More Windows Explorer
Using two Windows
So what? You cried. Well, look at the next window shot:
This is my Internet Explorer Favorites folder. I have over a thousand files in there, so I need to ensure that all of these shortcuts to my favourite locations on the Internet are stored in a logical hierarchy of folders. Then, hopefully, I can find them without difficulty. With the two pane setup I can "drag and drop" files from the pane on the right to different folders in the pane on the left.
As you can see the folder contains a dozen subfolders. Some of these in turn contain further subfolders. Your My Documents Folder and its subfolder My Pictures are likely to need similar attention. Mine certainly do.
To be able to set this up you need to be able to create new folders. Then you can have a tree structure with as many layers of sub folders as you wish.
For ease of navigation and finding files in future, I find it best to have no more than about ten subfolders in a top level, ten in each sublevel and 10 -12 files per folder. I have trouble maintaining this discipline!
Creating New Folders
If you right click on a blank area of the right hand pane, a pop-up menu appears. Click on New. Another menu appears:
If you then click on Folder, you can create a new folder within your current location and give it the name of your choice.
Accessing Windows Explorer
Microsoft have made this difficult in Windows XP if you don't know your keyboard shortcuts. There are at least three ways:
- You can click on its icon here: Start/All Programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer;
- or, when you double click a location icon such as My Computer
or My Documents, hold down the Shift key at the same
time. This forces an Explorer window to open and is handy when you want
to go straight to a specific location;
- but the easiest way by far is to use the shortcut key combination: Winkey + E. Bingo! A Windows Explorer window appears. That's the Winkey (or Windows Key) on the right.
You can find out about shortcut keys at at Window Shortcuts. In this case it just means keeping the Windows Key pressed while tapping the E key.
The Windows Key is at the bottom left of your keyboard, usually between
your Alt key and your Ctrl key, often one on each side of your keyboard.
As I said, it looks like the one on the right. Or, if it's a newer keyboard,
a black and white one of these:
On the next page we'll look at strategies for manipulating files in your
computer.
