand the fundamental structure of your computer. Knowing your way around the windows environment is crucial to know how to create folders to organise your files in, rename, move, copy and delete files and folders. Surprisingly many people happily buy programs that do exactly the same job as Windows Explorer that comes as part of the operating system package.

Contents

• Terminology And The Fundamentals.
• Windows Explorer.
• Creating Folders.
• Renaming Folders and Files.
• Moving, Copying and Deleting Files or Folders.
• Short Cuts to Working With Objects.

Terminology And The Fundamentals.

• Firstly don't get Windows Explorer confused with Internet Explorer®. Windows Explorer is used to explore your computer, or more specifically the windows environment, and Internet Explorer is used to browse the internet.
• Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 98 (all from Microsoft®), as well as Mac OS, Ubuntu and other versions of Linux or Unix are all termed "Operating Systems", the basic system that runs on your computer.
  All other software and hardware of your computer relies on the operating system to translate instruction between the different components and yourself. Have you ever wondered how it happens that when you type an email the letters that you tap on the keyboard appear on the screen. That when you want to use the internet you do not have to load and enter a long list of commands and instructions to tell your computer how to connect.
  It is the operating system that is the foundation that all other software and hardware is installed on. When you add a new printer or other hardware device to your computer you have to install a "driver"; a set of instructions to let the operating systems know what the device is and what to do with it. If you install a printer on Windows XP you would use one driver and if you installed the same printer on Ubuntu (a Linux based operating system) you would use a different driver specifically to tell the operating system how to talk to the printer.
• The following guides are based on Windows XP and Vista. However the same principles can be applied to other operating systems as Linux and Mac that have included similar applications.
• "Windows" has been adopted from Microsoft based on the principal as you click on something it opens another window on your monitor. As in the term "open a new window."
• The "Desktop" is that part of the operating system that underlays the other windows and one that you should already be familiar with.
• Pointer. This is the basic way you navigate around windows. You move the mouse and the pointer on the desktop or window moves. If you're settings are as per the default for windows then your mouse is set as a right handed person. To action something you click twice with the left mouse button and if you want to know what your options are for something you click once with the right mouse button.
• The term click is used to mean to press down and release the mouse key. Click and hold means to press down once and not release.
• Objects and Shortcuts. These are the "icons" that you see in the main area of the desktop. The shortcuts have an arrow on them and act as links to programs or documents. Click on a shortcut and it activates a target somewhere else on your computer. The term of "object" is a very general term. Not only does this include the shortcuts but also individual programs that are located on the desktop. The term "object" is deliberately used as it is commonly used in computer concepts to signify any sort of of element or container, such as a folder. Objects are also a good way of thinking about folders and files on your computer.
• Dialog box. Dialog box refers to little windows that pop up on your request. Usually these are menu orientated. As an example if you move your mouse over an icon on the desktop and click once on the right mouse button you will see an option dialog box for that object.
• "Start Menu". You may already be familiar with this menu as it enables you access to the programs on your computer as well as other shortcuts. If you are not familiar with this menu have a good look around it as you will see a number of programs that you are not familiar with. If you right mouse click on the "Start menu" then click to open "Programs" then "Accessories" there are programs such as a "Calculator" and a simple word processing program as "WordPad". Have a look around the Start Menu as most of the programs you see you may never use. One that you should find and have a look at is the "Help and Support" file.
• Task bar. That bar at the bottom of the screen with Quick launch area and Notification area.
• If you wish to find out more on these topics the Windows help files is a good place to start.

A mix of diagrams from different computer are used within this manual on purpose. This is to demonstrate that Windows Explorer will look different depending on your computer hardware, software and personal settings, and although appreciating the variety of possible layouts we will focus on specific individual items and tasks.

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