1. Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated
Understanding File Management

2. Objectives
• Understand folders and files
• Create and save a file
• Explore the files and folders on
your computer
• Change file and folder views
• Open, edit, and save files
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 2

3. Objectives
• Copy files
• Move and rename files
• Search for files, folders, and
programs
• Delete and restore files
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 3

4. Understanding Folders and Files
• File management refers to the strategy
and tasks that you use to organize and
maintain the folders and files on a disk
• You need to develop a strategy that
enables you to quickly find the files
you need
• Windows provides a variety of file
management tools to assist you
in these tasks
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 4

5. Understanding Folders and Files
• You can use Windows 7 to create folders
for storing and organizing files
• Folders provide a location
for storing your important files
• Folders organize files into
smaller groups of related files
for ease of access and use
• When you create a folder, you give each
folder a unique folder name that identifies
the types of files you store in the folder
and the purpose of the folder
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 5

6. Understanding Folders and Files
• You can use Windows 7 to create folders
for storing and organizing files
• A folder can contain other
folders, called subfolders,
to further organize files into
smaller groups
• The term file hierarchy describes the logic
and layout of the folder structure on a disk
• Windows 7 provides a Documents folder on
the hard disk drive where you create folders
and subfolders for your files
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 6

7. Understanding Folders and Files
• You can use Windows 7 to create folders
for storing and organizing files
• Most programs automatically assume
you want to save and open files in the
Documents folder
• Windows 7 provides other folders
for other types of files, such as:
• Music
• Pictures
• Videos
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 7

8. Example of a File Hierarchy
Folder
Subfolders File
File
Subfolders
Files
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 8

9. Creating and Saving a File
• Any document you create with a program
is temporarily stored in RAM
• If the power fails, then everything in RAM
is lost
• You must save your document to a disk,
either before you exit the program or
periodically while you use the program
• When you save a document,
it is recorded in a file on a disk
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 9

10. Creating and Saving a File
• The program you are using
will add a file extension at
the end of the filename you
provide
• The file extension identifies
the type of file, for example,
a document file, a video file,
or a music file
• The file extension is a three- or four-letter
sequence, preceded by a period
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 10

11. Saving a Document
You can use the following options to save a document:
File, Save • The first time you save a document, this
menu option or button displays a Save As
dialog box so that you can select the drive
and folder where you want to save the file
and so that you can enter a filename
• If you open a previously-saved document,
or make changes to the document, and then
save it again, these options replace the
Save Button
previous version of the document and save
the document in the same folder under the
same filename
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 11

12. Saving a Document
You can use the following option to save a document:
File, Save As • This menu option always displays a Save
As dialog box so that you can select the
drive and folder where you want to save
the file and so that you can enter a filename
• You can use this menu option to save a
previously-saved file:
• On a different disk
• In a different folder
• Under a different filename
• Some combination of these
three options
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 12

13. Save As Dialog Box
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 13

14. Using Windows 7 Libraries
• A library gathers files and folders from
different locations on your computer
and displays them in one location
• A library is not a folder that
stores files, but rather a way
of viewing similar types of
documents that you have
stored in multiple locations
on your computer
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 14

15. Exploring the Files and
Folders on Your Computer
• In a Windows Explorer window, you can
navigate through your computer
contents using the File list, the Address
bar, and the Navigation pane
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 15

16. Drive Names and Drive Icons
Drive
Drive Icon Friendly Name Drive Name Called
Type
Hard Local Disk C: Drive C
Disk
Drive
CD Drive CD-RW Drive, Next available Drive D
CD-R Drive, or drive letter,
CD-ROM Drive for example, D:
DVD DVD-RW Drive, Next available Drive E
Drive DVD-R Drive, or drive letter,
DVD-ROM Drive for example, E:
USB [varies] Next available Drive F
Flash drive letter,
Drive for example, F:
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 16

17. Exploring the Files and
Folders on Your Computer
• Windows 7 lets you create a
homegroup, a named set of computers
that can share information
• If your computer is in a homegroup
with other Windows 7 computers, you
can share libraries and printers with
those computers
Sharing a
library
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 17

18. Opening, Editing, and Saving
Files
• Once you have created a file and saved
it with a name in a folder on a storage
device, you can easily open it and edit
it
Navigating in the
Open dialog box
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 18

19. Copying Files
• The ability to copy folders and files allows
you to create backups of important folders
and files in case you lose the original
folders and files
• If you lose your original folder or file,
you can copy it from your backup
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 19

20. Copying Files
• When you use the Copy command, Windows 7
places a duplicate copy of the file on the
clipboard
• When you copy a file, the original file stays in
its current location and you have a duplicate
copy of the same file in another location
Copy
Hard Disk Drive USB Flash Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 20

21. Copying Files
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 21

22. Copying Files
• You can use the Send To command to
quickly copy a file, a group of files, a
folder, or a group of files from one disk
drive to another
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 22

23. Moving and Renaming Files
• You can move one of more files or
folders
• When you move a file, the file is
transferred to the new location and no
longer exists in its original location
• You can move a file using the Cut and
Paste commands
• You can rename files to make the names
more descriptive or accurate
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 23

24. Moving and Renaming Files
• Drag and drop is a technique in which
you use your pointing device to drag a
file or folder into a different folder and
then drop it, or let go of the mouse
button, to place it in that folder
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 24

25. Searching for Files, Folders,
and Programs
• Windows Search helps you quickly find
any file, folder, or program
• The search text you type is called the
search criteria
• Search criteria can be a filename, part of
a filename, or any other characters you
choose
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 25

26. Searching for Files, Folders,
and Programs
• To search your entire computer,
including its attached drives, you can
use the Search box on the Start menu
• To search within a particular folder, you
can use the Search box in a Windows
Explorer window
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 26

27. Searching for Files, Folders,
and Programs
Searching on criterion “me”
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 27

28. Searching for Files, Folders,
and Programs
• You can perform advanced searches by
using different search criteria such as:
• File extension
• First, last, or first and last name of the file
creator
• Date of file creation
• Document title
• Person’s name to find his or her e-mail
address
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 28

29. Deleting and Restoring Files
• If you no longer need a folder or file,
you can delete it from the storage
device
• By regularly deleting files and folders
you no longer need and emptying the
Recycle Bin, you free up valuable
storage space on your computer
• Windows 7 places files and folders you
delete in the Recycle Bin
• If you delete a folder, Windows 7
removes the folder as well as all files
and subfolders stored in it
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 29

30. Deleting and Restoring Files
Delete File dialog box
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 30

31. Deleting and Restoring Files
• If you later discover that you need a
deleted file or folder, you can restore it
to its original location, but only if you
have not yet emptied the Recycle Bin
• Emptying the Recycle Bin permanently
removes the deleted folders and files
from your computer
• Files and folders you delete from a
removable storage drive do not go to
the Recycle Bin; they are immediately
and permanently deleted and cannot be
restored
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 31

32. Deleting and Restoring Files
Restoring a file from the Recycle Bin
Microsoft Windows 7 - Illustrated 32