Windows Explorer -Using the Windows file manager

	Windows Explorer -Using the Windows file manager by The F@t Guy

Navigate:

Making a Folder:

Making a Folder

File Selection:

Selecting Single or Non-contiguous Files
Select single file, multiple files using CTRL

Selecting Contiguous Files Select All, Shift+Arrow Keys, Throwing a Rope

Copying and Moving Files:

Copying, Cutting, Pasting, and Deleting files

Determining File Size:

How big are my files?

Introduction:

Probably the single most important part of your operating system is not your desktop or your browser- but the file manager. After all, an operating system, and all data types, are nothing but a conglomeration of files. It would seem to be important to know what to do with files in their native state, no?

File management is done with something called a "file manager" which is different from opening your file in an application- It isn't for editing files. It is for copying, moving and deleting the files themselves.

While one must be very careful (one can really cause damage to your system if one isn't careful), this is the best interface for cleaning up and moving things around in your machine.

The Windows file manager is called the Windows Explorer, and is different from Internet Explorer. It actually has two standard interfaces.

The first one you will recognize as "My Computer", and looks like this (Win 9x):

The second is a bit more elaborate, and looks like this (Win9x):

The full version is basically the same as the "My Computer" view with a navigation tree built onto the left side to make it easier to move around.

Both views can be altered and customized in various ways, so yours may not look like this exactly (especially if on a Windows NT [2k, XP, or Vista] box), but for the purpose of this exercise, I will mainly use the simplest one (Win9x "My Computer"), and will use the "detailed" view for reasons more to do with image sizes than to do with preference.

Accessing "My Computer" is simple for most folks- If you are on a Win9x box, it is located right on your desktop. If you use NT you have to dig a little bit: Start => [R-Panel] "My Computer".

To access the full view is even easier, though most folks don't know how:

Just hold down your WinKey (the one with the Windows "flag" on it) and the letter "e" at the same time and up it comes.

On 9x, you may also go to Start => Programs =>Windows Explorer
On XP, you can find it in Start => All Programs => Accessories => Windows Explorer

It is also Windows Explorer that comes up when you click on your "My Documents" or "My Pictures", and etc... It is just the "My Computer" Explorer interface directed at the folder you wish to go to:

The purpose of this section is to teach you the very basic functions you will need to know in order to use the Windows file manager. You will find that it can do much more, but as with anything, once you get to using it, you will discover a wealth on your own. The topics discussed here are an attempt to answer questions from my users and this page will undoubtably grow, so check back often.

As always, the sidebar is where to go...