If you have ever spent time looking for files you’ve lost, then you already know how important good file management can be. It’s frustrating and time wasting looking for files that aren’t where you thought they were, but this doesn’t have to be the case. With a little organization and some help from Windows XP you can create a file system that’s so easy to navigate and search, you’ll never lose a file again.

As the terms of “files and folders” suggest, the fundamental filing system of Windows XP applies a metaphor of real, physical filing systems. Individual files – which can be documents, photos and sounds, programs and Window’s own special files – are grouped in folders.
 

These folders can be grouped in other folders, all of which are stored on your hard drive – the “mammoth filing cabinet” in this analogy. You can organize most files and folders in this filing cabinet however you like, with the exception of a few special system folders which Windows XP relies upon to keep your PC ticking a long smoothly. Windows XP gets you started on the right track by creating the “My Documents” folder, which becomes the default location for storing all your stuff. This folder includes not only documents but pictures and music, which logically enough sit in separate folders named My Pictures and My Music.

Among the other folders nestled inside the “My Documents” folder are, “My eBooks” [a folder dedicated to electronic books]. In fact when you consider the variety of files in the My Documents folder, it would have been more accurately named My Library or even My Stuff.
 

With a little organization,
you can create a system that’s easy to navigate

Instead of dumping all of your files directly inside my documents, consider creating as many extra folders as you need.

While there’s no hard and fast rule about how you should name your files or where you should put them, it makes sense to approach it based on “projects” – you could have one folder for your finances, another for your holiday planning and so on. You can also place folders inside folders but as a general rule, avoid having folders that are more than three levels deep otherwise you spend a lot of time going up and down through folders every time you want to open a particular file.

One folder that makes sense to create is “My Videos” where you can store your home movies as well as backup copies of your favorite DVDs. This folder can sit inside the My Documents folder, at the same level as My Pictures and My Music. There’s nothing special to creating one of these personalized folders, just open My Documents, click File > New Folder and name it “My Videos”.

 

Double click on the folder to open it, then right click inside the folder and choose the Customized tab. At the top of the page where you’re asked “What kind of folder do you want”, select to use the Videos template from the drop down list. This ensures the list of tasks at the left side of the folder window includes those appropriate to video files.

Finally give the folder a slick looking icon by clicking the “Change Icon” button at the bottom of the page. Scroll through the default set of icons and about half way through you’ll find a folder containing a filmstrip, which will do very nicely. Select the folder-with-filmstrip icon, click OK and when you’re back on the customize page click OK again.

Finding your way

To save yourself borrowing into the My Documents folder or driving down through My Computer every time you need to visit a particular folder, create shortcuts to these folders and place them on the desktop. Or if you like a super-clean desktop, put the shortcuts into the My Documents folder itself so that every time you open My Documents, you can jump straight into that folder rather than the laboriously clicking your way through several followers.

Each time you save the file in your word processor, spreadsheet or any other program, you have a chance to not only give the file a name that makes sense to you but also to save it in the right folder. If you’re not in the right folder, it’s only a few clicks away – so resist the temptations to dump that file onto the desktop or wherever else you happen to be

Most Windows XP programs use a common save box, which defaults to either the standard location for that program or to the last folder used. If that’s not where you want to be, there are a few simple tricks to change the current save location. You can open any of the folders to move up or down through my documents. You can also click the folder with the up arrow, on the save boxes toolbar, to move up one level. There is also a browser like back arrow next to the up folder icon which remembers the last folders you’ve visited, so you can click this to retrace your steps one at a time, or click the small down arrow next to the icon to see the full list of those folders.

If you want to move more than one level at a time - especially if you want to save the file outside of the My Documents folder - click the drop-down “Save In” list and you’ll see a list of everything at the desktop level, including the hard drives in my computer. Once again, just click your way to the destination.


What if you decide you’re newly created document should make its own in a new folder, one that doesn’t currently exist? You can easily create a new folder inside the save box [as well as the similar looking “Save As” and “Open” boxes].

Navigate to the folder which will contain the new folder, then click the “Create new folder” icon on the dialog box toolbar, enter the folders name and click "Save".
 

SUMMARY

OPEN AND SAVE BOXES SECRETS

1. My Places
   Windows XP provides useful shortcuts to several occasions used for storing files [like the desktop and my documents] for accessing other drives and folders [like my computer and my network places]. You can add your own folders to this list.
    
2. Look In list
   
   Click here for drop-down list that lets you navigate through all the folders and files on your system.
    
3. Back Arrow:
   This enables you to back-track your steps through the most recent folders you’ve opened. The arrow button is usually dimmed unless you’ve already opened other folders.
    
4. Up Folder:
   Jump up by one level of folders at a time. If you’re in My Documents the next level up is the Desktop itself.
    
5. View button:
   Switch between several views of the contents of this folder, from large icons to a detailed list to a thumbnail view of most document types.
    
6. Tools menu:
   This menu lets you carry out basic file management tasks such as renaming or deleting a file folder, and adding a folder to the My Places list.

1. In an Open or Save dialog box, select the folder. From the Tools Menu, click add to my places. It will then be added to the bottom of the my places list, although you may need to click the small down arrow to see it.
    
2. You’ll probably use this folder more often than a folder on your network [if you have a network to begin with], so nudge your folder up the list by right clicking it and choosing “Move Up.
    
3.  The more folders you add the more crowded my places becomes. Right–click any folder, and select the “Small Icons” to fit twice as many on to the list.