Folders: Yup, A Dirty Word To Many!

This article, which is Housekeeping 105, will focus on the dreaded folders. I am extremely pleased with folders and hopefully, by the end of this article and the next one, Folders deux, you will be, too.

There are two uses for files and folders. One is to organize all of your information so that most of the time you can, with a few clicks, have the folders and files at your fingertips. The second use for files and folders is to have them labeled Folder 1, Folder 2… you get my drift. Within these folders, you might place sensitive files and watch the fun begin. Let’s find that tax form you scanned. If you enjoy tearing out your hair, extreme stress, and getting nothing accomplished… oh, and snapping at coworkers and family, Number 2 is the way for you. And you may stop reading because you definitely have your method totally under control!

Now, the rest of you fine folks are going to eliminate those negative results mentioned above. I’m doing this in two articles because one would not do it justice. Heck, it might even be longer.

Most people think of their computer as what they see in front of them - the desktop. That’s just glitz. Your real computer lies beneath that, and that’s where we want to go.

You can do this by clicking on My Computer, finding the drive, and clicking on that. I have set up an easier way. I go to Start / Accessories / Windows Explorer. Then I right click on Create Shortcut. Lo and behold, there on my list are two Windows Explorers. Take the one you just made and drag it onto your desktop. Close all windows. Rename the shortcut we just created, such as My Files, Don’t Touch, or any other signage that floats your boat. You can also right click on this Icon, click on Change Icon, and place a distinctive Icon in place of the folder and magnifying glass.

Now, you have created a means of getting all of your files quickly and easily. If you click the icon, a box will come up with your drives and main folders on the left side and mostly files and some folders on the right side.

If you have not been keeping your files nice and tidy when you venture into the folder “My Computer,” you will most likely find every file you ever saved, and you are saying to yourself “what a mess.” We will begin in this folder.

As in any file system, you can have folders within folders and files within those folders. Just imagine a regular filing cabinet and that is your computer. If you just throw things into your file cabinet, you’ll have trouble when someone wants the “Oats Report” - you have no clue because putting things in alphabetical order never occurred to you!

For your first lesson, let’s tackle My Documents / My Pictures. Use the Start / Search button to find all of your images on your computer. Once you have done that, toss them all into the My Pictures folder. Now the fun begins. Start sorting those pictures into children, pooches, kitties, weddings, and any other titles that describe the pictures that will populate that event. You may date these, as well. Make folders with the titles of these events (or non-events). To make a new folder, zip up to the menu at the top of the window and click on “File.” A menu pops up and one choice is “New.” Highlight this and off to the right another menu will appear. Click on Folder. A folder shall appear inside the My Documents window. Right click the new folder, pick “Rename,” and click. Type in the name you would like that file to have - voila! Once you have your folders made, draaaaaaaaaaaaag those darned pictures into their rightful folders. Now when you open up My Documents / My Pictures, you should see a bunch of folders that describe what may be within them.

Let me know if this seemed straightforward enough for you or if you need a more in-depth tutorial. That’s what I’m here for. I know I sort of flew across Start / Search, and if you wish further guidance in that area, I am more than pleased to do that.

My goal here is to get you familiar and comfortable with the underbelly of the computer and utilize it the same way you utilized file cabinets.

Unless I get some feedback as to what you need further discussion on, next article we will continue with folders and cleaning up that hard drive.

By the time we finish these, you will be swaggering to your computer.