College of Information Technology / Software Department

LEC. 3 ………………………………………………………..
Computer Skills I / First Class / First Semester 2016-2017

Working with files and folders

A file is an item that contains information, for example, text or images or music. When
opened, a file can look very much like a text document or a picture that you might find on
someone's desk or in a filing cabinet. On your computer, files are represented with icons, this
makes it easy to recognize a type of file by looking at its icon.

There are hidden files, Although you usually can't see a hidden file, it's an ordinary file in all
other respects. You can choose whether a file is hidden or visible by changing its attribute
feature of its properties to become hidden. If a file is hidden and you want to display it, you'll
need to show all hidden files to see it. You can hide rarely used files to reduce clutter, but
remember that hidden files still take up space on your hard disk. Although you can hide
confidential files so other people can't see them, you shouldn't rely on hidden files as your only means
of security or privacy

A folder is a container you can use to store files in. If you had thousands of paper files on
your desk, it would be nearly impossible to find any particular file when you needed it. That's
why people often store paper files in folders inside a filing cabinet. On your computer, folders
work the same way. Here are some typical folder icons:

Folders can also store other folders, a folder within a folder is usually called a subfolder.
You can create any number of subfolders, and each can hold any number of files and
additional subfolders.

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 From the Computer folder, you can access locations such as hard disks, CD or DVD
drives, and removable media. You can also access other devices that might be connected to
your computer, such as external hard drives and USB flash drives. A common reason to open
the Computer folder is to view the available space on your hard disks and removable media.
If you right-click an item in the Computer folder, you can perform tasks such as ejecting a CD
or DVD, viewing the properties of a hard disk, and formatting a disk.

Each time you turn on your computer, Windows keeps track of the way your computer
starts and which programs you commonly open. Windows saves this information as a number
of files in the prefetch folder (PF). This Windows prefetch folder is a specific location within
the Windows operating system (subfolder of the Windows system folder) that contains small
files detailing the startup activities and frequently-used application programs. Prefetching is
beneficial to the Windows operating system because a typical Windows startup involves a
multitude of files that often must be opened multiple times. This multiple-access behavior can
take considerable time and slow the boot-up process, whereas the next time you turn on your
computer, Windows refers to these files to help speed the start process. The prefetch folder is
self-maintaining e.g. Windows maintains the prefetch folder automatically, and there's no need
to delete it or empty its contents. If you empty the folder, Windows and your programs will
take longer to open the next time you turn on your computer, this will not damage the OS, but
it will force Windows to re-create the prefetch files for the operating system and applications.

Using libraries to access files and folders

Library is a collection of items, such as files and folders that are assembled from various
locations, the locations might be on a computer, an external hard drive, etc. You can use
libraries to access your files and folders, and arrange them in different ways. In libraries, you
can include folders from different locations so that you can see the files in one place. This is a
good way to keep your files organized so you don't have to search multiple locations to find
what you're looking for. In some ways, a library is similar to a folder. For example, when you
open a library, you'll see one or more files. However, you can't store files or folders in a
library. This is a subtle, but important, difference between file and library.

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 There are four default libraries:

 Documents library: Use this library to organize and arrange word-processing documents,
presentations, and other text-related files. By default, files that you move, copy, or save to the
Documents library are stored in the My Documents folder.
 Pictures library: Use this library to organize and arrange your digital pictures, whether you
get them from your camera, scanner, or in e-mail from other people. By default, files that you
move, copy, or save to the Pictures library are stored in the My Pictures folder.
 Music library: Use this library to organize and arrange your digital music, by default, files
that you move, copy, or save to the Music library are stored in the My Music folder.
 Videos library: Use this library to organize and arrange your videos, such as clips from
your digital camera, or video files that you download from the Internet. By default, files that
you move, copy, or save to the Videos library are stored in the My Videos folder.

Some things you can do with libraries:

 Create a new library. There are four default libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures, and
Videos), but you can create new libraries for other collections.
 Arrange items by folder, date, and other properties. Items in a library can be arranged in
different ways using the Arrange by menu, located in the library pane (above the file list) in
any open library. For example, you can arrange your Music library by Artist to quickly find
a song by a particular artist.
 Include or remove a folder. Libraries gather content from included folders, or library
locations.
 Change the default save location. The default save location determines where an item is
stored when it's copied, moved, or saved to the library.

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Parts of Windows

When you open a folder or library, you see it in a window. The various parts of this
window are designed to help you navigate around Windows or work with files, folders, and
libraries more easily. Here's a typical window and each of its parts:

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