Windows Vista
Windows Explorer Basics
In order to make working with Windows Explorer simple and easy, it is important to learn some basic techniques, terms, and conventions involving Windows Explorer.
This document covers the following basic information:
Opening Windows Explorer
There are several options for accessing Windows Explorer on campus computers, including the right click option and the Start menu option.
Opening Windows Explorer: Right Click Option
-
On the Taskbar, right click START
» select Explore
Windows Explorer opens.
Opening Windows Explorer: Start Menu Option
-
From the Start menu, select All Programs » Accessories » Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer opens.
Opening Windows Explorer: Creating a Shortcut Option
-
From the Start menu, select All Programs » Accessories
-
Right click WINDOWS EXPLORER » select Send To » Desktop (create shortcut)
The shortcut appears on the desktop. -
From the desktop, double click WINDOWS EXPLORER
Windows Explorer opens.
Moving Around in Windows Explorer
As you work with Windows Explorer, you are likely to encounter the following activities. Included with each activity is a brief description of how to accomplish it.
Displaying the Contents of a Folder/Drive
-
In the Navigation pane, select the appropriate folder/drive name
The contents of the folder/drive you selected will appear in the Contents pane.
Displaying the Contents of a Subfolder
-
Select a folder/drive
-
To expand a folder, click EXPAND
-
To view the content of a subfolder, click EXPAND (
) next to the folder/drive name.
To collapse the folder listing, click COLLAPSE (
).
Terms
The terms file, folder, and path are key words to know when working with Windows Explorer.
File
A file is a single document that is saved to a diskette or hard-drive.
Folder
A folder is where files are stored.
Path
A path is the line of folders you must follow to locate a specific file; it begins with the drive designation and includes the folders. For example, c:\data\reports\status.doc is a file named status.doc that is on the C: drive and is in the reports subfolder of the data folder.
File Naming Conventions
About Long Filenames
When working with Windows Vista, you have a lot of flexibility with filenames. Windows Vista supports long file names so you can have up to 255 characters including spaces.
When naming your files, you can use all of the alphabetic characters, numeric characters, and spaces. The only characters you may not use are control characters (characters that require a keyboard combination to create) and the characters listed below.
\ / : * ? " < >
NOTE: Spaces and special characters should not be used in web publishing or Desire2Learn files.
While file names with Windows Vista are not case-sensitive, Windows Vista will remember the case you use to create the name. This means that you cannot have the following two Word documents in the same folder:
Course Syllabus
course syllabus
Depending on the settings, Windows Vista may hide file extensions. The only incident in which those similarly named files would appear in the same folder is if they have been created by different Office programs. A Word file may have a .DOCX attached to the filename and, for example, an Excel file will have an .XLSX extension added to its filename.
