Help, Where Did I Put It? - Your computer is chock full of information—so much so, that it’s impossible to remember where you’ve stored everything. These common sense tips will help you navigate your computer files and find that information much easier.


by LisaBeth Weber. copyright 2007

Where oh where?
You’ve probably been through this scenario before…..”Where did I put my keys? Where did I put my glasses?” And now, it’s “Where did I put that computer file?!” The best answer to this ‘soon to be age old’ dilemma is to have a system. Just as you would (hopefully) have a “special place” for the everyday necessities of life, or an organized filing cabinet, it pays to do the same when it comes to your computer. Organization is key, and though it’s never too late, starting out this way will save you hours of playing catch up. Those little icons all over your computer that resemble file folders are exactly that, and it’s a good idea to begin thinking of them in this manner. You can name them just as you would in your big filing cabinet at home. In fact, computer folders can be organized in a parallel fashion to your steel filing cabinet. If you have a system that works for your regular paper files, consider applying that technique to your computer files. No matter what, choosing a system that works and maintaining it will help you stay organized for years to come.
It’s MY computer!
When beginning to organize your computer files, it would be wise to become familiar with the ubiquitous “My Computer” feature. This is a great “window” into seeing the locations of files in a straightforward manner. Chances are, your computer will show the “My Computer” icon directly on your desktop, unless it has been manually removed. This is a great shortcut that will come in very handy. To go to “My Computer” manually, click on the “start” button, mouse over to “My Computer” and left click. Once there, you will see the variety of icons, each representing either a drive on your computer, or folders containing items such as pictures or music. Chances are most of your information will be stored on the “C” (the hard disk) of your computer. Double click on the “C-drive” icon and you will see several sub-folders. Windows has created a built-in default folder entitled, “My Documents”. Some people like to store all their documents here for the convenience, while others prefer to create their own file names and categories. Subfolders are one of the most helpful ways to further your computer organization goals. For example, let’s say you’re creating a section about all of your home information. You might name the first folder “home”, and the subsequent sub-folders as “bills”, “insurance”, “mortgage” etc. At this point, you can begin creating new file folders for your particular needs.
Folders are us.
You will soon see that the option of creating as many folders and sub-folders as you want will fast become one of your best ally’s in creating a well organized computer. The main folder can contain many folders, and each of these can as well. Once you become accustomed to this concept, arranging your computer files will be a breeze. Though you don’t want to end up having too many folders, when they are well named and well placed, it will allow you to navigate your computer with the greatest of ease. There are several ways to create a folder. Look on the left side of your screen and click on “make a new folder.” You can also right click in the white space near the other folders, and click on “new”, then “folder”. Alternately, you can click on “file” in the upper left hand corner of the screen, then click on “new”, and “folder”. However you get there, the new folder will appear and you can change the name at this point. Right click on the folder itself, then left click on “rename”, where you will type in a name. Keep the names on the short side. This isn’t the place to write the great American novel. Save that for the document inside the folder.
Saving well will save you time.
One way to save time later on is to make sure you’re saving files in an organized manner from the moment they’re created. If you’re creating a document in MS Word that is about your summer vacation, take the time to figure out where you want to “keep” that file. Do you want it with family? Or would it be best to have it under travel? These are personal choices, but worth determining before you end up desperately trying to find that essay about the family vacation to Aunt Mildred’s.
Copycat
There may be a reason why you need to copy a folder into another folder. Go to the folder you want through “My Computer”. Right click and go to “copy”. Then go to the destination folder, right click, and go to “paste”. You can also copy and paste folders using your computer shortcut keys, “Control + C” for copy, “Control + V” for paste. In order to be able to move files back and forth by dragging or copying, you may need to have 2 windows open at a time. Once you open up “My Computer/C drive” you can then open another window from my computer to conduct the transfer.
Documents and pictures and music. Oh my!
When something works, don’t change it. Newer operating systems have continued the success of “My Computer”, and “My Documents” by applying it to evolving digital media, including ‘My Music”, “My Pictures”, and even “My Downloads” as default folders. Whether you are uploading pictures from your camera, or downloading songs from itunes etc., be sure to save the files where you can easily find them by using the appropriate category from the start. One of the greatest innovations of PC functionality is the ability to “click and drag” folders from one place to another. If you decide you would rather have your mortgage file under bank rather than home, simply click and hold down the left side of your mouse, drag the file to the desired location, and release the mouse when it arrives.
‘Exploring’ the Family Tree.
Windows Explorer is another fundamental management component of the Windows Operating System. It is a very helpful feature in seeing and finding files, and it has gone through significant changes over the course of the latest 3 versions of operating systems. This makes it somewhat impractical to detail the usage of this key feature. However, the common denominator is the resemblance to a family tree; folders showing sub-folders, and so on. Go to Start/Programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer to get started. Once there, get acquainted by clicking on the “C” drive and then the various sub-folders. Whenever you see a plus sign alongside the folders in Explorer; you can click on those folders to display subsequent folders and possibly find Aunt Mildred’s cookie recipe.
Back it up!
It is wise in this conversation to address the concept of backing up your files. Nothing like taking the time to organize everything, only for it all to disappear in an unexplainable computer crash. One of the best inventions of late is called a “flash drive”. These small media sticks, no bigger than a stick of gum, can hold an extraordinary amount of data, and are falling in price faster than a mid-winter snow in New England. At last check, you can find a 4 gig flash drive by Sony (www.sony.com) or Memorex (www.memorex.com) for about $50.00. This is an easy way to store important documents. Often referred to as “travel drives”, these mini-storage devices also allow you to bring your files wherever you go. As long as there is a USB port, you can plug the flash drive into any computer and access your files. This has rapidly become a favorite tool for people on the go that have access to other computers and want to take their work, or family photos, or mp3 files, etc., with them without having to carry a laptop around. For those larger and more comprehensive back-ups, many people find an external hard drive to be invaluable. These days, a 120 gig external hard drive by Maxtor (www.maxtor.com) or Western Digital (www.westerndigital.com) is less than $150.00. They are very easy to use and provide great peace of mind to computer owners everywhere. The external hard drive will be equipped with a standard USB cable that you will connect to your PC. Your PC will recognize the new hardware and show it to you in “My Computer”. From here, you can transfer files directly to the external hard drive by copying them or using the backup software provided. After you transfer your important data to the external hard drive, it can be kept in a secure location like a fire safe or safety deposit box.
Go for the extra insurance.
If you really want to cover your bases in your organizing quest, you can create a document that lists the location for everything on your computer. Every time you create a new folder, etc. you can update your document. Just don’t forget where you put it! Organizing for many people comes easily; for others, it’s a perpetual carrot on a stick. However you approach your quest to have an organized life on your computer, take the time to do it right, so that you don’t have to do it twice.

SIDEBARS:
How’s the view?
 When you are on the screen originated from “My Computer” you will see the icon for “views” at the top of your computer screen. It looks like a little white box with a blue border across the top. This is where you can choose how you are able to view the files on your computer. It allows you to view files as thumbnails, tiles, icons, lists, or details. It is a good place to play with these various options and see which one you feel most comfortable with. There may be times when you prefer changing the view depending on what task you are performing. The details option will show the date and size, while the thumbnail view will actually show any pictures contained within the file folder. You can also get to the views by right-clicking in the white area near the folders. It is here that you will also see, “Arrange icons by…” giving you the option to display them alphabetically, or by date, etc.
Organizing your summer vacation.
 When organizing your digital photos, consider creating folders by year with all the year’s events in subfolders. If there is a place you visit each summer, it will be easier to find by accessing the year first.
Garbage in. Garbage out.
 Don’t forget to de-clutter your unused files from time to time. If a file is outdated, or you simply have no use for it or have merged its contents into another location, you can delete the file. Simply right click on the file you no longer need, and click on delete. Just make sure you really don’t need it before you send it packing.
Take a Shortcut.
 Right-click on virtually any file folder or document or picture and you can create a shortcut to be placed on your desktop. If there is a folder that you access often, you can have it at your disposal. Keep in mind that the more icons you have on your desktop, the more your system resources are being used. Less is more is the motto here.