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Windows Vista

Working with Files

Working with files is an important part of managing documents in Windows Vista.

return to topSelecting Multiple Files

Windows Vista allows you to complete actions on multiple files simultaneously. Instead of selecting files by dragging the mouse, use the following two options to to improve selection accuracy.

Selecting Contiguous Files

  1. Select the first file in the series

  2. Press and hold [Shift]

  3. Select the last file in the series
    The serial files are selected.

  4. Release [Shift]

Selecting Non-Contiguous Files

  1. Select the first file in the series

  2. Press and hold [Ctrl]

  3. Select the individual files you want to include

  4. After you have made all your selections, release [Ctrl]

return to topCopying Files

Copying files is useful when making backup copies of a file. Backup copies should be stored on a different disk or drive than the original file. This ensures the backup copy will be retained if problems occur on the disk or folder where the original is saved.

Copying Files: Copy and Paste Option

  1. On the Taskbar, right click STARTStart button» select Explore
    Windows Explorer opens.

  2. Navigate to and select the file you want to copy

  3. On the Command bar, from the Organize menuOrganize menu, select Copy
     OR
    Right click the file » select Copy
    OR
    Press [Ctrl] + [C]
    The file is copied to the clipboard.

  4. Navigate to the place where you want the copy to be located

  5. On the Command bar, from the Organize menuOrganize menu, select Paste
     OR
    Right click a blank spot in the area » select Paste
    OR
    Press [Ctrl] + [V]
    The file is pasted.

  6. OPTIONAL: To prevent confusion between the original and copied file, rename the file

Copying Files: Drag and Drop Option

  1. On the Taskbar, right click STARTStart button» select Explore
    Windows Explorer opens.

  2. Navigate to the file you wish to copy

  3. In a new Windows Explorer window, navigate to the place where you want the copy to be located
    NOTE: Both the location of the original file and the new location of the copy must show in Windows Explorer windows on screen.

  4. If the new location is on the same drive (e.g., hard-drive to another location on hard-drive), hold down [Ctrl] and drag the file to the new location
    If the new location is on a different drive (e.g., hard-drive to floppy), drag the file to the new location

return to topMoving Files

Moving files allows you to rearrange files and improve organization. The method to move files to the hard-drive or a floppy diskette is similar to copying text.

Moving Files: Cut and Paste Option

  1. On the Taskbar, right click STARTStart button» select Explore
    Windows Explorer opens.

  2. Navigate to and select the file you want to move

  3. On the Command bar, from the Organize menuOrganize menu, select Cut
    OR
    Right click the file » select Cut
    OR
    Press [Ctrl] + [X]
    The file is cut to the clipboard.

  4. Navigate to and select the new location for the file

  5. On the Command bar, from the Organize menuOrganize menu, select Paste
     OR
    Right click a blank spot in the area » select Paste
    OR
    Press [Ctrl] + [V]
    The file is pasted.

  6. OPTIONAL: To prevent confusion between the original and copied file, rename the file

Moving Files: Drag and Drop Option

  1. On the Taskbar, right click STARTStart button» select Explore
    Windows Explorer opens.

  2. Navigate to the file you wish to move

  3. In a new Windows Explorer window, navigate to the place where you wish to move the file
    NOTE: Both the original location of the file and the new location of the file must show in Windows Explorer windows on screen.

  4. If the new location is on the same drive (e.g., hard-drive to another location on hard-drive), drag the file to the new location
    If the new location is on a different drive (e.g., hard-drive to floppy), hold down [Shift] and drag the file to the new location

return to topRenaming Files

After copying a file, you may want to rename it to prevent confusion between the original and copied file.

Renaming Files: Menu Option

  1. Navigate to and select the file you want to rename

  2. On the Command bar, from the Organize menuOrganize menu, select Rename
    OR
    Right click the file » select Rename
    The filename will be selected.
    renamefile

  3. Type the new file name

return to topDeleting Files

Deleting files is an easy way to free up space on your diskettes and disk drives. If you are deleting files from the hard-drive, they are placed in the Recycle Bin and remain there until the Recycle Bin is emptied.

NOTE: You can recover files from the Recycle Bin before it is emptied.

  1. Navigate to and select the file you want to delete

  2. On the Command bar, from the Organize menuOrganize menu, select Delete
    OR
    Right click the file » select Delete
    A confirmation dialog box appears.

  3. Click YES

return to topWorking with the Recycle Bin

Files that are deleted from the hard drive are put into the Recycle Bin, where they will remain until the Recycle Bin is emptied—even if you turn off your computer. The following steps outline how to restore a file from the Recycle Bin. Using this procedure, the file will be restored to its original location. If you want to change the location, you can use the moving files procedure.

Restoring Single Files from the Recycle Bin: Desktop Option

WARNING: Restoring files from the Recycle Bin works only for files deleted from the hard-drive, not from a diskette or a server.

  1. To open the Recycle Bin, on the Desktop, double click RECYCLE BINrecyclebin

  2. Right click the file » select Restore

Restoring Single Files from the Recycle Bin: Command Bar Option

  1. To open the Recycle Bin, on the Desktop, double click RECYCLE BINrecyclebin

  2. Select the file you wish to restore

  3. From the Command bar, click RESTORE THIS ITEMrestoreitem

Restoring All Files from the Recycle Bin

  1. To open the Recycle Bin, on the Desktop, double click RECYCLE BINrecyclebin

  2. From the Command bar, click RESTORE ALL ITEMS restore

Emptying the Recycle Bin

  1. To open the Recycle Bin, on the Desktop, double click recyclebin

  2. From the Command bar, click EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN emptyrb
         A confirmation dialog box appears.

  3. Click YES

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